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.
Estrogen Activates Telomerase
The major mechanism for control and activation of telomerase is the TERT promoter gene which stands for the Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase (TERT) gene. When the TERT gene is sequenced, and the code examined, one finds two estrogen receptor elements in this gene. This explains why 17-beta estradiol activates telomerase. Simply put, the fact that there are estrogen receptors in the TERT gene means that estrogen activates telomerase.(7)
Estrogen Blockers
Estrogen blockers, such as tamoxifen, block these receptors and turn off telomerase. Androgens were also found to turn on the TERT gene and activate telomerase, and as expected, androgen blocker drugs inhibit telomerase.(7)
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