Found a new possible cause of cell aging

Cell aging is associated not only with the accumulation of damage but also with the gradual loss of their "instructions" that determine specialization and functions. This conclusion was reached by scientists from the Altos Labs laboratory (USA). The research results are published on The National Library of Medicine (NLM) portal.

Researchers studied how gene activity changes with age in various human tissues. The analysis showed that as cells age, they increasingly activate the so-called mesenchymal program - a set of genes characteristic of supportive connective tissue. Normally, it is active only in limited cases, but with age and disease, it begins to manifest in specialized organ cells.

This "mesenchymal shift" turned out to be systemic: its signs were identified in more than 40 types of tissues and in 20 diseases, including pulmonary fibrosis and renal failure. A more pronounced shift was associated with disease progression and decreased patient survival.

To check whether this process is the cause of functional deterioration, scientists suppressed the activity of key genes responsible for triggering scarring programs. As a result, cells partially restored epigenetic features characteristic of a younger state. A similar effect was achieved using so-called partial reprogramming - temporary activation of factors that change the structure of gene operation, without erasing cellular memory.

Previous experiments on mice have 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: excessive intervention can disrupt tissue function and increase the risk of tumor growth.

According to the scientists, restoring and maintaining cell 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 the effect can be strictly controlled.