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Five dysfunctional telomeres predict onset of senescence in human cells
Author(s) -
Kaul Zeenia,
Cesare Anthony J,
Huschtscha Lily I,
Neumann Axel A,
Reddel Roger R
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
embo reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.584
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1469-3178
pISSN - 1469-221X
DOI - 10.1038/embor.2011.227
Subject(s) - telomere , senescence , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , telomerase , cellular aging , dna damage , genetics , dna , gene
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, postreplicative dysfunction. On the basis of the calculated number of DDR+ telomeres in G1‐phase cells just before senescence and after bypassing senescence by inactivation of wild‐type p53 function, we conclude that the accrual of five telomeres in G1 that are DDR+ but nonfusogenic is associated with p53‐dependent senescence.