Senescent cells are constantly created and destroyed throughout life, largely as a result of the replicative senescence that marks the end of life for a somatic cell, the Hayflick limit on cell division. With age, the pace of creation and destruction is disrupted, perhaps largely because the immune system ages to the point at which it falters in all of its tasks, clearance of senescent cells included. Senescent cells accumulate, and while never making up more than a small fraction of all somatic cells in any given tissue, the pro-growth, pro-inflammatory signaling generated by senescent cells is highly disruptive to organ structure …
A Long Discussion of the Role of Senescent Cells in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
Senescent cells are constantly created and destroyed throughout life, largely as a result of the replicative senescence that marks the end of life for a somatic cell, the Hayflick limit on cell division. With age, the pace of creation and destruction is disrupted, perhaps largely because the immune system ages to the point at which it falters in all of its tasks, clearance of senescent cells included. Senescent cells accumulate, and while never making up more than a small fraction of all somatic cells in any given tissue, the pro-growth, pro-inflammatory signaling generated by senescent cells is highly disruptive to organ structure …