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Is Senescence-Associated β-Galactosidase a Reliable in vivo Marker of Cellular Senescence During Embryonic Development?

de Mera-Rodríguez, José Antonio ; Álvarez-Hernán, Guadalupe LU ; Gañán, Yolanda ; Martín-Partido, Gervasio ; Rodríguez-León, Joaquín and Francisco-Morcillo, Javier (2021) In Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology 9.
Abstract

During vertebrate embryonic development, cellular senescence occurs at multiple locations. To date, it has been accepted that when there has been induction of senescence in an embryonic tissue, β-galactosidase activity is detectable at a pH as high as 6.0, and this has been extensively used as a marker of cellular senescence in vivo in both whole-mount and cryosections. Such senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-GAL) labeling appears enhanced in degenerating regions of the vertebrate embryo that are also affected by programmed cell death. In this sense, there is a strong SA-β-GAL signal which overlaps with the pattern of cell death in the interdigital tissue of the developing limbs, and indeed, many of the labeled cells detected... (More)

During vertebrate embryonic development, cellular senescence occurs at multiple locations. To date, it has been accepted that when there has been induction of senescence in an embryonic tissue, β-galactosidase activity is detectable at a pH as high as 6.0, and this has been extensively used as a marker of cellular senescence in vivo in both whole-mount and cryosections. Such senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-GAL) labeling appears enhanced in degenerating regions of the vertebrate embryo that are also affected by programmed cell death. In this sense, there is a strong SA-β-GAL signal which overlaps with the pattern of cell death in the interdigital tissue of the developing limbs, and indeed, many of the labeled cells detected go on to subsequently undergo apoptosis. However, it has been reported that β-GAL activity at pH 6.0 is also enhanced in healthy neurons, and some retinal neurons are strongly labeled with this histochemical technique when they begin to differentiate during early embryonic development. These labeled early post-mitotic neurons also express other senescence markers such as p21. Therefore, the reliability of this histochemical technique in studying senescence in cells such as neurons that undergo prolonged and irreversible cell-cycle arrest is questionable because it is also expressed in healthy post-mitotic cells. The identification of new biomarkers of cellular senescence would, in combination with established markers, increase the specificity and efficiency of detecting cellular senescence in embryonic and healthy mature tissues.

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author
; ; ; ; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
keywords
cell death, cell senescence, development, histochemistry, limb, retina
in
Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology
volume
9
article number
623175
publisher
Frontiers Media S. A.
external identifiers
  • pmid:33585480
  • scopus:85100731801
ISSN
2296-634X
DOI
10.3389/fcell.2021.623175
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
25e615c7-da34-40a7-b08f-abe7ab8cf2e8
date added to LUP
2021-12-15 14:05:01
date last changed
2024-06-15 22:47:36
@article{25e615c7-da34-40a7-b08f-abe7ab8cf2e8,
  abstract     = {{<p>During vertebrate embryonic development, cellular senescence occurs at multiple locations. To date, it has been accepted that when there has been induction of senescence in an embryonic tissue, β-galactosidase activity is detectable at a pH as high as 6.0, and this has been extensively used as a marker of cellular senescence in vivo in both whole-mount and cryosections. Such senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-GAL) labeling appears enhanced in degenerating regions of the vertebrate embryo that are also affected by programmed cell death. In this sense, there is a strong SA-β-GAL signal which overlaps with the pattern of cell death in the interdigital tissue of the developing limbs, and indeed, many of the labeled cells detected go on to subsequently undergo apoptosis. However, it has been reported that β-GAL activity at pH 6.0 is also enhanced in healthy neurons, and some retinal neurons are strongly labeled with this histochemical technique when they begin to differentiate during early embryonic development. These labeled early post-mitotic neurons also express other senescence markers such as p21. Therefore, the reliability of this histochemical technique in studying senescence in cells such as neurons that undergo prolonged and irreversible cell-cycle arrest is questionable because it is also expressed in healthy post-mitotic cells. The identification of new biomarkers of cellular senescence would, in combination with established markers, increase the specificity and efficiency of detecting cellular senescence in embryonic and healthy mature tissues.</p>}},
  author       = {{de Mera-Rodríguez, José Antonio and Álvarez-Hernán, Guadalupe and Gañán, Yolanda and Martín-Partido, Gervasio and Rodríguez-León, Joaquín and Francisco-Morcillo, Javier}},
  issn         = {{2296-634X}},
  keywords     = {{cell death; cell senescence; development; histochemistry; limb; retina}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Frontiers Media S. A.}},
  series       = {{Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology}},
  title        = {{Is Senescence-Associated β-Galactosidase a Reliable in vivo Marker of Cellular Senescence During Embryonic Development?}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fcell.2021.623175}},
  doi          = {{10.3389/fcell.2021.623175}},
  volume       = {{9}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}