Clues for Immortality from the Fruit Fly Genome
Circa 2018
Fruit fly stem cells may hold the key to immortality. Researchers led by Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator Yukiko Yoshita found that stem cells possess a genetic trick which allows them to stay young for generations. Some reproductive cells can fix the shortening of some parts of the fruit fly’s genome as it ages. This work reported in eLife has revealed new information about aging and how certain cells can avoid it.
The focus of this research was on the critical genes found in ribosomal RNA, or rDNA. Ribosomes act as factories of proteins. The rDNA repeats itself in different areas of the genome, because ribosomes need to be numerous to produce all the proteins that the body requires. Each chromosome has spots that contain hundreds of copies of the rDNA. This redundant sequence makes it difficult for cells, even when they divide correctly, to reproduce accurately.
Source:
https://www.labroots.com/trending/genetics-and-genomics/8113/clues-immortality-fruit-fly-genome
