p53, ROS and senescence in the control of aging

Abstract

In addition to its function as a tumour suppressor, p53 is also involved in an increasing number of pathology associated with aging. Several activities of p53 appear contribute to its role in aging; one function that might be particularly relevant in this context is the regulation of senescence. The control of ROS and senescence by p53 may help to explain how p53 can function to both restrain and promote aging.

Figure 1.. A model of how acetylation, oxidative stress and mTOR activity might influence the response to p53.

Note that this model does not account for all published observations (e.g. reduction of the initial burst of mTOR activity during oncogene induced senescence [17]) and represents an oversimplification of these signalling pathways.