Age related illnesses result from mutations accumulated by our DNA as we age. Recently, biologists from the University of Rochester have discovered that one of the reasons that DNA is damaged is because the repair process begins to fail as animals age. As we age, DNA is replaced with a copy that is less accurate.
"Scientists have had limited tools to accurately study how DNA repair changes with age," said Gorbunova, but she and her team were able to observe the DNA repair process by working with genetically-modified mice whose cells produce green fluorescent protein that glows each time the breaks are repaired.
Through their observations, the team discovered that when mice are young, the breaks in DNA strands are repaired through a process called non-homologous end joining, but as they age this process begins to fail. This failure allows a less reliable DNA repair process known as microhomology-mediated end joining to take place: this process leads to loss of DNA segments and the wrong pieces being stitched together.
By studying these mice, Gorbunova and her team aim to discover new ways to prevent illnesses associated with aging.
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