OBJECTIVE Although atherosclerosis is associated with systemic risk factors such as age, high cholesterol, and obesity, plaque formation occurs predominately at branches and bends that are exposed to disturbed patterns of blood flow. The molecular mechanisms that link disturbed flow-generated mechanical forces with arterial injury are uncertain. To illuminate them, we investigated the effects o...

Transcriptional and metabolic changes were evaluated during senescence induced by preventing pollination in the B73 genotype of maize (Zea mays). Accumulation of free glucose and starch and loss of chlorophyll in leaf was manifested early at 12 d after anthesis (DAA), while global transcriptional and phenotypic changes were evident only at 24 DAA. Internodes exhibited major transcriptomic chang...

Transcriptional and metabolic changes were evaluated during senescence induced by preventing pollination in the B73 genotype of maize (Zea mays). Accumulation of free glucose and starch and loss of chlorophyll in leaf was manifested early at 12 d after anthesis (DAA), while global transcriptional and phenotypic changes were evident only at 24 DAA. Internodes exhibited major transcriptomic chang...

Mesothelial cell (MC) senescence contributes to malignancy and tissue fibrosis. The role of telomere erosion in MC senescence remains controversial, with evidence for both telomere-dependent and telomere-independent mechanisms reported. Single telomere length analysis revealed considerable telomere length heterogeneity in freshly isolated human peritoneal MCs, reflecting a heterogeneous prolife...

Replicative senescence is accompanied by a telomere-specific DNA damage response (DDR). We found that DDR+ telomeres occur spontaneously in early-passage normal human cells and increase in number with increasing cumulative cell divisions. DDR+ telomeres at replicative senescence retain TRF2 and RAP1 proteins, are not associated with end-to-end fusions and mostly result from strand-independent, ...

The aim of this study was to analyze whether polyamine (PA) metabolism is involved in dark-induced Hordeum vulgare L. 'Nagrad' leaf senescence. In the cell, the titer of PAs is relatively constant and is carefully controlled. Senescence-dependent increases in the titer of the free PAs putrescine, spermidine, and spermine occurred when the process was induced, accompanied by the formation of put...

The main thrust of my dissertation is to understand whether and when senescence is an inherent characteristic of life. Hamilton (1966) claimed to have proven that “senescence is an inevitable outcome of evolution” . One major result of my work is that no dogmatic statement can be made about the universality of senescence. By carefully studying Hamilton’s paper on the moulding of senescence, I s...

As the last stage of leaf development, senescence is a fine-tuned process regulated by interplays of multiple signaling pathways. We have previously identified soybean (Glycine max) SENESCENCE-ASSOCIATED RECEPTOR-LIKE KINASE (SARK), a leucine-rich repeat-receptor-like protein kinase from soybean, as a positive regulator of leaf senescence. Here, we report the elucidation of the molecular mechan...

Human cells do not indefinitely proliferate. Upon external and/or intrinsic cues, cells might die or enter a stable cell cycle arrest called senescence. Several cellular mechanisms, such as telomere shortening and abnormal expression of mitogenic oncogenes, have been shown to cause senescence. Senescence is not restricted to normal cells; cancer cells have also been reported to senesce. Chemoth...

Atherosclerosis is classed as a disease of aging, such that increasing age is an independent risk factor for the development of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is also associated with premature biological aging, as atherosclerotic plaques show evidence of cellular senescence characterized by reduced cell proliferation, irreversible growth arrest and apoptosis, elevated DNA damage, epigenetic m...