senescenceassociated

Senescence-associated is an adjective used in biology to denote features, processes, or markers that are characteristic of cellular senescence, a state of permanent cell-cycle arrest that can arise in response to telomere shortening, DNA damage, oxidative stress, oncogene activation, or other stresses. Senescence acts as a barrier to malignant transformation but can contribute to organismal aging when senescent cells accumulate in tissues.

Common examples include senescence-associated beta-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) activity, senescence-associated heterochromatin foci (SAHF), and the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP).

SA-β-gal is a lysosomal enzyme whose activity at pH 6 is used as a histochemical marker of senescent cells, though it is not exclusive to senescence.

SAHF refers to condensed chromatin structures that help lock cells in G1 arrest by repressing proliferation-promoting genes.

SASP encompasses a broad set of secreted cytokines, chemokines, growth factors, and proteases that alter tissue microenvironments and can promote inflammation, remodeling, or paracrine senescence.

These senescence-associated features are central to aging research, cancer biology, and regenerative medicine, and they underlie strategies to treat age-related disease, including senolytic therapies that selectively eliminate senescent cells or senomorphics that modulate SASP.

The phrase "senescence-associated" signals association with senescent cells rather than proof of causation, and researchers emphasize using multiple markers to characterize senescence in a given context.