Single exposure of human fibroblasts (WI-38) to a sub-cytotoxic dose of UVB induces premature senescence

In this work, we present a new model of stress-induced premature senescence obtained by exposing human fibroblasts (WI-38) at early passages (passages 2-4) to a single sub-cytotoxic dose of UVB (200 mJ/cm(2)). We show that this treatment leads to the appearance of several biomarkers of senescence such as enlarged and flattened cell morphology, the presence of nuclear heterochromatic foci and beta-galactosidase activity. Furthermore, we demonstrate that a mild ROS production and p53 activation are upstream events required for the induction of premature senescence. Our method represents an alternative in vitro model in photoaging research and could be used to test potential anti-photoaging compounds.