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Above left image: Developing embryo in utero ultrasound image courtesy of jeffrey dach md.
A new study by Harvard professor Ronald A. DePinho, just published in Nature shows dramatic reversal of aging in mice.(1)(2) The "biological clock" of these mice had been modified to make them age rapidly.
Reversing Aging with the "The Ponce De Leon Effect"
The next step of the experiment was to reverse signs of aging in the mice. For this next step, the aged mice were treated with a drug (4-OHT) which served to "turn on" production of telomerase and lengthen the telomeres. This dramatically reversed the signs of aging with the aged mice surprisingly rejuvenated. Their shrunken brains, spleens and testes resumed normal size, and they regained their sense of smell. The aged infertile males once again became fertile, and fathered large litters. Is this the next anti-aging breakthrough? Can treatment to restore telomerase and telomere length potentially restore organ function and reverse degenerative disease in the elderly?
Left image: Telomere cap at the end of the chromosome. After each cell replication, a small piece of telomere DNA is lost, until cell replication stops. This is the "biological clock". image courtesy of wikimedia commons.
What is a Telomere? Telomeres are the Biological Clock that Control Aging
Telomeres are the biological clock that control aging and cell replication. They are small strands of DNA code at the end of each chromosome (see diagram above). Each time the cell replicates itself, the telomere shortens a little bit and eventually, after about 50 replications, cell replication stops in a process known as "cell senescence", or the Hayflick limit.(3)
Nobel Prize for Telomere Research
Carol Greider and colleagues were awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in Medicine for their discovery and work on telomerase, the enzyme that lengthens telomeres.(4) In 1984, Greider discovered the enzyme telomerase and later she found that telomerase can prevent shortening of the telomeres, which prevents and reverse the aging process. Her findings were published in 1985 in the journal, Cell.(5)
Later, in 1997, Greider collaborated with Ronald A. DePinho to produce a telomerase "Knockout Mouse", a mouse genetically modified to have the telomerase enzyme removed, causing short telomeres and premature aging.(6) This was the rapid aging mouse model used by DePinho in his new study published in Nature.
How to Turn on Telomerase Activity and Find the Fountain of Youth.
By now, it is should be obvious to you that activating telomerase, protects the telomeres from shortening and serves as an anti-aging treatment, slowing or reversing aging. On the contrary, knocking out or inhibiting telomerase activity results in shortened telomeres with acceleration of the aging process.
What Activates Telomerase ?
The answer to this question can be found in an excellent 2002 review article by Cong entitled, "Human Telomerase and Its Regulation ".(7) Among other things, the bioidentical hormones, 17 beta estadiol (estrogen) activates telomerase.
