Nuclear staining of human cells: PML-nuclear bodies (red) imbedded in chromatin (blue).
Cellular senescence, a genetically controlled program preventing cell division, is activated in almost all somatic cells (excluding germline and stem cells) after passing a limited proliferative capacity. Cancer cells override the senescence program and thus acquire an unlimited proliferative potential.
The molecular mechanisms triggering cellular senescence largely overlap with conserved cellular signalling pathways, which get activated in response to DNA-damage. The elucidation of these signalling pathways and the identification of novel signal transducers is a main focus of our work. In this context we have a particular interest in proteins localizing to specific nuclear domains (PML-nuclear bodies).
Our goal is to yield insight in the cellular DNA-damage response, cellular senescence, and programmed cell death (apoptosis), in order to define potential molecular targets to modulate cellular senescence and to improve cancer diagnosis and treatment.