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Surely you know what DNA is... and a chromosome is a tightly coiled DNA strand in the nucleus of every single cell in your body. A telomere occurs where the DNA is folded over like the twisty wire, the ones everyone uses to tie bread bags. It looks like a cap on the end of the fold. The nucleotide sequence in all animal cells is "TTAGGG" and it repeats over and over again at the end of all chromosomes in your body. To understand how this relates to aging you have to know what the Hayflick Limit is. In a laboratory, human cells have been found to divide only about 50 times before dying. This occurs in your body when more and more cells reach their Hayflick limits and all your systems start to shut down. This is known as aging. The Hayflick Limit, is directly related to telomeres. Everytime a cell in your body divides, it loses a little bit of its telomeres, right up until there is none left, known as Hayflick's Limit. The DNA actually comes apart in the cell and the cell undergoes senescence, or celluar suicide. When too many cells start reaching their Hayflick limits, your old. Now if you get your hands on a steady supply of telomerase, this enzyme will rebuild the telomeres in your body. As long as you have a continuous supply, you will live a lot longer. No one has really seen this, but human cells in a laboratory will divide well past their Hayflick Limit's. Giant Sea turtles naturally express telomerase, and no one has ever recorded one's whole life span. This is because none of the ones born in captivity have ever died of natural causes. It is theorized they live around 1000 years, however more telomerase would likely extend their lifespans.
What else can I help you with?
How may the degradation of telomeres result in cellular aging?
It is speculated that shortening of telomeres could be the cause of aging, or could be speeding the aging process up. It is known that telomeres preserve the life of the cell and may even extend the life of the cell. To understand how aging of the cell happens, we have to look back at the life of the chromosome. The cell divides and the telomeres continue to get shorter and shorter until it reaches such a critical length that the cell loses its ability to divide. Some cells might die or as mentioned earlier, they will lose their reproductive capability, or cellular senescence. Cellular senescence will have an overall affect on the organism, contributing to decline of tissue function that is the main trait of aging. Therefore, it is right to assume that telomere dysfunction which leads to senescence, has an effect on the aging process.
What is the name of special DNA sequences located at the ends of chromosomes whose erosion contributes to cellular aging and death?
Telomeres are the special DNA sequences located at the ends of chromosomes that protect them from deterioration and contribute to aging and cell death when they become too short. Telomeres gradually shorten with each cell division, eventually reaching a critical length that triggers cellular senescence or death.
What is the aging?
Aging is the most common form of degenerative disease. It infects everyone and is 100% fatal. Although long looked at as a natural process, there has been significant progress in combating it's effects. It is thought to be caused by a decrease in the length of telomeres in the process of cell replication.
What are the Signs of aging at the cellular level?
Signs of aging at the cellular level include shortening of telomeres (protective caps on the end of chromosomes), accumulation of damage in DNA leading to mutations, decline in mitochondrial function, and increased production of free radicals causing oxidative stress. These cellular changes contribute to aging-related diseases and decline in cell function over time.
Can drugs reverse the ageing process?
There is currently no drug that has been proven to reverse the aging process. While some medications may help alleviate age-related symptoms or conditions, aging itself is a complex process involving multiple factors, and no drug has been shown to fully reverse or stop it. Research in this area is ongoing.
What are both aging and cancer caused by?
telomerase
What is the link between telomeres and aging?
Telomeres shorten with each cellular replication; telomere length is inversely proportional to age. While telomere extension does tend to make cells "young again", telomere extension is problematic for a treatment for age because many kinds of cancer replicate indefinitely due in part to the fact they have overactive telomerase, a protein that extends the telomeres. Until the link between cancer and telomeres is understood, telomere extension therapy will not be feasible.
Why did Elizabeth H. Blackburn win The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2009?
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2009 was awarded jointly to Elizabeth H. Blackburn, Carol W. Greider and Jack W. Szostak for the discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase.
How does the end replication problem and telomerase affect aging in humans?
The end replication problem refers to the gradual shortening of telomeres, which are protective caps at the end of chromosomes, with each cell division. Telomerase is an enzyme that can rebuild telomeres, but its activity is often reduced in aging cells. This leads to cell senescence, reduced tissue repair, and contributes to the aging process in humans.
What is telomerase. In what cells is telomerase normally functioning?
Telomerase is an enzyme that adds repetitive nucleotide sequences to the ends of chromosomes, known as telomeres, thereby preventing their shortening during cell division. It is primarily active in stem cells, germ cells, and certain types of cancer cells, allowing these cells to maintain their ability to divide indefinitely. In most somatic cells, telomerase activity is low or absent, leading to gradual telomere shortening and eventual cellular aging.
Why was elizabeth blackburn awarded the nobel prize in 2009?
Elizabeth Blackburn was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2009 for her discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase. Her research shed light on the role of telomeres in cellular aging and cancer development.
What happens when telomeres shorten?
When telomeres shorten, the cell's ability to divide and replicate gradually diminishes. This can lead to cellular senescence or programmed cell death (apoptosis), ultimately impacting tissue regeneration and overall aging. Shortened telomeres are also associated with an increased risk of age-related diseases like cancer and cardiovascular conditions.
Replication of telomers and its segnificance in aging?
Maintaining telomere length has been associates with aging. The enzyme telomerase adds nucleotides to the ends of telomeres thereby maintaining their length. This enzyme is able to function only until a certain limit, called the Heyflick limit (named after the person who first reported this phenomenon). When the heyflick limit is reached, telomeres cannot be enzymatically lengthened and are programmed for death
What part of the chromosome might be involved with processes such as aging and cancer?
Telomeres, located at the ends of chromosomes, play a role in aging and cancer. They protect the chromosome from degradation and help regulate cell division. Loss of telomere function has been associated with both aging and cancer development.
Explain telomere erosion and the role of telomerase?
Telomere erosion is the shortening of the protective caps at the end of chromosomes called telomeres, which occurs with each cell division and is associated with aging and cell senescence. Telomerase is an enzyme that helps to maintain telomere length by adding repetitive DNA sequences to the ends of chromosomes. It is particularly active in stem cells and cancer cells, allowing them to continue dividing without undergoing senescence or apoptosis.
How is aging related to mitosis?
Mitosis is a form of cell division. Cancer is a mutation in cell division, generally in such a way that cell divide too often and are unregulated and end up developing a mass. Those cells also carry the mutation and those cells divide and create new mutated cells, on and on and on.
Who is Elizabeth Blackburn?
Born in Tasmania and now Morris Herzstein Professor of Biology and Physiology at the University of California, San Francisco, Blackburn discovered telomerase, the enzyme that replenishes the caps at each end of our chromosomes. These caps, called telomeres, keep our DNA intact and our cells where they belong. Our bodies would be chaotic without them.
