Researchers have mapped the gene of the source of immortality
Mapping the gene encoding the source of cell immortality – the enzyme telomerase – was one of the results of a major research project involving more than 1,000 scientists from different countries who joined forces under the leadership of Dr. Stig E. Bojesen from the University of Copenhagen. To achieve this result, it took four years of painstaking work, 55 million Danish crowns allocated by the European Union, and blood samples from more than 200,000 people. This project has become the largest ever implemented in the field of cancer genetics research.
The human body consists of about fifty billion cells, each of which contains 46 chromosomes – structures that are carriers of genetic information. The ends of the chromosomes are protected by so-called telomeres, which shorten with each cell division and eventually become too short to protect the chromosomes, which leads to the physiological death of the cell.
Germ cells and other stem cells, the purpose of which implies a longer preservation of the ability to divide, solve this issue by activating the telomerase enzyme that restores telomeres. The same technique is used by malignant cells, therefore, the study of the telomerase gene is extremely important for specialists working in the field of cancer biology.
According to Dr. Boyesen, among other things, mapping the telomerase gene significantly deepens our knowledge about various types of cancer and opens up new prospects in the development of new methods of antitumor therapy.
The results obtained indicate that differences in the length of the telomerase gene are associated with both the risk of developing various types of cancer (in particular ovarian and breast cancer) and telomere length. Unexpected were the data according to which gene sequence variations associated with diseases do not affect the length of telomeres. Apparently, the role of telomerase in the functioning of the cell is much more complex than previously thought.
Boyesen notes that, like any other good research, the work carried out not only provides answers to many questions, but also asks scientists an even greater number of new riddles.
Article by Stig E Bojesen et al. Multiple independent variants at the TERT locus are associated with telomere length and risks of breast and ovarian cancer published in the journal Nature Genetics.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of the University of Copenhagen:
Researchers successfully map fountain of youth.
01.04.2013