Bio-Synthetic Clock

What is in the News

• A biosynthetic ‘clock’ keeps the body’s cells from getting old or in other words, reaching normal levels of deterioration related to ageing.
• Human lifespan relates to how quickly individual cells age.
• Recent research has shown that cells follow two distinct paths during ageing, and these are controlled by a central, genetic regulatory circuit.
• Manipulating these processes can be used to extend the lifespan of cells.

Bio-markers of Ageing

• Stem cell exhaustion
• Imbalanced metabolism
• Inefficient cell communication
• Malfunctioning of energy production
• Problems with Apoptosis
• Proteins becoming less functional
• DNA damage and Gene expression errors
• Telomere(Telomeres, the specific DNA–protein structures found at both ends of each chromosome, protect genome from nucleolytic degradation, unnecessary recombination,repair, and interchromosomal fusion. Telomeres therefore play a vital role in preserving the information in our genome) Shortening.

The Recent Research

• Scientists have discovered that the ageing process of cells is controlled by a genetic regulatory circuit that can be manipulated to extend their lifespan.
• This circuit functions like a clock, guiding the cell through two distinct pathways of ageing.
• By manipulating this circuit, scientists have been able to generate a negative feedback loop that slows down the cell’s degeneration, leading to a significant extension of cellular lifespan.
• This research may have important implications for improving human health and treating age-related diseases in the future.
• Researchers have developed a biosynthetic ‘clock’ that keeps cells from reaching normal levels of deterioration related to aging. They engineered a gene oscillator that switches between the two normal paths of aging, slowing cell degeneration and setting a record for life extension.

Practice Questions for Prelims

Consider the following statements about Bio-synthetic clock:
1. A biosynthetic ‘clock’ keeps the body’s cells from getting old.
2. Stem cell exhaustion Imbalanced metabolism Inefficient cell communication are some of the biomarkers of ageing.

Choose the correct statements:
a) 1 only
b) 2 only
c) Both 1 and 2
d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans. c)

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