Replicative senescence in atherosclerosis:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
The cell ageing process - replicative senescence - may play an important role in the development of clinical vascular disease, as an accumulation of senescent endothelial cells in the arteries contributes to atherosclerotic plaque formation and thrombosis. These conclusions (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, November 21st), by a team from Geron (US), were drawn following the observation that chromosomal telomere length can be used as a marker of human vascular ageing, and telomere loss in vivo is greater in cells from tissues implicated in atherosclerosis (eg arteries), than in cells not involved (eg from veins).