Aging and nucleotide synthesis
Another cause of cell aging has been found
A cell ages when it ceases to synthesize nucleotides, which are the "building blocks" of DNA and play an important role in energy and information processes inside the cell. This conclusion was reached by scientists from the Viterbi Technical School at the University of Southern California (USA). Article by Delfarah et al. Inhibition of nucleotide synthesis promotes replicative senescence of human mammary epithelial cells is published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. The press service of the university briefly tells about the work.
Cellular aging is a process in which the cycle of cell life is disrupted in response to stresses such as telomere length reduction (areas at the ends of chromosomes that perform a protective function), DNA damage or oncogenic signaling. Aging cells contribute to both age-related degeneration and hyperplastic pathologies, including cancer. Usually, human epithelial cells begin to age as soon as cell division stops – this process is known as replicative aging.
As it turned out, nucleotides also play an important role in replicative aging, or rather, the cessation of their synthesis. Scientists conducted an experiment with young cells – forced them to stop producing nucleotides. As a result, the cells began to wither.
On the left – young, on the right – artificially aged cells that are unable to synthesize nucleotides. The cell nuclei are colored blue. A drawing from the USC Viterbi press release Fighting Back Against the Ravages of Time – VM.
Until now, aging has primarily been studied in cells known as fibroblasts. These are the most common cells that make up connective tissue. Instead, the Viterbi Technical School team turned their attention to epithelial cells. These cells "align" the surfaces of organs and structures in the body, and most cancers occur in them.
Scientists noted that aging is most widely known as the body's protective barrier against cancer: when cells receive damage that may be at risk of developing into cancer, they "turn on" the "aging" command and stop multiplying so that cancer does not develop and spread.
The research opens the way to new methods of fighting cancer, and also finds application in the development of drugs that can eliminate aging cells to ensure a healthier old age for a person.
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