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Genetics explain periods of aging

With the Netherlands and British scientists identified the specific genetic variants that may explain why some people grow old sooner than others. The results of this study are important for understanding the nature of cancer and age of disease.

The researchers analyzed more than 500 thousand genetic variations from the standard human genome and found that people with special options close TERC gene biological clock in a hurry to three or four years, said Kompyulenta. “Our study shows that some people are genetically programmed to age more rapidly”, – said one of the leaders of the scientific group, Tim Spector of King’s College London.

In the article, published in the journal Nature Genetics, the researchers explain that there are two forms of aging – chronological, calculated in years, and the biological, depending on the age of cells. “Science is becoming more evidence to suggest that the risk of age ailments, including cardiovascular disease and some cancers, is more closely related to biological rather than chronological age,” – said one of the panellists Nilesh Samani , professor of cardiology at Leicester University (UK).

The researchers came to their conclusions by studying the structures called telomeres. This protective “caps” at the ends of chromosomes, the length of which is related to aging cells. Worn out or shortened telomere can lead to premature aging and cancer. Three American scientists who discovered the enzyme telomerase, which can prevent fraying telomeres, for their discovery received the Nobel Prize for medicine in 2009.

Scientists have known that the gene TERC, which regulates the length of telomere, plays a key role in aging and cancer. A new study for the first time identified specific variants of the gene responsible for premature aging and telomere shortening.