Targeted Apoptosis of Senescent Cells Restores Tissue Homeostasis in Response to Chemotoxicity and Aging

The worldwide increase in life expectancy gives rise to an increasing prevalence of cardiac diseases, which remain the leading cause of disability and death in the developed world [1][2][3] . Currently, the mechanisms under lying how ageing contributes to the initiation or acceler ation of cardiac diseases are essentially unresolved. Prevailing theories of ageing centre on gradual derail ment of cellular protein homeostasis -proteostasis -either by design (genetically) or by 'wear and tear' (environmentally) 3 . Central to the role of proteostasis derailment as a major factor in ageing is the observation that protein function declines over time.Proteins are the most versatile and complex macro molecules and are involved in the proper functioning of every biological process 4 . After synthesis as a poly peptide chain from the genetic code, proper function of a protein relies heavily on its correct folding into a 3D native state and on various post translational modifi cations, mostly involving the addition of chem ical groups (including phosphate, acetate, and carbo hydrate). Protein maturation, transport, and ultimately breakdown is monitored and supported by various classes of proteins, collectively called 'protein quality control' (PQC) [3][4][5] . Balanced proteostasis, therefore, depends on proper PQC and is crucial for cellular and organismal health 6 . The intricate network making up the PQC involves numerous proteins, of which the main players are the chaperones and their regula tors 4,7-9 (assisting in folding and refolding of proteins) and the pathways that clear irreversibly misfolded and aggregation prone proteins (the ubiquitin-proteasome system [UPS] and autophagy systems) 9-11 . With ageing, the gradual accumulation of misfolded or damaged pro teins, together with concomitant failure of PQC, results in proteotoxic stress and compromised defence against reactive oxygen species (ROS) 10 , a process that is likely to be accelerated in various age related diseases includ ing neurodegenerative diseases 12,13 , type 2 diabetes mel litus 14 , cancer 15 , and cardiac diseases [16][17][18][19][20] . In addition to the accumulation of misfolded proteins, ageing is accompanied by an imbalance in the proteome, as indi cated by lowered expression of chaperone, proteaso mal, ribosomal, and mitochondrial proteins, whereas proteins related to oxidative stress are upregulated 21,22 . Although mild impairment of proteostasis extends lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans, referred to as hormesis, sustained impairment is accompanied by loss of PQC to neutralize this effect 3,5 . Importantly, evidence indicates that the amount of soluble, aggregate prone protein oligomers, rather than the abundance of pro tein aggregates, correlates with disease severity 23,24 . Therefore, protein aggregates, which contain both misfolded proteins and elevated levels of chaper ones, constitute an adequate PQC response, aimed at sequestering potentially harmful protein oligomers, rather than embodying the ultimate cellular threat 25 . This ...

SummaryThe selective depletion of senescent cells (SCs) by small molecules, termed senolytic agents, is a promising therapeutic approach for treating age‐related diseases and chemotherapy‐ and radiotherapy‐induced side effects. Piperlongumine (PL) was recently identified as a novel senolytic agent. However, its mechanism of action and molecular targets in SCs was unknown and thus was investigated. Specifically, we used a PL‐based chemical probe to pull‐down PL‐binding proteins from live cells and then mass spectrometry‐based proteomic analysis to identify potential molecular targets of PL in SCs. One prominent target was oxidation resistance 1 (OXR1), an important antioxidant protein that regulates the expression of a variety of antioxidant enzymes. We found that OXR1 was upregulated in senescent human WI38 fibroblasts. PL bound to OXR1 directly and induced its degradation through the ubiquitin‐proteasome system in an SC‐specific manner. The knockdown of OXR1 expression by RNA interference significantly increased the production of reactive oxygen species in SCs in conjunction with the downregulation of antioxidant enzymes such as heme oxygenase 1, glutathione peroxidase 2, and catalase, but these effects were much less significant when OXR1 was knocked down in non‐SCs. More importantly, knocking down OXR1 selectively induced apoptosis in SCs and sensitized the cells to oxidative stress caused by hydrogen peroxide. These findings provide new insights into the mechanism by which SCs are highly resistant to oxidative stress and suggest that OXR1 is a novel senolytic target that can be further exploited for the development of new senolytic agents.

Senescent cells accumulate in tissues during aging and are considered to underlie several aging‐associated phenotypes and diseases. We recently reported that the elimination of p19ARF‐expressing senescent cells from lung tissue restored tissue function and gene expression in middle‐aged (12‐month‐old) mice. The aging of lung tissue increases the risk of pulmonary diseases such as emphysema, and cellular senescence is accelerated in emphysema patients. However, there is currently no direct evidence to show that cellular senescence promotes the pathology of emphysema, and the involvement of senescence in the development of this disease has yet to be clarified. We herein demonstrated that p19ARF facilitated the development of pulmonary emphysema in mice. The elimination of p19ARF‐expressing cells prevented lung tissue from elastase‐induced lung dysfunction. These effects appeared to depend on reduced pulmonary inflammation, which is enhanced after elastase stimulation. Furthermore, the administration of a senolytic drug that selectively kills senescent cells attenuated emphysema‐associated pathologies. These results strongly suggest the potential of senescent cells as therapeutic/preventive targets for pulmonary emphysema.