Dec 11
9
Since telomeres were discovered and the mechanism behind them elucidated during the 1970s, there has now emerged the question of the relationship between telomeres and anti-aging. Before discerning the relationship between telomeres and anti-aging, let us take a look at what telomeres are.
Telomeres are repetitive DNA strands found in tail ends of chromosomes. Telomeres are the ultimate arbiters of whether a cell will continue dividing or not: as long as the telomeres of a cell are long enough, the cell can still divide, but for each division, the telomeres get shorter. The telomere will shorten to the extent that the cell cannot divide anymore, and then just dies.
Now, telomeres also serve to prevent chromosomes from fusing together, because if such happens, then the genetic material comprising the cell will become mixed up, and that can lead to cancer. Thus, the programmed death that the telomere provides when short serves as a safeguard against the development of cancer cells. Death – something which surely telomeres and anti-aging research hope to postpone or halt altogether.
From here we can deduce that telomeres determine the life span of a cell, and so, if further properties of telomeres come to light, then we can know more about the link between telomeres and anti-aging in cells, and possibly the link between telomeres and anti-aging in humans. One of the factors that telomeres and anti-aging researchers commonly look for is the enzyme telomerase, (discovered recently).
Telomerase prevents telomeres from becoming shorter by adding bases to the ends of telomeres. Ordinary body cells wear down and then die because the expression of telomerase is just feeble. It is on cancer cells where telomerase expression becomes more pronounced. Even if cancer cells have shorter telomeres than normal cells (which was verified in many types of cancers, like prostate, pancreatic, bone, lung, and bladder cancers). By detecting telomerase expression it is possible to detect some cancers, and then pave the way for an early cure. Blocking telomerase activity is also shown in the laboratory to kill off some tumors, although there are risks like possible infertility and impaired wound healing.
Now, what about the link between telomeres and anti-aging? Definitively, it has been established that there is a positive link between shorter telomeres and aging. But how can we use that result to further telomeres and anti-aging research? Are shorter telomeres just linked to aging, or do they activate aging? Telomerase is also something that is looked at in telomeres and anti-aging odysseys: It is shown that telomerase makes cancer cells divide continually with no restrictions, thus rendering them “immortal”, but what about in normal cells? Can telomerase halt aging in normal cells? Is it possible to prolong life by treating cells with telomerase? If so, will the cells turn cancerous because of the telomerase?
While researchers in telomeres and anti-aging haven’t come yet to a sustained answer, laboratory studies show that normal body cells treated with telomerase can divide beyond their natural limits without turning cancerous. That spells an advance for the telomeres and anti-aging camp; though telomeres by themselves do not determine length of life – as there are many other factors concerning lifespan – there is reason to be optimistic about the prospect of telomeres and anti-aging.
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