Fascinatingly, genes tend to give ordinary cells a longer life.
Organisms evolve through a chain of life, whereby organisms are connected to ancestors like parents and grandparents linking species back to a billion years. We are all interlinked to the first animals having lived in the ‘pre-Cambrian era’. In this sense, we can consider that animal’s reproductive cells are immortal. These immortal cells are known as germ-line cells and are responsible for the creation of offspring’s such as somatic cells; somatic cells are other cells in our body responsible for muscle growth, behaviour and metabolism. They are even responsible for the proliferation of new germ-line cells, which are present in reproductive species.
Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Department of Molecular Biology recently made some revolutionary findings. They found that specific types of genetic mutation could radically increase the lifespan of C.elegans roundworm by inducing ‘mortal’ somatic cells to genes permitting the immortality feature of reproductive germ-line cells. The report will be published in the Journal Nature.
Sean Curran, a researcher in genetic at MGH Molecular Biology as well as the lead author of the study says that the success of achieving extreme longevity with mutated C.elegans represents a big step ahead. The germ-line features were successfully passed-on to somatic cells. Germ-line is known to have a better equilibrium than somatic cells. They are stronger in the sense that they resist stress as well as several types of damages. If we would be able to comprehend the molecular pathway supporting this state of equilibrium, it would significantly help to device therapies to safeguard one against age-related pathologies.
Curran is working together with Gary Ruykun at a laboratory of MGH emphasising their research on development, longevity, as well as metabolism of C.elegans, which is a small worm usually used to study the biological system. Ruykun and his team showed that it was possible to double as well as to triple the lifespan of C.elegans by inducing this particular mutation pathway.
Apparently, longevity-related mutations showed signs of enforcing the immune response as well as boosting-up the presence of gene expression via RNA interference (RNAi) in somatic cells. It is confirmed that germ-line reinforces our resistance to health hazards and stresses. The study examined whether germ-line mutation would prolong lifespan of C.elegans mutants.
The various experiments conducted showed that the longevity of the worms was increased via an insulin-like signalling pathway. The somatic cell had the expression of certain genes, which are usually only present in germ-line cells. The mutated C.elegans was strongly enforced against DNA damage and stresses in comparison to non-mutant c.elegans.
The study did also demonstrate that if the germ-line expression was dis-activated the increased lifespan of the worm would be eliminated.
According to Ruykun the senior author of the paper, the study demonstrated that the protective aspect of germ-line cells can significantly help in developing regenerative and repair mechanism.
Source: Harvard Science
Mon, Sep 6, 2010
Anti Aging, Immortality, Stem cells