This is the second part of our ongoing series of articles that discuss the Hallmarks of Aging. Published in 2013, the paper divides aging into a number of distinct categories (“hallmarks”) of damage to explain how the aging process works and how it causes age-related diseases[1].
Today, we will be looking at one of the primary hallmarks, epigenetic alterations.
How did you come to accept that aging was a problem?
#CrowdfundTheCure for #aging at www.lifespan.io
The topic of the gut microbiota is increasingly in the news of late, and its connection with chronic age-related inflammation, known as inflammaging, is becoming increasingly clear.
What is the microbiota?
The microbiota describes the community of symbiotic and pathogenic microorganisms that live in and on all multicellular organisms, and it includes bacteria, archaea, protists, fungi, and viruses. In particular, the gut microbiota and its role in aging and disease have increasingly become of interest to researchers in recent years.
Are AI aliens watching Earth? An immortal machine civilization could already exist and may be BILLIONS of years old, leading expert claims…
Artificial intelligence could already exist elsewhere in the universe and may have been around for billions of years, according to a leading expert.
Susan Schneider of the University of Connecticut believes other civilisations could rely on forms of alien super-intelligence we haven’t yet created on Earth.
She claims these life-forms could be ‘post-biological’ and not driven by the propagation of genes like creatures on Earth but powered by technology — meaning they could be immortal too.
Second article (#2 of 3) in three part stem cell series.
Summary: Stem cell decline leads to disease, gradual organ failure, and death. Learn what causes it and how researchers are trying to reverse stem cell decline. Part one of a two-part series.
Are stem cells the fountain of youth?
Recent discoveries suggest that stem cells may be able to regenerate most of our organs in the near future. Using regenerative medicine, death and disability from organ failure will soon be a relic of the past. Gone too will be the failures associated with organ transplantation. Using stem cell therapy, our declining immune systems will be restored, no longer compromised by old age. Finally, stem cells can minimize the dysfunction and mortality associated with infectious diseases.
Cellular Garb-aging is the build-up of junk inside the cells that naturally occurs during aging. This article says why it happens.
To maintain protein homeostasis, and prevent garb-aging, the cell uses molecular chaperones, which help assemble and disassemble proteins. Chaperonins are a special class of chaperones that provide favorable conditions for the correct folding of other proteins, thus preventing aggregation. Chaperonins prevent the misfolding of proteins, which prevents conditions such as Mad Cow Disease. Sometimes, chaperonin proteins may also tag misfolded proteins to be degraded. When properly tagged, other processes can recognize the damaged or misfolded proteins and ‘take out the trash.’
Think of it as garb-aging removal.
Aging Leads to Cellular Garb-Aging
Unfortunately, advancing age brings about the decline of the molecular chaperones that aid in the folding process. To add insult to injury, we also experience a decrease in the other quality control process that help clear misfolded and damaged proteins from our cells. Our garb-aging removal processes fall to the wayside. Garb-aging takes its place.
