35 replies to this topic

[QuestforLife]

Telomere shortening is good as it tells old cells to shut down and commit suicide, making room for new cells. And that fits hand in glove with the replacement of those cells with new cells derived from stem cells. The key to longevity is thus the replacement of old cells with young cells minted from stem cells, not keeping old cells alive past their expiration date.

 
I don't disagree: cells should not have an indefinite warranty - but then how do you ensure only well behaved cells can continue to replicate? This applies as much to stem cells as it does somatic ones. Stem cells are fewer in number but give rise to a larger lineage. Long telomeres is one way to ensure genomic and epigenetic control. But unfortunately there is always a non-zero chance of a cell going rogue. So we'll always need a therapy to clear cancerous cells.

You like most people are mixing up cause and effect. Telomere shortening is the result of cellular aging, not the cause of it.

This is clearly false.

Edited by QuestforLife, 02 October 2018 - 11:15 AM.

[Turnbuckle]

Clearly false? I think not. Telomere shortening is like a manufacturer slapping expiration labels on their products. The labels don't cause the products to go bad, but nevertheless they are cleared off the shelves before they get there. Same thing with cells. In most cases the body has no way of determining when a cell has gone bad except for its telomeres. The cell may in fact still be functioning reasonably well prior to senescence, just as a manufactured product may still be good. The logic is the same. Some good ones will have to be sacrificed to prevent bad ones from causing a problem--an evolutionary cost benefit program.

 

If there were no way of eliminating and replacing old cells, then keeping the old ones going would be the only option. Not a very good option, however.

 

Other cells wear out  too fast to use telomeres as a clock. For them location is everything. Skin cells and especially intestinal cells are like that. They move outward until they are shed, without bothering with apoptosis (except with cancer). And that is much like stock clerks moving old product to the front of the shelf.

Edited by Turnbuckle, 02 October 2018 - 12:17 PM.

[QuestforLife]

Not a bad analogy Turnbuckle. Telomeres do ensure cells are eventually replaced. Unfortunately for us they are not just a timing mechanism, however. This particular timing mechanism also causes the stock to go bad as the clock ticks down, long before the date of expiration is reached.

[QuestforLife]

Other cells wear out  too fast to use telomeres as a clock. For them location is everything. Skin cells and especially intestinal cells are like that. They move outward until they are shed, without bothering with apoptosis (except with cancer). And that is much like stock clerks moving old product to the front of the shelf.

 

And yet in skin, epidermal turnover decreases with age. This suggests the basis of this is cellular aging rather than environmental.

[Turnbuckle]

And yet in skin, epidermal turnover decreases with age. This suggests the basis of this is cellular aging rather than environmental.

 

Epidermal turnover decreases due to depletion of stem cells at the basal layer. Replenishing that pool restores skin to a more youthful level. That's one of the first things I saw with my C60/fusion stem cell protocol.

[QuestforLife]

That's interesting, how did that manifest: reduction in wrinkles, increase in thickness, moisture content?

 

Certainly more stem cells is always going to help any proliferative tissue; this is not necessarily in opposition to my arguments on the importance of telomeres.