Cellular longevity: role of apoptosis and replicative senescence

Cellular longevity refers to the lifespan of an individual cell. Normal cells have a finite lifespan and typically die by undergoing apoptosis, or enter into a state of irreversible growth arrest, termed replicative senescence, at the end of that lifespan. The lifespan of a cell is a balance between pro-survival/anti-apoptotic and pro-apoptotic death-promoting factors. The role of heat shock proteins, Bcl-2 family members, antioxidant molecules, and telomere length and telomerase activity in the regulation of apoptosis and replicative senescence, will be discussed.