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