Analysis of the Contribution of NF-κB in the Regulation of Chemotherapy-Induced Cell Senescence by Establishing a Tetracycline-Regulated Cell System

Therapy-induced senescence (TIS or therapy-induced premature senescence) is a key cellular program triggered in the course of cancer radiotherapy and chemotherapy with genotoxic drugs, both in cancer cells and in normal cells, whose activation critically affects the outcome of cancer therapy. Drug-induced senescent cells undergo a permanent cell cycle arrest, acquire distinctive morphological and biochemical alterations, and an enhanced secretory ability, referred to as senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). The transcription factor NF-κB acts as a master regulator of the SASP, driving the expression of senescence-associated secretome components. Here we describe protocols for the establishment of a tetracycline-regulated cell system for the investigation of the role of NF-κB in TIS. We also describe protocols routinely used in our laboratory, to investigate TIS in this Tet-On inducible expression system. Finally, we describe techniques for the validation of TIS induction.