P16INK4A—More Than a Senescence Marker

Abstract

Aging is a biological feature that is characterized by gradual degeneration of function in cells, tissues, organs, or an intact organism due to the accumulation of environmental factors and stresses with time. Several factors have been attributed to aging such as oxidative stress and augmented production or exposure to reactive oxygen species, inflammatory cytokines production, telomere shortening, DNA damage, and, importantly, the deposit of senescent cells. These are irreversibly mitotically inactive, yet metabolically active cells. The reason underlying their senescence lies within the extrinsic and the intrinsic arms. The extrinsic arm is mainly characterized by the expression and the secretory profile known as the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). The intrinsic arm results from the impact of several genes meant to regulate the cell cycle, such as tumor suppressor genes. P16INK4A is a tumor suppressor and cell cycle regulator that has been linked to aging and senescence. Extensive research has revealed that p16 expression is significantly increased in senescent cells, as well as during natural aging or age-related pathologies. Based on this fact, p16 is considered as a specific biomarker for detecting senescent cells and aging. Other studies have found that p16 is not only a senescence marker, but also a protein with many functions outside of senescence and aging. In this paper, we discuss and shed light on several studies that show the different functions of p16 and provide insights in its role in several biological processes besides senescence and aging.