Scientists Reverse Aging in Human Cell Lines with New Technique

Scientists may have found a way to reverse aging--at least in human cell lines. They've discovered a new method to reverse aging, and have even found the genes partly responsible for some of the characteristics of aging.

The new findings come after the researchers investigated some controversial issues surrounding a popular theory of aging. The theory, called the mitochondrial theory of aging, proposes that age-associated mitochondrial defects are controlled by the accumulation of mutations in the mitochondrial DNA. Abnormal mitochondrial function is one of the hallmarks of aging in many species, including humans. Damage to the mitochondrial DNA results in changes or mutations in the DNA sequence, which causes reduced lifespan and the early onset of aging-related characteristics.

Yet conflicting evidence has raised doubts about the validity of this theory. In this case, the scientists looked at the function of the mitochondria in human fibroblast cell lines derived from young people and elderly people. The researchers compared the mitochondrial respiration and the amount of DNA damage in the mitochondria of the two groups, expecting the respiration to be reduced and DNA damage to be increased in the elderly group.

So what did they find? There was no difference in the amount of DNA damage between the two groups. Instead, the researchers believe that another form of genetic regulation, called epigenetic regulation, may be responsible.

Epigenetic regulation refers to changes, such as the addition of chemical structures or proteins, which alter the physical structure of the DNA, resulting in genes turning on or off. Unlike mutations, these changes don't affect the DNA structure itself.

In order to test their theory, they reprogrammed human fibroblast cell lines from young and elderly people to an embryonic stem cell-like state. These cells were then turned back into fibroblasts and their mitochondrial respiratory function examined. Incredibly, any age-associated defects were reversed.

The findings reveal that epigenetic regulation controls age-associated respiration defects in human fibroblast cell lines. This is important to note going forward with age-related studies.

The findings are published in the journal Scientific Reports.

For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).