Scientists have made a breakthrough in genetics that opens up the theoretical possibility of extending human life for a very long time. After some time, medications may appear on sale that slow down or even stop age-related processes. This genetic breakthrough will also allow scientists to better understand how life began on Earth through the appearance of the first molecules billions of years ago.
The work of DNA (shown in the computer model) can be done, in particular, by new polymers. Photograph by Karen Kasmauski, National Geographic/news.nationalgeographic.com
Artificial DNA was synthesized by Cambridge scientists from completely different compounds than natural DNA. Scientists have created six different chains from other substances and it turned out that it works, artificial DNA will be limited only to the common name ExsNK.
The point is that such DNA chains are capable of performing the same natural functions as natural ones, and even show greater stability, NTV reports.
Scientists from King’s College London have discovered London-eye-casino.uk a genetic "switch" that determines how quickly we age. Researchers have found four specific “aging genes” that are controlled throughout our lives by various external factors, including diet. Theoretically, these genes can be programmed from early childhood, writes medikforum.ru.
Today, science has already found that some epigenetic changes (the impact of external factors on human DNA) are very important in the issue of aging. But British scientists were able to move forward by determining how and when this effect manifests itself.
“We have identified many age-related epigenetic changes, but four of them clearly influence the rate of healthy aging and potential longevity,” said study co-author Dr Jordana Bell. “The results will help us understand the biological mechanisms of healthy aging and age-related diseases, and future research will explain how external factors influence these epigenetic changes.”.
To make it clearer what we are talking about. Scientists at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge are now developing chemical procedures to incorporate DNA and RNA, the molecular basis of all known life forms, into six alternative genetic polymers called XNA, globalscience explains.ru.
The process involves the exchange of deoxyribose and ribose (in DNA and RNA) for other molecules. It was found that XNA can form a double helix of DNA, and be more stable than natural genetic material.
In the new issue of the journal Science, the researchers describe how they got one of the XNAs to stick to a protein – an ability that could mean the polymers could be used as drugs that work like antibodies, reports Vestinauki.ru.
Philipp Hollinger, lead author of the study, said the work proved that the two hallmarks of life – heredity and development – are contained in XNA, making XNA compounds a possible alternative to using naturally occurring genetic material.
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