A new possible cause of cell aging has been found

Cell aging is associated not only with the accumulation of damage, but also with the gradual loss of "instructions" that determine their specialization and functions. Scientists from Altos Labs (USA) came to this conclusion after studying changes in gene function with age.

As reported by BAKU.WS with reference to The National Library of Medicine (NLM), researchers analyzed gene activity in various human tissues and found that as cells age, they increasingly activate the so-called mesenchymal program - a set of genes characteristic of connective tissue. Normally, this program is activated only in isolated cases, but with age and in diseases, it begins to manifest even in highly specialized organ cells.

It turned out that the "mesenchymal shift" is systemic: its signs have been detected in more than 40 types of tissues and in 20 different diseases, including pulmonary fibrosis and renal failure. More pronounced shift was associated with disease progression and decreased patient survival.

To understand whether this process leads to deterioration of cell functions, scientists suppressed the activity of key genes that trigger scarring programs. As a result, the cells partially restored epigenetic characteristics typical of a younger state. A similar effect was obtained with partial reprogramming - brief activation of factors that change gene function without erasing cellular identity.

Previous experiments on mice had already shown that such brief "pulses" of reprogramming can improve tissue function and weaken molecular signs of aging. However, the authors emphasize that the method requires extremely precise dosing, since excessive intervention can disrupt tissue function and increase the risk of tumor growth.

According to scientists, restoring and maintaining cellular health remains one of the key challenges of modern biomedicine. The first clinical trials of such approaches are planned to be conducted locally - for example, in eye tissues, where strict control of the effect is possible.