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