Institute of Anthropology, Liaoning Medical University, No.40, Section 3, Songpo Road, Jinzhou, Liaoning, 121001, People's Republic of China.
Aging Clin Exp Res. 2013 May;25(2):139-46. doi: 10.1007/s40520-013-0021-1. Epub 2013 Apr 3.
Aging is an inevitable biological process that affects most living organisms. The process of aging is regulated at the level of the organism, as well as at the level of tissues and cells. Despite the enormous consequences associated with the aging process, relatively little systematic effort has been expended on the scientific understanding of this important life process. Many theories have been proposed to explain the aging process, the centerpiece of which is molecular damage. Located at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes and synthesized by telomerase, telomeres maintain the stabilization of chromosomes. Thus, the loss of telomeres may lead to DNA damage. The relationship between cellular senescence and telomere shortening is well established. Furthermore, telomere attrition occurs with age, and is proposed to be a fundamental factor in the aging process. Here, we review the contemporary literatures to explore the current views on the correlation of telomere loss and telomerase action with aging and age-related diseases.
衰老是一个影响大多数生物体的不可避免的生物学过程。衰老过程是在生物体水平以及组织和细胞水平上进行调节的。尽管与衰老过程相关的后果巨大，但对这一重要生命过程的科学理解相对较少。已经提出了许多理论来解释衰老过程，其中核心是分子损伤。端粒位于真核染色体的末端，由端粒酶合成，维持染色体的稳定性。因此，端粒的丢失可能导致 DNA 损伤。细胞衰老与端粒缩短之间的关系已经确立。此外，端粒随着年龄的增长而磨损，被认为是衰老过程的一个基本因素。在这里，我们回顾了当代文献，探讨了端粒丢失和端粒酶活性与衰老和与年龄相关的疾病之间相关性的当前观点。
