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Dr. Soledad Reyes de Barboza
Assistant Professor, Cell and Developmental Biology
University of California, San Diego
“The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Cellular Senescence: Implications for Lung Injury and Aging”
Abstract:
Cellular senescence is defined as an acquired state cells enter in response to environmental stressors or as a mechanism of tumor evasion. Senescent cells lose their proliferative capacity but enhance their ability to regulate and respond to the surrounding microenvironment through the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). A key feature of cellular senescence is the upregulation of the cyclin inhibitor p16INK4a. With age there is accumulation of senescent cells in tissues, accompanied by increased p16INK4a expression. Although removal of p16INK4a expressing cells using genetic mouse models slows down aging, it also impairs wound healing, highlighting the complex and contradictory roles of p16INK4a during homeostasis, regeneration, and aging. Despite growing evidence of the dynamic, and pleiotropic nature of the SASP, our understanding of how it alters tissue microenvironments, contributes to injury-specific responses, and can be manipulated for therapeutic benefit in remains limited. To address this gap, our research investigates the behaviors and consequences of secreted proteins by senescent cells in vivo, with a particular focus on p16INK4a-expressing fibroblasts in the context of acute lung injuries. In this talk, I will present preliminary data on how p16INK4a expressing fibroblasts respond to both acute alveolar lung injury and Influenza A virus (IAV) infection. By exploring the unique roles these senescent fibroblasts play in modulating tissue repair and immune responses, we aim to uncover new insights into how the aging lung navigates injury and infection. These findings could not only reshape our understanding of aging and tissue regeneration but also provide a foundation for developing novel therapeutic strategies to combat viral infections, particularly in aging populations who are more vulnerable to such diseases.
For more information about Dr. Soledad's work.
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Seminar held in person only.