Fig. 1.

Biological consequences of cellular senescence. Cellular senescence can be induced by various triggers, including, but not limited to, telomere dysfunction, oncogene activation, reactive oxygen species and cell–cell fusion. Short-term presence of senescent cells plays a beneficial role in tumor suppression, wound healing and embryonic development. However, the long-term persistence of senescent cells in tissues can paradoxically promote tumorigenesis and development of age-related diseases