Telomeros: The clocks of life

The human species has been able to increase its life expectancy year after year, however our biology places a limit on us.And the cumulus of damage in cells product of aging prevents our body from existing indefinitely, our life time is controlled by a kind of hourglasses...How long does we have left to live ? Can we be able to cheat the clock ? Come and discover more about telomeros.

What are telomeros?

All human beings have 46 chromosomes which are arranged in 23 pairs ; In general, it can be said that the shape of the chromosomes is similar to the letter "X", the chromosome is composed of long and short arms, other important parts are the centromere (central part that joins the arms) and the telomero (extreme part of the arms).

These telomeres are sequences of repeated DNA that are located at the ends of the chromosomes as " Capuchon ”, preventing them from deteriorating or merging with other chromosomes, which would cause serious genetic problems .Telomeres play a fundamental role during the cell division , the Shortening of telomeres during this process is inevitable and limits the number of times a normal cell can replicate , approximately 50 throughout life.The minimum size that a functional telomere can have is known as the limit of Hayflick and indicates that when the cell reaches smaller sizes it will begin its death process .Also being the telomere of chromosome 3 the shortest of the whole game, it is thought that it could be the trigger of cell death.

In other words we could say that very short telomeres allow a smaller amount of divisions causing a reduced longevity and on the contrary longer telomeres involve greater longevity .When we are born there are no significant differences between the length of the telomeres of men and women, however, as aging occurs, the telomeres of women end up being longer than in men, this phenomenon is still unexplained but could be the reason why Women tend to live longer years than men.

How to repair telomeres?

The secret to a longer life lies in the length of the telomeres, then being able to control the size of the telomeres and keep them in a good size could give us more years of life, since it turns out that we are not so far from controlling the telomeres thanks to the discovery of the enzyme 'telomerase' whose function is to lengthen and maintain telomeric regions.

Telomeros: The clocks of life

Experiments in mice have demonstrated the ability to increase the life of these animals even in a 24% after a treatment in which the production of the enzyme telomerase was induced.However, the danger is latent since if the telomerase concentrations are very high, it could ac tivar the tumor cells and cause cancer since they favor the immortality of malignant cells.Then the success of this therapy focuses on being able to extend life by maintaining the telomeres without producing cancer.

Likewise, Telomerase is normally active in fetal cells and after birth it is gradually deactivated in all cells except in normal stem cells and in some cells of the immune system.On the other hand, sperm and ovules already they have long telomeres and do not have telomerase activity.

Future applications

The immediate application is to test the effectiveness of drugs telomerase inhibitors as a possible antitumor therapy, alleviate the diseases associated with aging by re-introducing telomerase into cells with short telomeres, tissue production and differentiation in vitro from adult stem cells, which also need telomerase to divide indefinitely.

Telomeros: The clocks of life

The most promising application focuses on delaying aging, a common cause that triggers the appearance of diseases as the resistance to insulin or cardiovascular diseases, the incidence of which increases with age.Then, if we treated the aging of the cells, we could prevent the appearance of these diseases .that the study of the telomere and its telomerase will bring us many surprises in the not too distant future.

If you have been interested in this article, you may want to know more about why we need DNA from a man and a woman.

Comments

They say your cat doesn't love you? LOVES YOU!

The pitched battle between worshipers of one kind or another is endless.The side that turns in favor of dogs ensures that dogs, no doubt, are better companions than their feline counterpart, and why? Let's see if these fundamentals are familiar to you: “Cats are cold and interested.” “Do you see their looks? I think they plan to kill the humans.”And to give the final thrust, without being fit with a pity, the fans of the hounds conclude that your cat simply does not love you.Yes, no more.

10 Fun Facts About Nipples

We all have a pair of nipples, there are even some who have one of more, but how much do we really know about these? 1.The Areola-gasmo is something. Some people experience orgasm by nipple stimulation alone.It's weird, but it happens. 2.Child or girl? Everyone has nipples due to how fetuses develop in the womb: Nipples appear before the sexual organs . 3.And who are you from? The nipples can be of a great variety of shapes, sizes and colors Dark, pink, brown, large, small...Everything is normal! The same goes for the areolas (the colored skin around the nipple). They can be very light or very dark.They can also be as small as currencies of dime or as wide as dinner plates Everything is normal! 4.Montgomery glands The small bumps in your areolas are called Montgomery glands.They are called that by William Montgomery, the first man who described them in an article scientist in 1837.Ah, and they are totally normal and not something to worry about. ...

The advice of a Roman emperor to get up motivated | Eat the world!

Nothing is more palatable than a good cozy bed in a cold winter morning.Laziness is, not in vain, one of the deadly sins and there are many who suffer from it.We must have a large dose of will to , with the scenario that we have painted at the beginning of this article, being able to get up and get in the shower to go to work.However, getting up motivated is not so difficult either and you have some tools to combat that laziness. Marco Aurelio's advice to get up motivated The advice to get up motivated by the morning that we are going to give you below do not come from any modern self-help book but from an ancient Roman emperor who had much to say about it; Marco Aurelio. Marco Aurelio was a philosopher and emperor of Rome from 161 to 180 AD.He was the author of one of the most influential and admired books in history "Meditations" that It is basically "a work to improve life" , according to his own words.In it we talk about great truths that could b...

The Smilodon, the fantastic "saber teeth"

The Smilodon. Few prehistoric creatures are so beautiful and impressive at the same time, like this unique feline better known as "saber teeth".Experts say more than belonging to the family of big cats like the tiger or the lion, the Smilodon is more like a red lynx. It was simply beautiful, it lived along the American continent at the end of the Pliocene and became extinct 10,000 years ago.reason? Due to the climatic change of our planet.As the temperature rose, the large dams, the large animals that used to feed: mammoths, horses, prehistoric bison... The smallest animals ran too much and the Smilodon was not a good runner.In addition, he had to face predators more skilled than them, as was the case with the giant wolves.That is, the change of the derived ecosystems by general warming , I have just defeated these wonderful animals, which, without a doubt, we would have loved to know. The Smilodon (saber teeth), a fierce predator First we must clarify one aspec...

Praying mantis What do you know about these animals?

Belonging to the mantis order, a word that comes from the Greek and refers to a fortune teller or a prophet, this insect that seems to be praying, especially when it joins its long front legs, has always aroused much curiosity in humans.We reveal some true information about the praying mantis. Content Index Praying mantis.What do you know about these animals? To begin with, we place the mantis in its habitat: of the approximately 2,000 species of this insect described to date, about 80% live in tropical or temperate countries. The praying mantis is a medium-sized insect, of approximately 4 to 5 cm, with a long thorax and thin antennae.It has two large compound eyes and three small simple eyes between them.The head can rotate up to 180º.Its front legs, that keeps collected before the head, are provided with thorns to hold their pre sas. The praying mantis has two large compound eyes Despite its name, the praying mantis is a fantastic predator that camouflages very well...

5 natural remedies against depression

Depression.It is a mood disorder that can be permanent or temporary, and is characterized by feelings of sadness, dejection, unhappiness and guilt, robbing us of the possibility of enjoying life. Sure that many times feeling like this can be due to very specific situations: loss of someone you love, lack of work, some chronic illness, and the symptoms affect especially the affective sphere. The real problem is when this condition becomes permanent, producing in those who suffer a terrible suffering and great anxiety, which can manifest in an absolute lack of interest in everyday activities. It is a disease that afflicts a large number of people around of the world; drugs can be successful in extreme depressive cases, and more or less 80% usually improve between 4 to 6 weeks, but 50% of patients stop treatment in half for fear of side effects of medications, or the addiction to them. In view of this, researchers are looking back at other types of treatments, natural remedi...

Do you want to have lucid dreams? A study explains how to get it

Who has not imagined to control what it sounds ? Taking the course and taking the dream where you want it is what, apparently, people who have lucid dreams can do.A recent study explains that there are guidelines and techniques that can be followed to get to have that kind of dreams , do you accompany us to find out how to have lucid dreams? The study that explains how to get lucid dreams The lucid dream is one in which the sleeper becomes aware that he is playing while he is still in that process and has the ability to control that experience .It can happen at the moment we go from wakefulness to sleep, and we know that we are ringing for the bodily sensations we have, or during the dream itself.In the latter case, for some reason we "wake up" within the dream and have the option to follow inside or really wake up. Psychologists believe that the health of some of their patients could improve if they could take the reins of your dreams .For years there ...

The Vadoma tribe | Of African origin and with ostrich feet

If you have reached this article, it is because you have surely heard about the Vadoma tribe, an African people famous for having ostrich feet.Like an ostrich? Yes, as you read it, the ostrich feet, like two big claws that come out, instead of the five fingers we are used to. Didn't you know this was possible? Do not worry, we were also surprised at some point, so at Science Daily Online we sat down to find out more about this Vadoma to bring you all the information you need to know about this particular African tribe. Don't forget to find out of the peculiar history of the Vadoma tribe. Content Index The Vadoma: the ostrich feet village Ectrodactyly is an alteration where the three central toes disappear to give way to two prominent claws. To begin, we have to locate ourselves geographically. We are in the amazing African continent, where the savanna opens in all directions , the heat reigns and the sun is at its zenith showing us all the curiosities of Africa tha...

The mystery of the red rain of Kerala, India

It is possible for people to cry blood, but that a substance similar to this falls from the sky, as happened in India, is even more chilling. A red phenomenon in India What happened in the Indian region of Kerala between on July 25 and September 23, 2001 , seems to have no conclusive explanation for many.The rain that fell during those days was red.And it was not a casual event, because those precipitations lasted about two months, and the water, did not vary in hue at any time: it was scarlet, of a dark red that flooded streets and all that people that received between fear and expectation, a water of blood color. Why was that phenomenon? Let's review all theories below, inviting you as always to give us your opinion . The day the rain turned red You may It seems amazing, but the phenomenon of the red rain is not new in India.It is known that in 1896 it already happened, but for the Indian government they were nothing more than spores of suspended algae, a single-ce...

Why are there so many jellyfish? And why is it bad that there are so many?

Human intervention in all Earth's ecosystems does not always entail the extinction of species, sometimes it has the opposite effect, the multiplication and expansion of a particular species, generally at the expense of others. This would be the case of jellyfish, also known as aguamalas , aguavivas and sea tears , and that have become a Annoyance for tourists who come to all spas. Anemones are one of the oldest animals that still move on the face of the Earth , where they have been present for about 700 million years, and with representation in all the seas, from the Arctic to the equatorial regions.In recent years it began to be noticed that their number was increasing, and in even more recent times it began or to be considered a real problem. Causes There are several causes that have led to this "mega outcrop" of jellyfish throughout the world, although all have the usual suspect in common : the human being.The increase in jellyfish would be linked to t...

Science Daily Online

Search This Blog