Why do telomeres shorten with age?
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Why do telomeres shorten with age?
Why do telomeres get shorter? Your DNA strands become slightly shorter each time a chromosome replicates itself. Telomeres help prevent genes from being lost in this process. But this means that as your chromosomes replicate, your telomeres shorten.
Why telomere length decreases over time?
Telomere length shortens with age. Rate of telomere shortening may indicate the pace of aging. Lifestyle factors such as smoking, lack of physical activity, obesity, stress, exposure to pollution, etc. can potentially increase the rate of telomere shortening, cancer risk, and pace of aging.
How is the length of telomere related to aging?
Telomere length is maximum at birth and decreases progressively with advancing age and thus is considered as a biomarker of chronological aging. This age associated decrease in the length of telomere is linked to various ageing associated diseases like diabetes, hypertension, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer etc.
Why do telomeres shorten with age in most somatic cells?
The telomere acts as a buffer to ensure the important genetic information coded for on the chromosome is completely copied for each new cell and protected from damage. Over time, this results in fewer and fewer DNA repeats making up the telomeres after each cell division i.e. gradually the telomeres shorten.
Why do telomeres get shorter with each round of DNA replication?
At each cell division, the telomeres shorten because of the incomplete replication of the linear DNA molecules by the conventional DNA polymerases. This is specifically due to the resection and fill-in reaction during the synthesis of the telomere leading-strand [7,8].
What does telomere length indicate?
Telomere length (TL) has been suggested as a biomarker that can indicate individual variability in the rate of aging.
What increases telomere length?
Telomere length is positively associated with the consumption of legumes, nuts, seaweed, fruits, and 100\% fruit juice, dairy products, and coffee, whereas it is inversely associated with consumption of alcohol, red meat, or processed meat [27,28,33,34].
What occurs when telomeres shorten to a certain length?
When the telomere becomes too short, the chromosome reaches a ‘critical length’ and can no longer be replicated. This ‘critical length’ triggers the cell to die by a process called apoptosis?, also known as programmed cell death.
How do telomeres prevent aging?
Every time cells divide, their telomeres shorten, which eventually prompts them to stop dividing and die. Telomerase prevents this decline in some kinds of cells, including stem cells, by lengthening telomeres, and the hope was that activating the enzyme could slow cellular ageing. They also die young.