Visualizing the dynamics of senescence stress response in living animals

Abstract

Although the role of p16^INK4a tumor suppressor gene expression is well documented in various cell culture studies, its in vivo roles are poorly understood. To gain further insight into the roles and mechanisms regulating p16^INK4a gene expression in vivo, we attempted to visualize the dynamics of p16^INK4a gene expression using bioluminescence in vivo imaging technique in living mice. By monitoring and quantifying the p16^INK4a gene expression repeatedly in the same mouse throughout its entire lifespan, we were able to unveil the dynamics of p16^INK4a gene expression in the aging process. This system can also be applied to chemically- or genetically- induced carcinogenesis. Here, we introduce you a novel approach to study senescence stress response in vivo and its potential towards understanding molecular link between aging and cancer.