Scientists from the University of Geneva and Inselspital, University Hospital of Bern, have discovered a mechanism that explains why certain organs, such as the liver and kidneys, age more rapidly than others. The team found that damages to non-coding DNA, often hidden, accumulate more in slowly proliferating tissues like those in the liver or kidneys.
Unlike organs that regenerate frequently, these damages remain undetected for a long time and prevent cell division. The findings, published in the journal Cell, open new avenues for understanding cellular aging and potentially slowing it down.
The study shows that non-coding DNA regions are not subject to regular error checking, allowing damage to accumulate over time. In young mice, this damage is minimal, but in old mice, the excessive number of errors triggers an alarm system that prevents DNA replication, leading to cell senescence and tissue aging.
These observations could help explain why slowly proliferating tissues age faster than rapidly proliferating ones. The study suggests that by repairing cryptic DNA damage before replication is triggered, certain aspects of aging might be avoided.
The research has the potential to lead to new approaches for understanding and potentially slowing down the aging process.
Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-09-age-faster-scientists-hidden-mutations.html