Department of Microbiology and Immunology, National Institute of Research and Development for Microbiology and Immunology, Bucharest, Romania
Research Article
Telomerase Level: A Useful Tool to Predict Longevity
Author(s): Radu G. Hertzog, Diana M. Popescu and Octavian Calborean*
In the context of the global elderly population increase, due to the rise of average life span, many researches try to
explain the molecular bases of ageing and age-related diseases. In the headlines, there are the telomere-telomerase
based studies, which support the idea that telomere length dynamics and telomerase activity level are involved in
cellular senescence, immortalization and tumorigenesis. Here, no statistical difference is shown between hTERT
content in the plasma of young and elderly groups, Nevertheless the higher level of telomerase increases with age in
the older age group. A good balance between telomerase level and telomere shortening seems to be a useful
machinery to maintain health and prolong lifespan. In this scientific concept, further progress has to be made in
order to explain the origin of increasing life span and the lack of pathology d.. View more»