IS PESSIMISMACTUALLYSHORTENING
YOUR LIFE?
GENETICS PERSPECTIVE

Studium Generale, Spring 2018

Maria Vassileva, School of Science

WHY DO WE AGE?
What happens when we age?
Why some people age faster than others?

Let me tell you a story…

So our story starts with:

THE CELL THEORYIn 1838

Schleiden, Schwann and Virchow
announced:
All living things are made of cells!
All cells come from other cells!
Cells are the basic unit of life!

And then…

THE HAYFLICK LIMITIn 1961
Hayflick announced:
Most cells divide only 50 times
and then STOP!
WHY?
What happens when cells divide?

But before we get there, lest ask:

CELL RENEWAL
How is all that related to aging?
Our body cells renew all thetime!
• Wound healing• Hair fall and regrow• Blood donation• Diarrhea recovery

http://book.bionumbers.org/how-quickly-do-different-cells-in-the-body-replace-themselves/ 2018/05/16

What happens when cells divide?

CELL DIVISION ANDDNANucleus

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super-resolution_microscopy 2018/05/16

Chromosomes

https://madreshoy.com/%C2%BFque-son-las-alteraciones-cromosomicas/ 201/05/16

What happens when cells divide?

CELL DIVISION AND
DNA
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA%E8%A4%87%E8%A3%BD 2018/05/16

Chromosomes

http://www.biologydiscussion.com/chromosomes/fine-or-ultrastructure-of-chromosome-biology/533 2018/05/16

DNA

wikipedia

What happens when cells divide?

TELOMERES

https://www.tasciences.com/what-is-a-telomere/ 2018/05/16

WHY?

END-REPLICATIONPROBLEM
Telomeres

wikipedia
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA%E8%A4%87%E8%A3%BD 2018/05/16

Here we come to…

TELOMERASE
https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2009/blackburn-facts.html 2018/05/16

Elizabeth Blackburn
For the discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres
and the enzyme telomerase

WHAT IS THAT?

What does telomerase do?

TELOMERASE

http://longevityreporter.org/blog/2015/11/13/repairing-the-clock-another-new-enzyme-found-to-lengthen-telomeres 2018/05/16

A good news and a bad news:

TELOMERASE

It`s active only in stem cells and actively dividing cells (whiteblood cells)
Most cells don`t have a telomeraseSo…what does this all leave us with?

Cell renewal depends on cell division

Cell division depends on telomerase activity

Reduced telomerase activity – less cell renewal

Less renewal in white blood cells – weaker immunity

Weaker immunity – diseases and quick aging

For example, smoking and obesity:

smokingobesity

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(05)66630-5/fulltext?code=lancet-site 2018/05/16

TELOMERASE AND BAD HEALTH

And then…telomerase and stress

TELOMERASE AND
STRESS

Mothers of healthy and of chronically ill children
Who has shorter telomeres?

http://www.pnas.org/content/101/49/17312 2018/05/16

The longer the duration of child illness(objective measure)the shorter the telomeres, the lower telomerase activity.

http://www.pnas.org/content/101/49/17312 2018/05/16

BUT

Telomere length was related to perceived stress(subjective measure)in both groups (controls included)!

Red dots – caregiver of a chronically ill childBlue squares – caregiver of a healthy child (control group)http://www.pnas.org/content/101/49/17312 2018/05/16

Telomeres length
Comparison of two extreme groups:
Lowest perceived level of stress (control)
And highest perceived level of stress

Telomerase activity
Approximately 9–17 years worthof accelerated aging!

Conclusion“Prolonged and major stresspredicts worsening of aging (telomerase length).”But not only that!

“Individual perception of the level of the stressaffects telomerase shortening (aging).”More pessimistic the person
Shorter the telomeres!

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19111922 2018/05/16

Telomere length correlateswith level ofsevere psychological stressduring early child development!

https://www.nature.com/articles/490169a 2018/05/16

Even with levels of severe stress experienced by their mothers
during pregnancy.

How to explain this?

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/187.Robert_M_Sapolsky 2018/05/16

Chronic stress

Personality – modulated perception

Chronic activation of stress response
Hormonal response (cortisol, adrenalin)

Shortened telomeres (of white blood cells)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Why-Zebras-Dont-Get-Ulcers/dp/1452611416 2018/05/16

Disease and accelerated aging

Why psychological stress affects physiological processes?
Key connection – hypothalamus!

https://iheartguts.com/blogs/meet-the-guts/14652321-hypothalamus-this-gland-s-in-demand 2018/05/16

You thought you are in control of your body, your behavior and your life?
Big mistake! This guy is!

HYPOTHALAMUS AND STRESSWhat does hypothalamus do?
Autonomous
nervoussystem (internalHomeostasis
control(temperature, glucose,water, food intake)organs)Hypothalamus

Endocrine
system (hormones)(the size of a bean)

Part of the limbicsystem(Control of emotions)

https://healthjade.com/what-does-the-hypothalamus-do/ 2018/05/16

Connections with cerebral
cortex (effect from/ on consciousness)

THE CHIEF - HYPOTHALAMUS

What is the endocrine system?
https://healthjade.com/what-does-the-hypothalamus-do/ 2018/05/16

Regulates growth and basic behaviors:fight/flight, feeding, mating,AND social bonding

Glucocorticoids(cortisol)Stress hormones
Adrenalin(epinephrine)

THE ENDOCRINE SYSTEM

All of this is pretty pessimistic…

BUT, IF STRESS SHORTENSTELOMERES, CAN DE-STRESSREDUCE THIS EFFECT?

Positive lifestyle changes:- Diet- Physical activity- Stress management

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045(13)70366-8/fulltext 2018/05/16

MEDITATION
Mindfulness

Clear focus on the present,
curiosity and acceptance

Reduced stress perception

Increased telomerase activity
http://longevityreporter.org/blog/2015/11/13/repairing-the-clock-another-new-enzyme-found-to-lengthen-telomeres 2018/05/16

To sum up...

https://thekindnessfactory.wordpress.com/2012/08/16/lets-go/ 2018/05/16

It looks likeIt`s all in our hands!

Just be happy and keep on moving!

THANK YOU!