Hi

 

I would like to know about telomeres and immortality.

 

How come humans have an increased chance of developing cancer when their telomeres are lengthened whereas trees can live several thousand years healthily.

 

and what is the ALT path to reconstructing telomeres.

 

can someone give me an answer or point me in the right direction.

Thank you.

telomeres are destroyed during cell invation but replenished by emzymes

also are you intrested in imortality

yes

90% of cancer patients have active telomerase in the cancerous cells

but trees use it constantly without this drawback

how come they dont get cancer from it

Telomerase is only one of the things necessary for a cancer cell to be truly cancerous. Numerous other mutations, primarily to the genes controlling cell division, are necessary.

yes but my question relates more to immortality

like how do stem cells pass the hayflick limit where differentiated cells cant

why is lengthening telomeres so much of a problem in humans when plants can do it

why do cells like the hela cell able to pass the hayflick limit but lose control of cell reproduction

essentially what is it about telomeres that humans can only live for about a hundred years while trees can live up to a thousand

It's the price of a high metabolism. Basic cellular metabolism produces by-products which damage DNA, and because we're so turbo-charged (our basal metabolic rate is about 10x that of a reptile of the same mass) we produce a LOT more of these DNA-damaging by-products. Thus, in order to prevent us from dying of cancer, we had to lose a variety of useful traits, like telomerase and regeneration.

thats great thank you

It's the price of a high metabolism. Basic cellular metabolism produces by-products which damage DNA, and because we're so turbo-charged (our basal metabolic rate is about 10x that of a reptile of the same mass) we produce a LOT more of these DNA-damaging by-products. Thus, in order to prevent us from dying of cancer, we had to lose a variety of useful traits, like telomerase and regeneration.

 

Is that why caloric restriction helps with mice and possibly us?

 

hmm. I had no idea.

 

So with a higher excersize lifestyle your to have a higher metablosim, and with a higher metabolism, your to have a shorter life? Is It actually bad to be working out?

 

Oh. no.