Scientists at the Salk Institute have discovered a toggle switch for aging cells. By controlling the production of telomeres, it may be possible to keep healthy cells dividing and regenerating in old age. Most human cells can’t divide forever. Each time a cell divides, a cellular "timekeeper" at the ends of the chromosomes, known as a telomere, shortens. When the telomeres are shortened enough, cells are no longer able to divide, resulting in aging-related organ and tissue degeneration.
We’ve hypothesized for decades that lengthening those telomeres should extend the lifespan of a cell and we know of the enzyme, telomerase, that does that lengthening. The new research shows that it’s not just the presence or absence of telomerase, but whether the telomerase is switched "on" or "off" that’s important. The research team discovered that telomerase, even when present, can be turned off or disassembled. Understanding of how this "off" switch can be turned "on", and thereby slowing down the telomere shortening process, could eventually lead to treatments for aging-related diseases.
Read the full Genes & Development publication HERE.
Published in Advance. Genes & Dev. 2014. September 19, 2014, doi: 10.1101/gad.246256.114
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