Senescence‐associated β‐galactosidase is lysosomal β‐galactosidase

Replicative senescence limits the proliferation of somatic cells passaged in culture and may reflect cellular aging in vivo. The most widely used biomarker for senescent and aging cells is senescence-associated beta-galactosidase (SA-beta-gal), which is defined as beta-galactosidase activity detectable at pH 6.0 in senescent cells, but the origin of SA-beta-gal and its cellular roles in senescence are not known. We demonstrate here that SA-beta-gal activity is expressed from GLB1, the gene encoding lysosomal beta-D-galactosidase, the activity of which is typically measured at acidic pH 4.5. Fibroblasts from patients with autosomal recessive G(M1)-gangliosidosis, which have defective lysosomal…

• YU
  Yale University
• KS
  Korea Science and Engineering Foundation
• NC
  National Cancer Institute