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Is Human Aging a Form of Phenoptosis?
Giacinto Libertini1,2, Graziamaria Corbi3,4, Olga Shubernetskaya5
1Italian Society for Evolutionary Biology (SIBE), Asti, 14100, Italy. giacinto.libertini@yahoo.com.
Biochemistry. Biokhimiia
|January 30, 2023
Summary
Aging may be a programmed process, termed phenoptosis, supported by genetic mechanisms like the subtelomere-telomere theory. This contrasts with aging as mere wear and tear, suggesting a regulated biological decline.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Theories on aging propose it's either a result of accumulated damage or a programmed biological process.
- Phenoptosis describes aging as a genetically regulated and evolutionarily modeled phenomenon.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review theoretical arguments and empirical data supporting aging as phenoptosis.
- To examine evidence for specific aging mechanisms, particularly the subtelomere-telomere theory.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of theoretical arguments and empirical data on aging.
- Analysis of evidence supporting the subtelomere-telomere theory and its proposed mechanisms.
Main Results:
- More evidence supports aging as phenoptosis than as a consequence of unrepaired damage.
- The subtelomere-telomere theory, including the role of TERRA sequences, provides plausible mechanisms for programmed aging.
- Epigenetic modifications, cell senescence, and telomere length regulation are compatible with phenoptosis.
Conclusions:
- Aging as phenoptosis is a scientifically sound hypothesis.
- The alternative theory requires further clarification to explain phenomena that appear to contradict it.
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