Lesson 26 Flashcards
what is aging defined as?
a time dependent decline of the function of tissues and organs → due to a loss of the physiological function of the organs
how are our bodies trying to contrast functional decline?
by compensatory responses the try to reestablish the homeostasis of tissues
what are the 9 candidate hallmarks of aging?
- genomic instability
- telomere attrition
- epigenetic alterations
- loss of proteostasis
- deregulated nutrient sensing
6.mitochondrial dysfunction - cellular senescence
- stem cell exhaustion
- altered intracellular communication
what is genomic instability caused by?
the accumulation of DNA damage caused by intrinsic or extrinsic factors
what are some cases of genomic instability?
Epigenomic modifications, loss of proteostasis, deregulation of new gene sensing (of the anabolic
pathways), mitochondrial dysfunction, cellular senescence, stem cell exhaustion
what are some extrinsic causes of genomic instability?
exogenous physical, chemical, biochemical, or pathological agents that trigger and promote DNA adhesion
what are some intrinsic causes of genomic instability?
accumulation of ROS or replication errors
what do intrinsic causes of genomic Instability lead to?
telomere shortening and gene distribution due to the reactivation of transposons or integration of viruses → mutations can affect nuclear DNA or mitochondrial DNA
why is the focus on the nuclear architecture so important?
the mutations in genes that encode for the nuclear lamina are quite important and give rise to genomic instability that is also structural Instability and premature aging syndromes (such as progeria)
what occurs when there is a deficiency in the DNA repair mechanism?
when a cell is trying to activate the DNA repair mechanism, the response is impaired or lost during aging which leads to the further accumulation of DNA damage
what is the DNA damage response activated by?
different sources of stress that cause SS or DS DNA breaks
what is the main and 1st mechanism activating the cellular senescence?
checkpoint arrest
what occurs when checkpoint arrest does not give rise to DNA repair?
cellular senescence
what is telomere attrition?
the deterioration of telomeres due to the progressive loss of the protective sequence
how are telomeres protected?
they are bound by shelterings that are going to protect complexes and prevent access of DNA repair machinery at the edge of the chromosomes
why is sheltering important to protect the edge of the chromosome?
if they are not protected, the chromosome is considered like a dsDNA with a break → DNA damage mechanism will come and try to fix the damage and the chromosome will be fused together to correct the gap and creates a fusion with another molecule of
DNA, so we will not have separate molecules or separate chromosomes, but instead we will have a
continuous DNA molecule of all the chromosomes fused together
what is aging characterized by?
imbalance in histone modification,
transcriptional changes, loss/gain of heterochromatin,
breakdown of nuclear lamina with the involvement of Lamin genes, global hypomethylation, focal hypermethylation (at a specific locus like polycomb locus), and general changes in chromatin remodelling.
what happens during the aging process in regards to methylation?
a global reduction in methylation creating transcriptional noise and there is a depression of transcription
what does the accumulation of unfolded or misfolded proteins caused by the decreased activity or chaperones or autophagy?
loss of proteostasis
what is the loss of proteostasis linked to?
reduced autophagy and decrease of chaperone expression → these processes are not properly functioning and the refolding of proteins and also the accumulation that is the consequence of all these steps of misfolded proteins within the cells gives rise to specific diseases
what is driven by GH and regulates the anabolic pathway?
somatotrophin axis
what is the central regulator of the somatotrophic axis?
mTOR
what two things have been used experimentally to reduce the somatotrophic pathway and prevent aging?
inhibition of the mTOR pathways and a low calorie diet → dietary restriction and pharmacological manipulation of this pathways is associated with the rejuvenation of organisms
what is mitohormesis?
a hermetic response → the mitochondria is strung to regenerate and rebalance the ROS to reach homeostasis
what is cellular senescence?
the stable arrest of the cell cycle coupled to stereotyped phenotypic changes
what are the two portions of cellular senescence?
the accumulation of senescent cells and a decreased function of the immune system
what occurs when the senescence is transient?
the cell uses it to stop the proliferation of aberrant cells and through the production of inflammatory cytokines recruits immune system cells (which then clear aberrant cells)
what is senescence the basis of?
the main surveillance of cancer and involved in tissue regeneration, tissue development, and homeostasis
what does prolonged senescence cause?
gives rise to a compensatory response which is no longer balanced → the immune cells have impaired function that leads to the accumulation and propagation of damaged and senescent cells