The Cancer Senescopedia – Delineation of Cancer Cell Senescence

Cellular senescence is characterized as a stable proliferation arrest that can be triggered by multiple stresses. Most knowledge about senescent cells has been obtained from studies in primary cells. However, senescence features may be different in cancer cells, since the pathways that are involved in senescence induction are often deregulated in cancer. We report here a comprehensive analysis of the transcriptome and senolytic responses in a panel of 13 cancer cell lines rendered senescent by two distinct compounds. We show that in cancer cells the response to senolytic agents and the composition of the senescence-associated secretory phenotype are determined mainly by cell line intrinsic properties, rather than the senescence trigger. Using machine learning, we established the SENCAN gene expression classifier that can be used for the detection of senescence in cancer cell samples. The expression profiles and senescence classifier are available as an interactive online Cancer SENESCopedia.