Cellular senescence increases expression of bacterial ligands in the lungs and is positively correlated with increased susceptibility to pneumococcal pneumonia.

ABSTRACT: Cellular senescence is an age-associated phenomenon that promotes tumor invasiveness owing to the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, proteases, and growth factors. Herein we demonstrate that cellular senescence also potentially increases susceptibility to bacterial pneumonia caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus), the leading cause of infectious death in the elderly. Aged mice had increased lung inflammation as determined by cytokine analysis and histopathology of lung sections. Immunoblotting for p16, pRb, and mH2A showed that elderly humans and aged mice had increased levels of these senescence markers in their lungs vs. young controls. Keratin 10 (K10), laminin receptor (LR), and platelet-activating factor receptor (PAFr), host proteins known to be co-opted for bacte

SUBMITTER: Shivshankar P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3173515 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature