He'll heal like a young man
Scientists have found a gene that causes tissues to regenerate, as in youth
Scientists have discovered a gene whose activation causes the tissues of adult mice to recover as quickly as in young animals; they published their results in an article in the journal Cell (Shyh-Chang et al., Lin28 Enhances Tissue Repair by Reprogramming Cellular Metabolism; press release Fountain-of-youth gene repairs tissue damage in adults you can read it on the EurekAlert website! – VM).
"It sounds like science fiction, but (the Lin28a gene) may be part of a healing cocktail that gives the tissues of adults exceptional recovery abilities that are observed in young animals," explained George Daley from the Children's Hospital of Boston (USA).
It is known that tissues recover much faster in youth than in adulthood. This is true for many animals – from insects to mammals. The molecular mechanisms affecting the tissue's ability to repair have remained unknown until now.
Daly and his colleagues suggested that a protein encoded by the Lin28a gene may play an important role in this process. This gene is active at the stage of embryonic development, but with age, the levels of the protein that it encodes in the body fall. Scientists artificially activated Lin28a in adult mice. They found that this stimulated the reproduction and migration of cells, so that shaved hair grew faster in mice, and cartilage, bone and connective tissues were restored more easily with wounds to the ears and fingers.
The researchers found that Lin28a exerted its beneficial effect due to the stimulation of cellular respiration - the processes of processing nutrients and oxygen entering the cell into universal adenosine triphosphate (ATP) molecules, which serve as an energy source for the vast majority of biochemical reactions.
Diagram from the article in Cell – VMThe authors of the article believe that their results can help in the creation of drugs that promote tissue repair in humans.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru08.11.2013