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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2009 Jul 1.
Published in final edited form as: Mech Ageing Dev. 2008 Feb 14;129(7-8):416–424. doi: 10.1016/j.mad.2008.02.002

Fig. 2.

Fig. 2

DSBs as a causative factor in aging. DSBs are generated by a variety of sources including exposure to genotoxins and telomere erosion. Telomerase suppresses telomere erosion while HR and NHEJ repair DNA DSBs. Unrepaired DSBs induce anti-cancer responses that may induce apoptosis or cellular senescence. As an indirect consequence these responses may contribute to aging. DSBs may be incorrectly repaired to generate gross chromosomal rearrangements (GCRs). These rearrangements may lead to cancer but may also contribute to aging by inducing mitotic checkpoints or increasing transcriptional variation.