Today’s Video of the Day from the University of Pittsburgh is a 24-hour time lapse which shows how light-induced oxidative telomere damage causes daughter cells to get stuck together by DNA fusion and ultimately die.
The research provides the first evidence that oxidative stress acts directly on telomeres to accelerate cellular aging.
The experts found that the same sources that cause oxidative stress to cells, such as pollution, smoking, and obesity, are also associated with shorter telomeres that protect the ends of chromosomes.
“If we can understand what causes telomere shortening and how cells compensate for that, then we’ll be in a better position to design intervention strategies that protect telomeres in healthy cells and target telomeres in cancer cells,” said study senior author Dr. Patricia Opresko.
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By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer
Video Credit: University of Pittsburgh