Overview of Cell Senescence

Researchers have found that senescent cells accumulate in our body as we age. Deciphering the purpose, causes, and consequences of cellular senescence will provide us with a better understanding of the role they may play in a wide variety of diseases and how we can use therapies to remove them to improve human health.

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Senescence in the Lab: Induction and Biomarkers

Scientists have become very interested in learning how cells in our body become senescent and understanding the resulting consequences of these cells to our health. To facilitate those studies, scientists can induce senescence in model cells and assess senescence using a variety of methods, such as qPCR, immunofluorescence, and the SA-βgal assay.

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Immunofluorescent Staining Protocol

Immunofluorescent staining (IF) is a technique that uses antibodies and fluorophores to mark specific proteins. Scientists can use IF to identify different cell types, track the location of proteins throughout the cell, and determine protein co-localization. This insight aid in our understanding of how cells work and how they break down when we get sick.

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Functional Analysis of Mutants

A model organism is a non-human species that can be studied to understand particular biological phenomena. Some common examples of model organisms are the microscopic nematode C. elegans, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, and the mouse. They serve as good substitutes when it isn’t possible or practical to study humans directly.

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Pull-Down Assay Protocol

Protein interactions reveal a lot about how proteins and cells function under different conditions. One tool that allows us to look at direct protein interactions is called a pull-down assay. A pull down assay utilizes a bait protein bound to beads in a column to catch protein binding partners. This technique can be used to verify a predicted protein interaction via Western blot or identify novel protein interactions using a total protein stain.

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Flow Cytometry Analysis

Flow cytometry is a technique that lets us analyze both populations of cells as well as characteristics of individual cells. During this process, antibody-tagged cells are passed through the laser of a flow cytometer to measure the fluorescence from the antibody tag as well as other characteristics of the cells. Learn how scientists can use this kind of analysis to compare the cells from different people.

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Western Blot Protocol

The Western blot protocol provides scientists with a means of comparing relative protein levels in different samples. Proteins are differentiated by size on an acrylamide gel and visualized on a membrane with antibodies. Learn more about how this protocol allows us to determine what proteins are present in a cell and under what conditions.

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Overview of the Renin-Angiotensin System

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2) is an important component of the Renin-Angiotensin System which controls blood pressure but is now gaining recognition in the fields of virology and epidemiology for the role it plays in SARS-CoV-2 infection. By understanding the function of ACE2, we can better understand the role it may play in the seemingly unconnected symptoms of COVID-19.

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2019 SRF Summer Scholar Profile: Karina Zadorozhny

My name is Karina Zadorozhny, and I am a Neuroscience and Computer Science major at Northwestern University. As an SRF Summer Scholar, I am participating in the research at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Judith Campisi’s laboratory under the supervision of Dr. Christopher Wiley. Here, I study senescence, a state of permanent …

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