FRHD 2060 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Rheumatoid Arthritis, Macular Degeneration, Hair Loss
2 Apr 2016
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Document Summary
Organisms have only so much energy to expand in a life time. The basic idea is that the rate of a creatures metabolism is related to how long it lives. Idea that people are born with a limited amount of energy that can be expended at some rate unique to the individual. Metabolic processes such as eating fewer calories or reducing stress may be related to living longer. Suggest that there may be a limit on how often cells may divide before dying (called hayflick limit) which may partially explain aging. The shortening of telomeres may be a major factor. Telomeres: the tips of the chromosome, play a major role in aging by adjusting the cells response to stress and growth stimulation based on cell divisions and dna damage. Telomerase: a enzyme, needed in dna replication to fully reproduce telomeres when cells divide. Telomerase normally is not present in somatic cells, so with each replication the telomeres become shorter.
