The new work of scientists within the framework of the research program of the Institute of Epigenetics has made it possible to partially
What is regenerative medicine?
With age, the ability of human cellsfunction is reduced, and traces of aging accumulate in the genome. Regenerative biology focuses on the repair or replacement of cells. One of the most important tools of regenerative biology is our ability to create "induced" stem cells. This process is the result of several steps, each of which erases some of the marks that make cells specialized. Theoretically, these stem cells can become any type of cell. The problem is that scientists cannot yet reliably recreate the conditions for re-differentiation of stem cells into all cell types.
turn back time
A new method based on technology that receivedThe Nobel Prize that scientists use to create stem cells solves the problem of completely erasing cellular identity by stopping reprogramming at some point in the process. Thus, scientists have found the exact balance between reprogramming cells, which makes them biologically younger, but at the same time allows them to restore their specialized cellular functions.
In 2007, Shinya Yamanaka was the first scientist to turn normal cells that perform a specific function into stem cells, which possessThe complete process of reprogramming stem cells takesabout 50 days and requires the use of four key molecules called Yamanaka factors.
The new method, which scientists called "transientmaturation phase reprogramming, exposes cells to Yamanaka factors for only 13 days. At this moment, age-related changes are removed and the cells temporarily lose their "individuality". Partially reprogrammed skin cells were given time to grow under normal conditions to see if their specific one returned. Genome analysis showed that they again “received” characteristic markers, in this case, fibroblasts. The scientists confirmed the results when they observed collagen production in the reprogrammed cells.
Age is not just a number
To show that the cells are rejuvenated,the researchers looked for changes in the signs of aging. As Dr. Diljit Gill of the Wolf Reik Laboratory at the Babraham Institute explained, “Our understanding of aging at the molecular level has expanded over the past decade. This has led to methods that allow scientists to measure age-related biological changes in human cells. We applied this in our experiment."
The researchers studied several indicatorscell age. The first is the epigenetic clock, where the chemical marks present in the genome indicate age. The second is the transcriptome, all the gene reads produced by the cell. For these two measures, the reprogrammed cells matched the profile of cells that were 30 years younger compared to the reference datasets.
What's the bottom line?
The potential application of this technique is influenced by the fact that the cells not only look, but also function like young cells.Fibroblasts produce collagen, a molecule found in bones, skin tendons, and ligaments, helping to give structure to tissues and heal wounds.The rejuvenated fibroblasts produced more collagen proteins compared to control cells that had not undergone the reprogramming process.They are also moved to areas that need to be restored.
As the authors of the new work noted, the method is alsohad an impact on other genes associated with age-related diseases and symptoms. The APBA2 gene, associated with Alzheimer's disease, and the MAF gene, which plays a role in the development of cataracts, showed changes towards a youthful transcription level. This will expand the application of the technology.
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