Abstract
Life span heterogeneity is a hallmark of the ageing process. It is also a characteristic feature of telomere-dependent replicative senescence. We review here evidence showing that telomere shortening is heterogeneous between telomeres and between cells, and relate this to cell-to-cell variation in mitochondrial function and production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Telomere shortening is to a large extent governed by ROS-mediated telomeric DNA damage, and we show here that apparently stochastic variation in mitochondrial ROS production can account for vast differences in replicative potential between individual cell lineages.
Original language | English (US) |
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Title of host publication | Telomeres and Telomerase in Ageing, Disease, and Cancer |
Subtitle of host publication | Molecular Mechanisms of Adult Stem Cell Ageing |
Publisher | Springer Berlin Heidelberg |
Pages | 43-56 |
Number of pages | 14 |
ISBN (Print) | 9783540737087 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 1 2008 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Medicine(all)