Transcriptome analysis of senescent and reactive human fetal astrocytes

Senescence was recently linked to neurodegeneration. Senescent as well as reactive astrocytes were detected in Parkinson’s disease postmortem brains. This study aimed to determine differences and similarities between senescent and reactive astrocytes. Astrocytes were treated with the stressors hydrogen peroxide or rotenone to induce senescence or with the cytokines TNFa+IL1a or with IL1b to induce reactivity in astrocytes. Comparing the transcriptome of senescent and reactive astrocytes revealed a set of genes specific to senescent astrocytes together with genes regulated in a similar way in both astrocyte states. Two senescence-inducing (rotenone and hydrogen peroxide) and two reactivity-inducing (TNFa+IL1a and IL1b) treatment conditions and a control condition were analyzed in triplicates.