Thread by @Luke_Conroy1

Ageing: an inevitable part of life. Right? Perhaps not! Recent research from @Harvardmed (10.1016/j.cell.2022.12.027) suggests that ageing may be reversible. This exciting new research may help us better understand ageing! Thread→
@joanna_kacprzyk #Ageing #Biology #Cells

Ageing is a gradual process which occurs at the cellular level in all living things. In humans, this is marked by physical and mental deterioration. Ageing also increases the risk of nearly all diseases. Though thanks to @davidasinclair, there is hope 👏(1/9).

Research published last month in @CellCellPress looked at the cause and potential solutions to ageing. One primary cause of ageing occurs in DNA, though not in the genes themselves (because that would be far too easy!). The changes actually occur at the epigenetic level (2/9).

Epigenetics 🤔? This is how your cells control which genetic code is active within the body. Hence, they don’t change the DNA code, they just act as on/off switches for our genes. This study shows that changes to these switches can actually accelerate ageing (3/9).

We know that many things can harm our DNA: Smoking, UV light and asbestos etc. These can also affect epigenetics. When these harmful chemicals damage our DNA, our cells attempt to fix the problem. These fixes are often imperfect and lead to loss of epigenetic material (4/9).

Scientists introduced double-stranded DNA breaks into cells and mice. This article shows failure to fully repair DNA can lead to faster ageing. The physical changes observed in mice was striking. The mice that experienced epigenetic loss showed clear signs of ageing (5/9).

The ageing mice experienced a loss of hair, loss of colour as well as reduced bone density. They had worse endurance and less muscle mass, and they performed worse in memory tests (yes, the mice did tests 📚🖊️🐁). It turns out, even mice don’t age gracefully (6/9)!

The researchers showed that the DNA damage caused these changes. Cells have impressive DNA repair mechanisms, which is why we don’t die after just 1 🍺or glass of 🍷. Unfortunately, this repair is often incomplete and can lead to loss of key epigenetic information (7/9).

Much like with how nothing can be fully deleted off the internet, this lost data is never really gone. Certain chemicals can help restore this epigenetic material. Drugs that help restore the original material may help delay ageing in the future (8/9).

Ageing research is relevant to everyone, so I hope this thread ignited your curiosity in the ageing field. Maybe this study will help find a tool to delay ageing. If nothing else maybe, we can put a stop to those awful wrinkles and keep hair on our heads a little longer (9/9)!

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