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No Time to Age: Uncoupling Aging from Chronological Time
Dana Larocca1, Jieun Lee2, Michael D West2
1DC Biotechnology, Alameda, CA 94502, USA.
Genes
|April 30, 2021
Summary
Aging is linked to cellular clocks in the body
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Cellular Biology
- Gerontology
Background:
- Multicellular life arose from immortal unicellular organisms.
- Life diverged into an immortal germline and a mortal soma.
- Somatic cells experience aging, unlike germline cells.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the concept of aging in relation to cellular clocks.
- To explore the mechanisms of somatic restriction.
- To discuss germline factor reprogramming for aging reversal.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on aging and cellular clocks.
- Analysis of DNA-based cellular clocks: telomeric, DNA methylation, and transposable elements.
- Discussion of somatic restriction as a limitation of cell growth and regeneration.
Main Results:
- Aging is characterized by somatic restriction, driven by cellular clocks.
- The rate of aging is plastic and influenced by intrinsic cellular clock rates.
- Germline factor reprogramming shows potential for slowing or reversing aging.
Conclusions:
- Aging is not fixed to chronological time but influenced by cellular clock dynamics.
- Reprogramming germline factors may offer therapeutic strategies for age-related diseases.
- Altering the aging process itself could be a novel therapeutic approach.
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