SASP (Senescence-associated secretory phenotype)
DESASP
The senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) is the cocktail of molecules that senescent ('worn-out') cells pump out into the tissue around you. It includes cytokines, chemokines, growth factors, proteases, and extracellular vesicles. Several pathways control it. The big one is NF-kB, with mTOR, cGAS-STING, p38 MAPK, and C/EBPbeta also shaping the output in some settings. The SASP can cut both ways. In the short term, it can call in immune cells to clear out damaged tissue. But when it persists, it fuels chronic low-grade inflammation, fibrosis, and 'paracrine senescence', where it pushes neighboring cells into senescence too. That makes the SASP a key link between cellular senescence and age-related disease.
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Sources
- Coppé JP, Patil CK, Rodier F, et al.. (2008). Senescence-associated secretory phenotypes reveal cell-nonautonomous functions of oncogenic RAS and the p53 tumor suppressor. *PLOS Biology*doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0060301
- Coppé JP, Desprez PY, Krtolica A, Campisi J. (2010). The senescence-associated secretory phenotype: the dark side of tumor suppression. *Annual Review of Pathology: Mechanisms of Disease*doi:10.1146/annurev-pathol-121808-102144