p16 and ARF: activation of teenage proteins in old age.

Satyanarayana, Ande; Rudolph, K Lenhard · J Clin Invest · 2004

review · Level V

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Abstract

Cellular senescence induced by different stresses and telomere shortening appears to play an important role in the aging process. The products of the INK4a/ARF locus--p16INK4a and ARF--arrest cell proliferation at the senescence stage by exerting their effects on retinoblastoma protein- and p53-mediated responsive pathways. A study in this issue of the JCI provides experimental evidence of a specific upregulation of these cell cycle inhibitors in a variety of organs during mammalian aging.

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