Abstract
DNA damage is the major cause of senescence and apoptosis; however, the manner by which DNA-damaged cells become senescent remains unclear. We demonstrate that DNA damage leads to a greater level of senescence rather than apoptosis in DBC1-deficient cells. In addition, we show that BLM becomes degraded during DNA damage, which induces p21 expression and senescence. DBC1 binds to and shields BLM from degradation, thus suppressing senescence. ML216 promotes DBC1-BLM interaction, which aids in the preservation of BLM following DNA damage and suppresses senescence. ML216 enhances pulmonary function by lowering the levels of senescence and fibrosis in both aged mice and a mouse model of bleomycin-induced idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Our data reveal a unique mechanism preventing DNA-damaged cells from becoming senescent, which may be regulated by the use of ML216 as a potential treatment for senescence-related diseases.