Cited by 2,160Telomeres, Telomerase, and SenescenceMelanoma and MAPK PathwaysCancer-related Molecular Pathways

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 31 of the 31 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

BRAFE600-associated senescence-like cell cycle arrest of human naevi

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Abstract

Most normal mammalian cells have a finite lifespan, thought to constitute a protective mechanism against unlimited proliferation. This phenomenon, called senescence, is driven by telomere attrition, which triggers the induction of tumour suppressors including p16(INK4a) (ref. 5). In cultured cells, senescence can be elicited prematurely by oncogenes; however, whether such oncogene-induced senescence represents a physiological process has long been debated. Human naevi (moles) are benign tumours of melanocytes that frequently harbour oncogenic mutations (predominantly V600E, where valine is substituted for glutamic acid) in BRAF, a protein kinase and downstream effector of Ras. Nonetheless, naevi typically remain in a growth-arrested state for decades and only rarely progress into malignancy (melanoma). This raises the question of whether naevi undergo BRAF(V600E)-induced senescence. Here we show that sustained BRAF(V600E) expression in human melanocytes induces cell cycle arrest, which is accompanied by the induction of both p16(INK4a) and senescence-associated acidic beta-galactosidase (SA-beta-Gal) activity, a commonly used senescence marker. Validating these results in vivo, congenital naevi are invariably positive for SA-beta-Gal, demonstrating the presence of this classical senescence-associated marker in a largely growth-arrested, neoplastic human lesion. In growth-arrested melanocytes, both in vitro and in situ, we observed a marked mosaic induction of p16(INK4a), suggesting that factors other than p16(INK4a) contribute to protection against BRAF(V600E)-driven proliferation. Naevi do not appear to suffer from telomere attrition, arguing in favour of an active oncogene-driven senescence process, rather than a loss of replicative potential. Thus, both in vitro and in vivo, BRAF(V600E)-expressing melanocytes display classical hallmarks of senescence, suggesting that oncogene-induced senescence represents a genuine protective physiological process.

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  1. Peeper, D. S. & Mooi, W. J. Pathogenesis of melanocytic naevi: growth arrest linked with cellular senescence? Histopathology 41, S139–S143 (2002)

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Metadata

Authors
Michaloglou, C., Vredeveld, L. C. W., Soengas, M. S., Denoyelle, C., Kuilman, T., van der Horst, C. M. A. M., Majoor, D. M., Shay, J. W., Mooi, W. J., & Peeper, D. S.
Affiliations
  • The Netherlands Cancer Institute (NL)
  • University of Michigan (US)
  • Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center (US)
Corresponding author
  • Mooi, Wolter J.
  • Peeper, Daniel S.
Venue
Nature
Published
2005-08
Volume
436
Issue
7051
Pages
720-724
ISSN
  • 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-4687
OpenAlex
W2150740687
Cited by
2,160
References
31
Citations by year
2026: 35 · 2025: 43 · 2024: 70 · 2023: 82 · 2022: 77 · 2021: 85 · 2020: 86 · 2019: 108 · 2018: 99 · 2017: 91 · 2016: 121 · 2015: 112 · 2014: 120 · 2013: 143 · 2012: 136
FWCI
66.52
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Deep Blue (University of Michigan) (submittedVersion)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • Pure Amsterdam UMC (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
  • National Institutes of Health
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Telomeres, Telomerase, and Senescence
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Melanoma and MAPK Pathways
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer-related Molecular Pathways
Keywords
cellular senescence, BRAF V600E mutation, melanocytes, nevi, melanoma, cell cycle arrest, senescence-associated heterochromatin foci, SUV39H1, histone methyltransferase, p16INK4a, p53, PTEN, oncogene-induced senescence, tumor suppression
MeSH terms
beta-Galactosidase, Cell Cycle, Cell Line, Fibroblasts, Humans, Infant, Melanocytes, Nevus, Telomere, Cellular Senescence, In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence, Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16, Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf, Cell Proliferation

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