X-Message-Number: 14768 From: Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 05:35:46 EDT Subject: Re: CryoNet #14761 - #14767 Greetings all! I've been reading all I can find about immortalizing human cells, via the telomerase/ telomere theory of aging, following Dr. Michael Fossel's reporting, etc. However, one doctor quoted by CNN claims that many of the cells in our bodies (brain, heart, etc) don't divide, therefore the telomere theory of aging is wrong for the most important systems in the human body. ie, if we could lengthen the telomeres in our brain cells, it wouldn't make them live any longer, because they don't divide (and therefore shorten telomere length). So is anybody out there familiar with this? Do telomeres in brain cells shorten by some other mechanism as we age, triggering senescence? Or do brain cells not suffer from telomere shortening/aging? or, is the good CNN doctor wrong, and brain cells do replace over time, and telomere lengthening would reset the genetic clock in them? I've also heard that telomere shortening is a genetic adaptation to prevent cancer. ie, if a cell starts dividing uncontrollably, after the telomere length gets short they automatically self destruct. Only uncontrollably dividing cells that produce telomerase and can reset their telomeres become cancerous. ANY information, or pointing to interesting sites, regarding this, would be helpful. Celera and other companies are starting to really treat this stuff as top secret to get to the patent office first, so its hard to keep up with the research. Super-lengthened-telomerically speaking, Michael Donahue Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=14768