Ageing and Cancer

Checkpoint responses have diverse roles in adult stem cells depending on the genetic context and the level of DNA damage in tissues and stem cells, which increases with age. Thus, the role of checkpoints in stem cells may change during ageing.

Sperka, T. (2012). DNA damage checkpoints in stem cells, ageing and cancer. Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology. Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/articles/nrm3420

Cells confront DNA damage in every cell cycle. Among the most deleterious types of DNA damage are DNA double-strand breaks, which can cause cell lethality if unrepaired or cancers if improperly repaired. In response to DNA double-strand breaks, cells activate a complex DNA damage checkpoint (DDC) response that arrests the cell cycle, reprograms gene expression and mobilizes DNA repair factors to prevent the inheritance of unrepaired and broken chromosomes.

Waterman, D. (2021). Checkpoint responses to DNA double-strand breaks. Annual review of biochemistry. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7311309