RESEARCH
Senescence Group
The maintenance of tissue homeostasis and integrity is integral to a reproductive success. Cellular senescence, the stress-induced irreversible cell cycle arrest, has been proposed for replicative tissues as an underlying cause of ageing and age-related pathology accompanied by loss of the tissue homeostasis.
Conversely, increasing evidence has demonstrated that cellular senescence is a programmed event actively orchestrating homeostasis of the replicative tissues – via tissue renewal during normal embryonic development and upon tissue injury as well as a cell-autonomous blockade to prevent damaged cells from aberrant cell proliferation (becoming cancerous). Conceptually, however, these might not be case of the non-replicative tissues, such as central nervous system and heart composed of differentiated post-mitotic cells (neurons and cardiac muscle cells, respectively), since irreversible cell cycle arrest is a prerequisite feature of bona-fide senescence.
Dr. Ishikawa is interested in two-sided effects of cellular senescence on the maintenance of tissue homeostasis and integrity through entire life and its common molecular basis between the replicative and non-replicative tissues. Within the senescence group, we are focusing on the senescence program in both mitotic and post-mitotic cells and aiming to understand its role in physiological and pathological contexts in aged individuals, such as cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and heart failure.
Conversely, increasing evidence has demonstrated that cellular senescence is a programmed event actively orchestrating homeostasis of the replicative tissues – via tissue renewal during normal embryonic development and upon tissue injury as well as a cell-autonomous blockade to prevent damaged cells from aberrant cell proliferation (becoming cancerous). Conceptually, however, these might not be case of the non-replicative tissues, such as central nervous system and heart composed of differentiated post-mitotic cells (neurons and cardiac muscle cells, respectively), since irreversible cell cycle arrest is a prerequisite feature of bona-fide senescence.
Dr. Ishikawa is interested in two-sided effects of cellular senescence on the maintenance of tissue homeostasis and integrity through entire life and its common molecular basis between the replicative and non-replicative tissues. Within the senescence group, we are focusing on the senescence program in both mitotic and post-mitotic cells and aiming to understand its role in physiological and pathological contexts in aged individuals, such as cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and heart failure.
