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Controlling changes in the structure of human chromosomes could be key to new ways to fight cancer and other chronic health problems.
At the end of each of our 46 chromosomes is what is called a loop-shaped telomere As we get older, telomeres shorten and send messages to our cells that they can stop dividing, an important factor in the prevention of cancer
. some people are born with abnormally short telomeres, exposing them to the risk of bone marrow failure, pulmonary fibrosis and cancer.
Telomere disease is also linked to cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Scientists have long known that abnormally short telomeres are linked to these chronic conditions, but they have been deconcentrated on the underlying cause.
A team Australian researchers in genetics discovered that it is the modification of the telomere loop structure that is causing their abnormality. Dr. Tony Cesare, of the Westmead Children's Medical Research Institute in Sydney, says that when the loop opens, it exposes the end of the chromosome.
Neighboring cells interpret this change as telomere is no longer healthy "
" We could predict what happens if these loops open up at a young age, which leads to tissue failure and disease, "he told APA.
Dr. Cesare and his team also discover red that some chemotherapy drugs can cause the opening of telomere loops and send signals to cells that it's time to "pull out".
They now want to examine whether they can control the opening of telomere loops. He can give doctors a valuable new tool in their fight against cancer
"If we can promote this process and make it more effective in cancer, it will kill cancer cells," he said. At the same time, being able to control the opening of the telomere loop could mean that young people with genetic diseases are less likely to develop chronic diseases.
"So we want to help protect the structure if necessary and help destabilize the structure." The next step for Dr. Cesare and his team will be to understand how to stabilize the structure of the telomere loop to prevent it from happening. onset of genetic diseases
. He first proposed the theory of telomere loops during his doctoral studies in 1999.
Thanks to recent technological advances, he was able to use super-resolution microscopes to see loops 10 times in more detail than in the past.
The details of the study of telomeres by Dr. Cesare were published Friday by the journal Molecular Cell
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