In a recent study, biologists at the Salk Institute in San Diego believe that as people age, the protective end caps of their chromosomes, known as telomeres, begin interacting with mitochondria.
The discoveries, which will be published in Nature on February 8, 2023, could lead to novel methods of preventing and treating cancer, as well as better strategies to counteract the negative effects of aging.
Link Between Aging, Telomeres, Chromosomes, And Cancer
The discovery is the result of a partnership between co-senior authors and Salk Professors Jan Karlseder and Gerald Shadel, who worked together to investigate similarities in inflammatory signaling pathways that they had discovered.
Karlseder’s lab investigates telomere biology and how telomeres inhibit the onset of cancer. Shadel’s lab investigates the role of mitochondria in human disease, aging, and immunity.
Telomeres are protective caps that are found at the ends of our chromosomes. They are composed of repetitive DNA sequences that keep chromosomal ends from sticking together or becoming damaged. They also play a vital role in cell division, determining how far a cell can divide (with regard to its size).
Every time a cell divides, the telomeres of the cells become shorter. As we age and our cells continue to divide, telomeres become so short that further cell division may destroy the cell’s chromosomes. In this instance, the cell finally dies, and this is referred to as a “crisis.”
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Signs Of Aging
The researchers observed that the interaction between telomeres and mitochondria in the body causes inflammatory immunity signals comparable to those used by the human immune system to combat viruses.
They go on to say that when the telomeres of cell chromosomes get very short. They connect with mitochondria and produce RNA molecules that activate immunological sensors present on the outer surface of mitochondria (called MAVS and ZBP1).
These sensors trigger a cascade of inflammatory immunological reactions in the human body, ultimately destroying any malignant growth or activity.
The researchers emphasize that, despite the fact that many scientists have studied the changes in telomeres, mitochondria, and inflammatory pathways in the human body with aging.
They never observed the role of these alterations in cancer prevention since these factors are often studied separately rather than combined.
Cancer does not occur immediately; it is the product of multiple changes that occur in cells over time.
Many cancer-causing pathways are already known to scientists, but it is critical that we also find anti-cancer interactions, such as the one that occurs between telomeres and mitochondria.
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