Every tissue of the human body has its own built-in biological clock gene
Scientists from the University of California (Los Angeles), led by professor of genetics and biostatistics Steven Horvath found that every tissue of the human body has its own built into the genome of the biological clock, just showing its age.
Aging fabrics in accordance with this clock is uneven, for example, breast tissue aging faster and slower heart.
To understand the rate at which time flows through various parts of the body, Horvath and his colleagues as a universal measuring instrument chosen DNA methylation - a natural process of chemical modification of DNA, which is one of the most important epigenetic mechanisms involved in the regulation of gene expression. Studied nearly 8000 different 51 types of samples of both healthy and cancerous cells and tissues, the authors monitored as age affects the levels of DNA methylation in them from prenatal period up to 101 years. As a result, it has been allocated 353 present in the body throughout the DNA marker methylation levels which vary significantly in the aging process and can be used as the biological clock.
The effectiveness of such a time meter was tested by comparing the biological and chronological age in various organs and tissues. Although in most cases these figures match, to the surprise of the authors, this was not always the case. Thus, a healthy heart muscle tissue were approximately nine years under their chronological age and female healthy tissue breast, conversely, age faster rest of the body, leaving behind it on average two to three years.
In this case, that was another surprise for the authors, the cells of children with progeria - a genetic disease that causes premature aging - were quite relevant to their chronological age.
At the same time, in the case of cancer, tissue adjacent to the tumor is on average over 12 years, and tumor cells - 36 years older than other tissues. Biological age some tissues taken from tumors of the brain in infants, ahead of the rest of the body at 80.
As suggested by Horvath, these data explain why breast cancer - the most common type of cancer in women, and why age is a risk factor for cancer in both sexes.
Another discovery was the discovery of uneven progress of the biological clock - after birth, throughout childhood and adolescence, they are ticking quickly, then slow down to 20 years and are starting to go more smoothly.
Applying their method to pluripotent stem cells - mature body cells, reprogrammed into embryonic able to specialize in almost all cell types, Horvath and his colleagues found that their biological age corresponds to the newborn.
The process of transforming adult cells into pluripotent actually nullifies their biological age. This shows that the process of restarting the biological clock in principle possible. Another question is how the biological clock controls the aging process.
If you find that this is the case, then therapeutic intervention in this mechanism can be a tool to achieve eternal youth.
The future plans of the scientists to see how stop biological clock will affect the aging process and it will not lead to an increased risk of cancer. In addition, the researchers plan to determine whether there is a similar mechanism in mice.
in the wake of Medportal.ru
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UCLA scientist uncovers biological clock able to measure age of most human tissues
http://www.uclahealth.org/body.cfm?id...
"Everyone grows older, but scientists don't really understand why. Now a UCLA study has uncovered a biological clock embedded in our genomes that may shed light on why our bodies age and how we can slow the process."
UCLA scientist uncovers biological clock able to measure age of most human tissues
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_release...
"Everyone grows older, but scientists don't really understand why. Now a UCLA study has uncovered a biological clock embedded in our genomes that may shed light on why our bodies age and how we can slow the process."
DNA methylation age of human tissues and cell types
http://genomebiology.com/2013/14/10/R115
"It is not yet known whether DNA methylation levels can be used to accurately predict age across a broad spectrum of human tissues and cell types, nor whether the resulting age prediction is a biologically meaningful measure."
Women's breasts age faster than the rest of their body
http://www.newscientist.com/article/d...
"Breasts typically age more quickly than the rest of the female body. So suggests a system that may be the most accurate way yet of identifying a person's age from a blood or tissue sample."
Why We Age -- Theories and Effects of Aging
http://longevity.about.com/od/longevi...
"The study of aging - gerontology - is a relatively new science that has made incredible progress over the last 30 years."
ARE TELOMERES THE KEY TO AGING AND CANCER?
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/conten...
"Inside the center or nucleus of a cell, our genes are located on twisted, double-stranded molecules of DNA called chromosomes."
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