PEOPLE HAVE constantly wanted to find the fountain of youth. Use of cosmetics and a nip-and-tuck here and there can sometimes do the trick. Others swear to the rejuvenating effect through botox or stem cell.
We’ve long known about the symptoms of aging, but a study looked at the root of those symptoms and found that damaged DNA may be a key reason our bodies break down. DNA damage functionally underlies the major aspects of normal aging.
Understanding just how the aging symptoms occur requires looking at each step in the process. A research team used mice and studied how protein production slows down as we age. The protein production slow-down comes from damaged DNA.
Proteins are produced from RNA, which need to copy DNA. The process of DNA converting to RNA is known as transcription—the act of taking the genetic information from DNA and moving it outside a stored cell. You could think of it as DNA acting as long-term safe storage for our genetic makeup. The RNA comes into play when the DNA gets copied and moved to a different section within the body for manufacturing proteins. Cumulative damage to DNA gets in the way of that transcription process.
In the study, the team found that the RNA-making phase tended to stall in older mice, leading to a build-up in the DNA behind it and muddying the DNA strand until the process played itself out. The larger the gene, the more prevalent this behavior was.
With one transcription process interrupted, the entire gene expressions got delayed. With interruptions and delays, proteins don’t get created fast enough to ward off those aging symptoms we see, introducing hiccups in our once problem-free bodily functions. When transcription gets slowed, it causes cellular pathways to malfunction.
The study showed that this transcriptional stress is caused by endogenous DNA damage and explains the majority of gene expression changes in aging, researchers wrote. They say that this specifically impacts aging hallmarks, such as nutrient sensing, autophagy, proteostasis, energy metabolism, immune function, and cellular stress resilience.
Premature aging disorders tend to occur as a result of DNA repair mechanisms malfunctioning, and normal aging may just function that way as well. When the DNA can’t repair itself, it obviously remains damaged. That, then backs up the protein-producing pipeline and leads to the outward-facing symptoms of aging.
In other words, the genetic fingerprint produced by interrupted transcription is the same as that produced by aging, suggesting that the two are closely connected.
When our bodies can’t produce the proper protein responses and our bodily systems start to decay, it may all come from damaged DNA. Now, what is lacking is how to figure out how to keep the damage from happening. By Manny Palomar, PhD (EV Mail November 25- December 1, 2024 issue)
