On: Cellular Senescence, Mitochondrial Dysfunction, Cancer & Aging

Episode: N/A

Date: April 2017

Key Subjects:

• See Cellular Senescence write-up
• Senescent cells form as stress response.
  • Positive: prevents growth of mutant cells/cancer, signals growth to aid tissue repair.
  • Negative: triggers chronic inflammation and immune response.
  • Accumulate due to decline immune response or faster generation of senescent cells.
• Fasting may eliminate senescent cells and mute the inflammatory impact.
• Short telomeres also related to senescent cell formation.
  • Exercise: sedentary lifestyle leads to shorter telomeres.
  • Stress: leads to shorter telomeres.
• Concept of antagonistic pleiotropy:
  • A gene is associated with more than one trait / phenotype.
  • Some traits may be beneficial to the organism’s fitness (usually early in life).
  • Other traits may be detrimental to that same organism’s fitness (usually later in life).

Key Takeaways:

• Antagonistic pleiotropy: one gene associated with good traits (early in life) and bad traits (later in life).

Worth Listening:

7/10