Study on the roles of β-catenin in hydrogen peroxide-induced senescence in human skin fibroblasts

Abstract

Oxidative stress is one of the most important causes of the cellular senescence process. Previous studies showed that β-catenin can regulate FoxO3a and this association was enhanced in cells exposed to oxidative stress. It has also been reported that β-catenin can regulate some senescence-related proteins. We propose that β-catenin may play a crucial role in senescence of normal human primary skin fibroblasts (NHSFs). Here, we explored the roles and mechanisms of β-catenin on H 2O 2-induced senescence in NHSFs. β-catenin expression was decreased in NHSFs after H 2O 2 treatment. Overexpression of β-catenin in NHSFs led to a marked delay of many senescent phenotypes induced by H 2O 2. Furthermore, overexpression of β-catenin in NHSFs can antagonise the alteration of reactive oxygen species accumulation and some senescence-related proteins expression induced by H 2O 2 treatment. Our data demonstrated that β-catenin can protect NHSFs from H 2O 2-induced premature senescence by alleviating oxidative stress and regulating some senescence-related molecules. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.