Clearance of p21 highly expressing senescent cells accelerates cutaneous wound healing.

Nathan S Gasek, Pengyi Yan, Junyu Zhu, K-Raman Purushothaman, Taewan Kim, Lichao Wang, Binsheng Wang, William F Flynn, Mingda Sun, Chun Guo, Billy Huggins, Roshanak Sharafieh, Yueying Zhou, Vojtech Parizek, Tamar Tchkonia, James L Kirkland, Saranya P Wyles, Ming Xu

UConn Center on Aging, UConn Health, Farmington, CT, USA.UConn Center on Aging, UConn Health, Farmington, CT, USA. · pubmed

Paper

Abstract

While senescent cells have detrimental roles in several contexts, they are highly heterogeneous. p16 highly expressing senescent cells have been reported to exert beneficial functions in wound healing. Here we use Xenium spatial transcriptomics to identify a distinct p21 highly expressing senescent population induced on wounding, with a pro-inflammatory profile. We find that clearing p21 highly expressing cells expedites wound closure and is partially mediated by NF-κB inhibition, thus enhancing our understanding of the multifaceted functions of senescence in tissue remodeling.

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Research summary

The paper addresses the role of senescent cells in wound healing, specifically focusing on a distinct population of p21 highly expressing senescent cells. While it contributes to the understanding of cellular senescence and its implications for tissue remodeling, the findings are more incremental in nature rather than providing a transformative insight into the root causes of aging or lifespan extension. The research is solid but does not significantly advance the field of longevity research.

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