Cited by 500Genetics, Aging, and Longevity in Model OrganismsInterstitial Lung Diseases and Idiopathic Pulmonary FibrosisTelomeres, Telomerase, and Senescence

The aging lung: Physiology, disease, and immunity

Open access
Schneider, Jaime L., Rowe, Jared H., Garcia-de-Alba, Carolina, Kim, Carla F., Sharpe, Arlene H., Haigis, Marcia C.·2021·Cell

Abstract

The population is aging at a rate never seen before in human history. As the number of elderly adults grows, it is imperative we expand our understanding of the underpinnings of aging biology. Human lungs are composed of a unique panoply of cell types that face ongoing chemical, mechanical, biological, immunological, and xenobiotic stress over a lifetime. Yet, we do not fully appreciate the mechanistic drivers of lung aging and why age increases the risk of parenchymal lung disease, fatal respiratory infection, and primary lung cancer. Here, we review the molecular and cellular aspects of lung aging, local stress response pathways, and how the aging process predisposes to the pathogenesis of pulmonary disease. We place these insights into context of the COVID-19 pandemic and discuss how innate and adaptive immunity within the lung is altered with age.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.cell.2021.03.005

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293 of 293 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Several lung diseases have been associated with ageing and causally linked to telomere dysfunction and senescent cell accumulation.

    “Several lung diseases have been associated with ageing50 and causally linked to telomere dysfunction and senescent cell accumulation.”

    From Telomere dysfunction in ageing and age-related diseases (2022) · cites this paper as [50]

  • The TGFβ pathway representation in non-senescent epithelial cells from old lungs is consistent with enhanced paracrine signaling from increased numbers of senescent neighbors and with established features of epithelial aging.

    “consistent with enhanced paracrine signaling from increased numbers of senescent neighbors and with established features of epithelial aging.23,25,32–35”
  • Reliably detecting senescent cells within tissues and organs has been a central difficulty for the field.

    “A major challenge in the field has been to reliably identify senescent cells in tissues and organs.23,25,32–35”

    From SenCat: Cataloging human cell senescence through multi-omic profiling of multiple senescent primary cell types (2026) · cites this paper as [35]

    The ‘Cellular senescence in the aging lung’ section describes senescent-cell characteristics and markers in lung tissue, but does not say that reliably identifying senescent cells in tissues or organs has been a major challenge. Searches for difficulty detecting senescent cells in vivo and for specific biomarkers did not find a passage making that point. (LLM, conf=0.72)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Authors
Schneider, J. L., Rowe, J. H., Garcia-de-Alba, C., Kim, C. F., Sharpe, A. H., & Haigis, M. C.
Affiliations
  • Harvard University (US)
  • Boston Children's Hospital (US)
  • Brigham and Women's Hospital (US)
Corresponding author
  • Kim, Carla F.
  • Sharpe, Arlene H.
  • Haigis, Marcia C.
Venue
Cell
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2021-04
Volume
184
Issue
8
Pages
1990-2019
ISSN
0092-8674 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3152420549
Cited by
500
References
293
Citations by year
2026: 90 · 2025: 137 · 2024: 112 · 2023: 87 · 2022: 55 · 2021: 19
FWCI
5.83
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Cell (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Roche
  • Bristol-Myers Squibb
  • Ludwig Center at Harvard
  • AstraZeneca
  • Mayo Clinic (GV20)
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
  • School of Public Health, University of California Berkeley
  • AbbVie
  • Boehringer Ingelheim
  • Merck KGaA
  • National Cancer Institute (U54CA224088, R35HL150876, P01 AI056299, T32CA071345, R01CA213062)
  • Glenn Foundation for Medical Research (R01CA213062)
  • National Institutes of Health
  • Novartis
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Aging › Genetics, Aging, and Longevity in Model Organisms
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine › Interstitial Lung Diseases and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Telomeres, Telomerase, and Senescence
Keywords
lung aging, respiratory infections, lung cancer, stress response pathways, lung immunity, innate immunity, adaptive immunity, COVID-19 pandemic, older adults
MeSH terms
COVID-19, Aged, Aging, Humans, Lung, Lung Diseases, Cellular Senescence, Oxidative Stress, Adaptive Immunity

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