How does genome instability affect lifespan?
2011
How Genome Instability Affects Lifespan
publication
Evidence: moderate
Author Information
Author(s): Kobayashi Takehiko
Primary Institution: National Institute of Genetics/The Graduate University for Advanced Studies
Hypothesis
How does genome instability affect lifespan?
Conclusion
The study suggests that rDNA instability is a key factor influencing lifespan in eukaryotic cells.
Supporting Evidence
- rDNA instability has been shown to reduce lifespan in yeast and humans.
- Defects in DNA repair dramatically reduce the replicative lifespan in yeast.
- Accumulation of extrachromosomal rDNA circles in mother cells induces senescence.
Takeaway
This study looks at how parts of our DNA that don't code for proteins can affect how long cells live. It finds that instability in these regions can make cells age faster.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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