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Science 11 January 1980:
Vol. 207. no. 4427, pp. 191 - 193
DOI: 10.1126/science.7350654
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Articles

Science, Vol 207, Issue 4427, 191-193
Copyright © 1980 by American Association for the Advancement of Science

articles

Retesting the commitment theory of cellular aging

CB Harley and S Goldstein

The commitment theory of human fibroblast aging predicts that 55 percent of cells will be nondividing at the middle to late stages of the replicative lifespan; in the present study, however, fewer than 10 percent were nondividing. The fact that no immortal diploid cells have yet been reported is also at odds with the theory. Available data on the variable life-span of clones and mass cultures, the dependence of longevity on population size, and the predominance of certain cell types at termination of a culture are compatible with simpler theories, which support the idea that the limited replicative life-span of diploid fibroblasts is a valid model for organismic aging.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Replicative senescence: the human fibroblast comes of age.
S Goldstein (1990)
Science 249, 1129-1133
   Abstract »    PDF »
Cellular aging: further evidence for the commitment theory.
R Holliday, L. Huschtscha, and T. Kirkwood (1981)
Science 213, 1505-1508
   Abstract »    PDF »


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