Telomerasis and aging

Telomere maintenance and t. activity are differentially regulated in asexual and sexual worms
Thomas C. J. Tan, et al.
Children’s Brain Tumour Research Centre, University of Nottingham, Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, United Kingdom/.../

Immortal worms defy aging

February 29, 2012

Planarian flatworm (credit: The University of Nottingham)

Researchers from The University of Nottingham have discovered how planarian flatworms overcome the aging process to be potentially immortal: they can rejuvenate their telomeres.

The discovery, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Medical Research Council (MRC), may eventually lead to alleviating aging and age-related characteristics in human cells.

Planarian worms have amazed scientists with their apparently limitless ability to regenerate. Researchers have been studying their ability to replace aged or damaged tissues and cells in a bid to understand the mechanisms underlying their longevity.

“We’ve been studying two types of planarian worms; those that reproduce sexually, like us, and those that reproduce asexually, simply dividing in two,” said Dr. Aziz Aboobaker from the University’s School of Biology.

“Both appear to regenerate indefinitely by growing new muscles, skin, guts and even entire brains over and over again./.../