The research group of the Institute of Medical Sciences of the University of Tokyo focused on the p16 gene, which is a marker gene for senescent cells, and created the world's first mouse capable of detecting and analyzing senescent cells at the single cell level.As a result, it was found that senescent cells exist in various organs and do not proliferate, but their numbers increase with aging.Elucidation of the cause of aging and development of anti-aging therapy are expected.
When cells are subjected to various genomic stresses, they are induced into senescent cells that exhibit irreversible growth arrest.Until now, since there is no method for identifying the properties of senescent cells from individuals, analysis using cultured cell lines has been performed.Recent studies have shown that removal of senescent cells from aged individuals suppresses age-related changes and prevents or ameliorate the development of various senile diseases.However, the detailed mechanism of where senescent cells are located in an individual and what their properties are is unknown.
The research group used the p16 gene as a marker for senescent cells and labeled the senescent cells with red fluorescence, enabling detection and isolation at the single cell level.As a result, senescent cells were detected in all the analyzed organs.It was also found that individual senescent cells do not proliferate with age, but are removed from the individual every few months.It was also found that removal of senescent cells from the liver and kidneys significantly improved nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).
Further detailed analysis will clarify the cause of aging and the molecular basis for controlling functional decline in each organ / cell, and the development of aged cell removal technology will lead to innovative anti-aging therapies, cancer and arteriosclerosis. It is expected to lead to the development of preventive and therapeutic agents for various aging diseases such as hardening.
Paper information:[Cell Metabolism] Generation of a p16 Reporter Mouse and Its Use to Characterize and Target p16high Cells In Vivo
