Cellular Aging And Cell Death

Cellular AGING AND CELL DEATH Edited by Nikki J. Holbrook, George R. Martin, and Richard A.Lockshin Cellular Aging and Cell Death provides a thorough understanding ofthe mechanisms responsible for cellular aging, covering the recentresearch on programmed cell death and senescence, and describingtheir role in the control of cell proliferation and the agingprocess. This one-of-a-kind book is the first to combine the twohottest research areas of cell biology into one comprehensivetext. Leading experts contribute to give readers an authoritativeoverview of the distinct fields of cellular aging and programmedcell death, as well as to demonstrate how both fields are criticalto understanding the aging process. They address the large andgrowing interest in apoptosis, especially with regard to themolecular signals that induce and regulate programmed cell death,and the role of apoptosis in a variety of age-associated diseasesand disabilities. Throughout the book, a strong emphasis is placedon the interrelationship of the molecular, cellular, andphysiological aspects of senescence. Individual chapters discuss such topics as the role and regulationof apoptosis in development, the potential impact of cell death onsuch postmitotic tissues as nerve and muscle, and suggest thatprogrammed cell death plays an important role in both pathologicaland nonpathological aspects of aging, including neurodegenerativediseases. One important chapter focuses on the most recent research involvingthe study of telomeres, whose reduction in length with age and celldivision may underlie cellular senescence. The subject of neuronalcell death is also put into the perspective of aging. Cellular Aging and Cell Death bridges the rapidly growing fields ofcellular aging and programmed cell death. This thorough, yetconcise book will be of particular interest to graduate studentsand researchers within the fields of cell and developmentalbiology, neurobiology, immunology, and physiology. Physicians andmedical students involved in the fields of gerontology andpathology will also find this an informative reference.

Time, Cells, and Aging, 2nd Edition presents the mechanics of cell function and the relevant implications of the molecular-genetic view to the aging phenomena. This book explores the biology of the aging process. Comprised of 11 chapters, this edition starts with an overview of the causes and mechanisms underlying the gradual deterioration of structure and function characteristics of aging. This text then examines the two aspects of the behavior of man, including the reasoned conscious behavior and the greater dependence on reaction patterns predicted on the successful responses of the past. Other chapters explore the relationship between aging and mortality rate in animals, which is a result of an organism's deceasing ability to function optimally in carrying out his vital functions. The final chapter deals with the implementation of a research plan relevant to understanding the primary mechanisms of the aging process. This book is a valuable resource for gerontologists, biologists, and molecular biologists.

This book covers the origins and subsequent history of research results in which attempts have been made to clarify issues related to cellular ageing, senescence, and age-related pathologies including cancer. Cellular Ageing and Replicative Senescence revisits more than fifty-five years of research based on the discovery that cultured normal cells are mortal and the interpretation that this phenomenon is associated with the origins of ageing. The mortality of normal cells and the immortality of cancer cells were also reported to have in vivo counterparts. Thus began the field of cytogerontology. Cellular Ageing and Replicative Senescence is organized into five sections: history and origins; serial passaging and progressive ageing; cell cycle arrest and senescence; system modulation; and recapitulation and future expectations. These issues are discussed by leading thinkers and researchers in biogerontology and cytogerontology. This collection of articles provides state-of-the-art information, and will encourage students, teachers, health care professionals and others interested in the biology of ageing to explore the fascinating and challenging question of why and how our cells age, and what can and cannot be done about it.

This book provides updated knowledge on the basic features and mechanisms of cellular aging established since its first manifestation at cellular level 40 years ago. Contributions of genetic and environmental factors, failure of genetic and cellular repair mechanisms, and the epigenetic modifications determine the final lifespan of cells. This book also provides an understanding on how aging mechanisms in mice, a most frequently used model, differ with that of humans who receive better tumor surveillance because of stringent controls on aging mechanisms. It also appraises the use of modern technology for aging studies and its intervention. This book serves as an excellent reading on cellular aging for undergraduate students, researchers and experts of this area.

Aging occurs at the level of individual cells, a complex interplay between intrinsic "programming" and exogenous "wear and tear", with genetically-determined cellular capacity to repair environmentally-induced DNA damage playing a central role in the rate of aging and its specific manifestations. In 12 chapters, "The Role of DNA Damage and Repair in Cell Aging" provides an intellectual framework for aging of mitotic and post-mitotic cells, describes a variety of model systems for further studies, and reviews current concepts of DNA responses and their relationship to the phenomenon of aging. As part of a series entitled "Advances in Cell Aging and Gerontology," this volume also summarizes seminal recent discoveries such as the molecular basis for Werner syndrome (a mutant DNA helicase), the complementary roles of telomere shortening and telomerase activity in cell senescence versus immortalization, the role of apoptosis in the homeostasis of aging tissue, and the existence of an inducible SOS-like response in mammalian cells that minimizes DNA damage from repeatedly encountered injurious environmental agents. Insights into the relationship between cellular aging and age-associated diseases, particularly malignancies, are also provided in several chapters. This book is an excellent single source of information for anyone interested in DNA repair, mechanisms of aging, or certainly their intersection. Students will gain a general appreciation of these fields, but even the most senior investigators will benefit from the detailed coverage of rapidly advancing areas.

Aging represents a physiological and per se non-pathological and multifactorial process involving a set of key genes and mechanisms being triggered by different endogenous and exogenous factors. Since aging is a major risk factor in connection with a variety of human disorders, it is increasingly becoming a central topic in biochemical and medical research. The plethora of theories on aging – some of which have been discussed for decades – are neither isolated nor contradictory but instead can be connected in a network of pathways and processes at the cellular and molecular levels. This book summarizes the most prominent and important approaches, focusing on telomeres, DNA damage and oxidative stress as well as on the possible role of nutrition, the interplay between genes and environment (epigenetics) and intracellular protein homeostasis and introduces some genes that have actually extended life spans in animal models. Linking these different determinants of aging with disease, this volume aims to reveal their multiple interdependencies. We see that there is no single “perfect” theory of aging and that instead it is possible to define what the authors call the molecular aging matrix of the cell. A better knowledge of its key mechanisms and the mutual connections between its components will lead to a better understanding of age-associated disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Why do we age? Is aging inevitable? Will advances in medical knowledge allow us to extend the human lifespan beyond its present limits? Recent discoveries in the fields of cell biology and molecular genetics are seriously challenging the assumption that human lifespans are beyond our control.