Our bodies constantly cell divides, restoring the lungs, skin, liver and other organs. But most human cells can not divide forever, and therefore aging organs and tissues to degrade.
We follow the life of the cell Telomeros - our chromosome ends in a kind of small bits of DNA, much like plastic tips of shoe laces. Every time the division of the cell, these Telomeros shorter until it becomes so short that no longer share more.
But scientists know that there is a way to stop telomere wear - some cells are able to produce restoring telomeres and allows unlimited sharing of telomerase enzyme. However, it remains unclear why some cells, telomerase works, while others - not.
Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Research, the United States found that telomerase has an on / off switch - and that it may be a cell, but when turned off - not stop aging.
"Previous studies assumed that once produced, telomerase is available as soon as it is ever necessary to," the press release said the Chief. The author Vicki Lundblad. "We were surprised that telomerase has what is essentially a stop button which telomerase obedience to decompose." Their study published in the journal Genes and Development.
This is an important breakthrough, because if scientists can learn how to manipulate this switch, you can learn how to slow down the aging process and treat age-related diseases. And, last but not least interesting, to help understand the cancer cells, which require telomerase uncontrolled sharing.
Lundblad, along with graduate student Timothy tuce discovered this switch in yeast, using a new technique, making it possible for them to monitor each telomerase component of cell growth and division.
Each time the cell sharing, to double its full genome. Tuce found that while waiting for telomerase as unassembled complex, lacking the key molecular components. But when the full genome doubling, missing parts connect to form a fully active telomerase complex, and then telomerase can rebuild decaying chromosome ends and ensure successful cell division.
But oddly enough, only telomerase was collected, it collapsed quickly switch to the off position.
Researchers believe that this switch may help the body maintain a very low level of telomerase in cells to prevent uncontrolled cell growth, which may cause cancer. However, it may be longer cells share the key.
While what may seem unlikely that these experiments with single-celled yeast cells tell us about human cells, telomerase high initial studies were carried out with yeast cells and laid the foundations for future discoveries in humans.
The next step is to understand more about the switch and its relationship to aging and cancer, and then the researchers will try to understand how they can be manipulated more maintaining human health.
