Understanding of the anti-apoptotic mechanisms in senescent cells

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24650625
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Tumor biology
• Research Institution: Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research
• Principal Investigator: HARA Eiji 公益財団法人がん研究会, がん研究所がん生物部, 部長 (80263268)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 癌 / 遺伝子 / シグナル伝達 / 老化 / 発現制御

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We have tried to identify a promising molecular target that can be used to design interventions to promote apoptosis in senescent cells. By screening of a low molecular weight compound library, we found that a series of chemical inhibitors against the same histone modifying enzyme can provoke apoptosis in senescent, but not in non-senescent, human diploid fibroblasts. Similar results were also observed when we used several other human cell types, suggesting that this histone modifying enzyme plays a key role in preventing apoptosis in senescent human cells.

Free Research Field

分子腫瘍学