Figure 1.

Recognized stimuli to cell fate decisions including apoptosis, senescence, repair, or neoplastic transformation. Multiple developmental, stress-associated, or DNA damage induced cues (red lines) can result in apoptosis, senescence, neoplastic transformation (recognized only in the context of DNA damage—blue line) or full repair. Existing evidence indicates that cells enter “acute” senescence in response to these cues which may lead to repair, clearance, or evolution to the transcriptionally altered “chronic” senescent cell. Whether altered injury cues may generate a cell with immediate properties of “chronic” senescence remains unknown (dotted line).