Fig. 3

Assessment of the role of telomeres in DIPS of HGSOCs. Changes in telomere length (a) and telomerase activity (b) during DIPS were analyzed using RT-qPCR. Analysis of the colocalization of histone γ-H2A.X foci (green dots) with telomeric ends (red dots) in young and DIPS cells (c, e). Determination of Pearson’s correlation coefficient for the colocalization measurements. The image analysis includes identifying areas where green color overlaps with red, yielding yellow. At these locations, DNA damage is present within the telomeres, indicating a telomere-dependent mechanism of senescence. When the two colors do not overlap, i.e., the Pearson’s correlation coefficient is low (far below 1), the DNA damage is located in non-specific regions of the genome, suggesting that cells senesce in a telomere-independent manner (d). The results derive from 6–8 experiments with HGSOCs obtained from different donors. The results are presented as the means ± SEM. TPG total product generated