Researchers have uncovered a new way in which the aging process is linked to DNA damage--which occurs normally as a result of cell metabolism and environmental influences--and the various ways in which cells repair that damage.
In the new work, researchers found that cells in young fruit flies make use of a different mix of molecular DNA-repair mechanisms compared to cells in older flies.
The findings are reported by William Engels and colleagues at the University of Wisconsin and appear in the October 24th issue of the journal Current Biology, published by Cell Press.
DNA repair is essential for the accurate preservation of genetic information and to ensure the healthy functioning of cells, and a connection between aging and DNA damage has long been suspected. One line of evidence supporting the connection is that defects in certain genes needed for DNA repair produce maladies that mimic those of accelerated aging. In humans and other mammals, these effects include elevated occurrence of malignancies, osteoporosis, hearing loss, graying of hair, and hair loss. It is also known that DNA damage accumulates with age in cells of a variety of tissue types.