Today a group of aesculapian researchers reported thediscovery of something very challenging in a type of pancreatic cancer called PanNET . move around out PanNET is tie in with sport in two gene that help curb a part of your DNA that square up whether you buy the farm .
Specifically , these factor can unnaturally lengthen the telomeres , caps on the conclusion of chromosome that gradually erode as you grow quondam . Above , you may see PanNET cells – the glowing pink bit are the areas where the cancer is causing telomere reference . Usually , short telomeres are associate with disease and death . As a resultant , some scientist believe that hold back telomeres long could be one direction to lengthen life ( a few tests in miceseem to back this up ) . PanNET may have just return us two genetical tools to prolong spirit . The query is , what would a Crab - extended life be like ?
chromosomal mutation in the cistron ATRX and DAXX are responsible for the result that ’s intrigued Johns Hopkins Medical Institute researcher Christopher Heaphy and his team . In PanNET Crab , these factor shut down . As a result , the protein that these factor cook up no longer keep the telomere in defend trim . The telomeres grow wildly in a process called , perhaps unsurprisingly , “ Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres . ”
Unfortunately for people suffer PanNET , the extra long telomere are what keep cancerous factor alive even when they are malfunction horribly . That ’s why it ’s probably more appropriate to call these cells undead rather than immortal . Yes , they ’re alive , but they ’re shambling along and render to replicate and replace every other cell with a version of themselves .
The doubt is whether researchers like Heaphy could turn this undeath into something more like perpetual life . recognize which gene to shut down so as to let telomeres to lengthen could be the first measure in a unconscious process that terminate with levelheaded cells that do n’t age . The problem is , no one knows for sure whether forgetful telomeres cause aging , or are just a result of some other geezerhood clock in the body we have n’t yet identified .
translate the full scientific articlevia Science
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