Fragmentation through cell-cell adhesion maintains senescent cell viability but promotes debris deposition

We identified that senescent cells dispose of large fragments of themselves through cell-to-cell adhesion, which we term senescent-cell adhesion fragments (SCAFs). Dynamic analyses show that SCAFs ultimately rupture, releasing a complex proteome including damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) and proteins linked to neurodegenerative disease. Functionally, SCAFs activate wound-healing and cancer-related programs, promoting migration and invasion. Overall design: The aim is to identify the genes and pathways activated by Senescent-Cell Adhesion Fragments (SCAFs) in M0 macrophages. THP-1 derived macrophages were treated either by inert beads (CTR) or SCAFs (SCAFs) for 20 hrs and processed for RNA sequencing.