Dr. Who and Tetrahymena – Connection ?
As we all know, Doctor Who defeats old age by regenerating.
Perhaps the world’s most famous Time Lord learned that trick from a Tetrahymena ?
Here’s a link to an article in Naturenews about the role of telomerase in reversing the ageing process. This work was done in mice, but remember that much of the original telomere work was done in …..TETRAHYMENA !
A great example of how basic research in “less complex” organisms can produce important results that carry interesting implications for human health and well-being.
Also a nice example of how research in one organism can be built upon and expanded in other experimental systems (Tetrahymena to mice to…… humans??).
These results suggest that activating an enzyme that protects chromosome tips can reverse premature ageing in mice genetically engineered to undergo early ageing, and discusses possible relevance to human ageing. It’s well written and fairly easy to understand.
What I really like is that both pros and cons are discussed, including possible “good effects” of increased telomerase activity in the treatment of age- associated disorders, as well as possible links between mutations in telomerase (the enzyme that adds repeat DNA sequences to the 3’ end of DNA telomeres) and cancer. The article could be the basis of a nice discussion of the complexity involved in developing new treatments for human diseases.