SeneSIQ›Mechanism
Mechanism

Cellular senescence

Reference definition for a cellular-senescence node.

Core concept

Definition

Category: Core concept

Also known as: senescent cell, senescence

A stable, essentially irreversible cell-cycle arrest that a cell enters in response to stress (DNA damage, telomere attrition, oncogene activation, metabolic stress). Senescent cells resist apoptosis and secrete a pro-inflammatory mixture known as the SASP. They accumulate with age and at sites of age-related pathology.

Key points

  • Arrest is enforced mainly through the p16INK4a and p21CIP1 cyclin-dependent-kinase-inhibitor pathways.
  • Senescent cells are not merely dormant: the SASP lets a small number influence neighbouring tissue ('bystander' spread of senescence).
  • Senescence is context-dependent — beneficial in wound healing and tumour suppression acutely, but detrimental when senescent cells persist and accumulate.

Related interventions

Sourcing

Synthesis of standard senescence reviews (e.g. Campisi; Gorgoulis et al. 2019 consensus). Review-level, not a primary numeric claim.

Reference synthesis (tier 4); verification: review_level_2026-07-12.