Have you discovered the secret to immortality? Longer telomeres = longer lifespan?

Reviewer: Zhang Jianwei

Deputy Chief Physician, Department of Oncology, Seventh Medical Center, PLA General Hospital

Throughout the ages, immortality has always been the object of human pursuit and discussion. The mythological systems of various ancient nations and the artistic expressions of today's movies and TV series have interpreted the meaning of longevity from various perspectives. However, in reality, everything in the world operates according to laws, and no one has ever been able to escape the fate of death. Why is this? Is there really such a way to make people immortal?

In fact, before we are born, our DNA has already installed the "clock" of life - telomeres. As early as the 1930s, American genetics experts Muller and Meclintock and others had discovered the existence of telomere structure, and since then, human research on telomeres has continued to deepen.

What are telomeres? Telomeres are DNA-protein complexes at the ends of chromosomes, representing the countdown clock of cell lifespan. They protect the integrity of chromosomes and regulate chromosomes during meiosis of germ cells. Simply put, the genetic material of a cell is the DNA located on chromosomes.

During cell division, DNA replicates from the parent strand to create a new daughter strand. The replicated DNA is always shorter than the original strand. If the end is a genetic gene, continuous replication will lose a lot of genetic information. This problem is called the chromosome end problem. However, just as there is always a hard part at both ends of shoelaces to prevent the shoelaces from wearing out too quickly, there is also a protective DNA sequence at both ends of DNA, which is the telomere.

Telomere source: Internet

However, telomeres are not infinite. In the process of repeated DNA replication and telomere wear, the length of telomeres will become shorter and shorter. When they can no longer protect the internal genetic information, the cell will stop replicating and die. As early as 1961, American anatomist Hayflick proposed that there is a definite correlation between the lifespan of a species and the number of cell divisions, that is, the number of cell divisions indicates the lifespan of an individual.

Hayflick Source: Internet

But if this is the case, the telomeres will be consumed after just a few generations, so how do we explain the reproduction of the population?

As the research on telomerase continues to deepen, scientists have discovered that there is a special enzyme in cells - telomerase, which contains protein and a segment of RNA. It is a nucleoprotein reverse transcriptase that can extend the 3' end DNA in the telomere, and then repair the other single strand through substances such as primers and DNA polymerase. In this way, the telomere can be repaired and DNA replication without shortening can be achieved. This is called complete DNA replication.

But in fact, except for special cells such as reproductive cells, telomerase is almost inactive in human somatic cells. Perhaps some people would think that if we find a way to activate telomerase activity, can we achieve immortality?

This brings us to cancer cells. The telomerase in cancer cells is very active, and they can proliferate indefinitely without aging or dying. This out-of-control life activity will inevitably lead to serious consequences, such as occupying the position of normal organs, and the treatment of cancer is still a difficult problem that humans are eager to overcome.

Source: See watermark

In 2009, three professors, Professor Blackburn (Professor at the University of California, San Francisco), Carol Greider (Professor at the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at Johns Hopkins University), and Jack Szostak (Professor at Harvard Medical School), won the Nobel Prize for their academic achievement on "How telomeres and telomerase protect human chromosomes." This achievement has had an important impact on many fields of medical research.

Some genetic diseases of the skin, lungs, and bone marrow have been shown to be caused by telomerase deficiency, which also suggests a new direction for conquering cancer: Can telomerase be used as a target for anticancer drugs to prevent the spread of cancer cells by destroying the telomerase of cancer cells? At the same time, the academic community of lifespan and aging has realized that if the stability of telomeres can be maintained, anti-aging will be achieved.

Blackburn, Jack Szostak, Carol Greider

Source: Internet

However, the research is still ongoing, and scientists still need to find ways to avoid damaging normal germ cells when treating cancer cell telomerase.

Daily maintenance Although medical methods have not yet come true, psychological studies have shown that life stress will accelerate the wear of telomeres. When we are in negative emotions such as depression, anger, sadness, etc., the balance of telomerase will be broken. Therefore, it is very important to maintain a positive attitude towards life and good living habits.

We can do the following:

1. Exercise properly. No matter how busy we are at school or work, we should take time to exercise, such as running, skipping rope, playing ball, etc. Sticking to it can effectively improve the condition of our telomeres and thus improve our physical condition.

Source: Pixabay

2. Good sleep. High-quality sleep will make us more energetic and help maintain a good emotional state.

3. Scientific diet. A reasonable diet can not only meet our body's nutritional needs, but also help us maintain a healthy weight.

4. Appropriate entertainment to relieve stress. When you are under a lot of pressure, you can go shopping, watch movies, sing, etc. Nothing is more important than happiness.

So the secret to longevity is this simple: eat well, exercise regularly, sleep on time, and smile often!