Stress-induced senescence of tubular cells

Senescent cells, characterized typically by irreversible cell cycle arrest coupled with marked transcriptional changes and a pro-inflammatory secretome, are proposed as key drivers of kidney fibrosis with the epithelial cells of the renal tubule playing a central role. In this chapter, we discuss the accumulating evidence that senescence is associated with aging and a number of renal diseases in humans and that this is associated with worsened kidney function and outcome. We also review the insights gained from studies using a variety of animal models and discuss how these have informed our knowledge of the processes underlying cellular senescence and fibrosis in the kidney.