The study, out of the VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam, performed a deep whole-genome sequencing that allowed them to analyze 450 somatic mutations. These mutations, which where found in her white blood cells, contain non coding regions that appear to be harmless mutations. Additionally, they discovers that they were all serviced from two stem cells. This may mean that her stem cell pool may have been depleted. They also found that the telomere of the white blood cells were smaller. While telomeres are supposed to shrink after reproduction, these were about 17 times shorter that the ones in her brain cells.
It is thought that one of the reasons for aging is the depletion of the stem cell pool. Scientists are hoping that in the future it may be possible to replenish the supply with stem cells taken when people were younger.
The full study was published in Genome Research.
I found this article interesting because it would be resourceful to see if specific mutations aid in keeping humans cells strong enough to stay alive longer. The woman's DNA sequencing can be useful and could potentially create a more in depth understanding of extending the human life span.
ReplyDeleteFound this very interesting. never knew the human body can function all the way up to 115 years told. having good health and a healthy lifestyle can increase the human life span.
ReplyDeleteI find myself very skeptical of the "fountain of youth." As a concept, sure, it's great, but personally, I don't believe that there will come a time where science will be able to prolong life indefinitely. The article is quite interesting though, even if it is suggesting a far fetched idea.
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