Claudio Franceschi, Stefano Salvioli, Miriam Capri, Paolo Tieri, Jonathan Loroni, Cristiana Barbi, Laura Invidia, Serena Altilia, Aurelia Santoro, Chiara Pirazzini, Michela Pierini, Elena Bellavista and Lilia Alberghina Pages 226 - 236 ( 11 )
Cell death is as important as cell proliferation for cell turn-over, and susceptibility to cell death is affected by a number of parameters that change with time. A time-dependent derangement of such a crucial process, or even the simple cell loss mediated by cell death impinges upon aging and longevity. In this review we will discuss how cell death phenomena are modulated during aging and what is their possible role in the aging process. We will focus on apoptosis and autophagy, which affect mostly proliferating and post-mitotic cells, respectively, and on mitochondrial degradation in long living cells. Since the “decisional process” that leads the cell to death is very complex, we will also discuss the possibility to address this topic with a systems biology approach.
, , , , , , , , , , , , Department of Experimental Pathology, University of Bologna, via S. Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy.