I'm mathematician solving cancer theory problems and Your ideas give the new sightseeing of the problem too. Thanks. The other problem I could see, it is the mathematical (formal) meaming of the term REPROGRAMMING. First, we know that with aging methylation level increases, so this gives the idea to stop it or return it to the "younger state".
The pattern is lost anyway. Just imagine copying a sheet of printed paper. Then make the copy of the copy. The pattern is going weaker and weaker.
It doesn't matter if you take more ink or less. You will loose information anyway. That's what aging is. Loss of information.
This task is only one step of REPROGRAMING problem, but even here it is difficult imagine all full machinery of possible demethylation. First idea is make lower methylation substrate CH3 level. It depends on all long chain of so called One carbon units reaction network involving Amino acids Serine, Methionine intake, vitamines - Folate and B12 and finishing at SAM forming which participate in lots of methylation reactions - DNA methylation using DMT's is only the one. So, lot's of side physiological effects would turn on, but if someone will keep OCU flux at lowest normal level human needs it is possible to expect some DNA methylation sustain.
REPROGRAMING IDEA is much more wide and we need to define it more exactly.
The REPROGRAMING IDEA means: The body is able to reprogram itself.
Not you do the reprogramming, but the body does itself UNDER SPECIAL CONDITIONS. Just generate these necessary conditions and the body will be able to reprogram completely.
The body starts with one unmethylated cell.
Demethylation is the precondition. The methylation patterns are set by the cell itself. All methylation patterns are in you but only expressed once, when you are a fetus!
Compare the cell to a modern computer with windows installed. If windows is fresh installed it is running fast. Then later it is getting slower and slower and you get sometimes a bluescreen, because on your hard disk some information is lost.
So, if your windows is going to be more and more defect, the only solution is: Take the original CD with the software (or the backup CD) and reinstall the windows again. (In the comparison to the cell the starter sequences are already in the core!)
That is what I mean with reprogramming.
Of course I don't want to go back completely to the start but just to some intermediate state. This means partially demethylation and immediate remethylation by selected hormones.
Edited by Hedrock, 08 May 2010 - 05:06 PM.