[Genetic and epigenetic news in gerontology]

The overview represents the recent most conspicuous findings in aging studies. It includes new data on the whole genome association studies (GWAS) in big cohort of centenaries, recently found mutation protecting from Alzheimer disease, discovery of hypothalamus as a command center of human aging, very important data on the negative effect of common antioxidants in the treatment of lung cancer as well as new data concerning antiaging and anticancer effects of common drugs such as rapamycine and metformin. Substantial part of the review is devoted to the epigenetic problems of senescence and feasible impact of basic epigenetic mechanisms (methylation of DNA and histone proteins, DNA heterochromatization) in regulation of gene expression, long-term genome reprogramming during early childhood, and transgeneration transmission of epigenetic traits. The necessity of transition from molecular studies of dormant human genome (anatomy of human genome) to genome in action (dynamic genome) and thus with special emphasis to epigenetic medicine is stressed.