DNA is the carrier of genetic information and the primary template from which all cellular information is ultimately derived. Changes in the DNA information content through mutation generate diversity for evolution through natural selection but are also a source of deleterious effects. It has since long been hypothesized that mutation accumulation in somatic cells of multicellular organisms could causally contribute to age-related cellular degeneration and death. Assays to detect different types of mutations, from base substitutions to large chromosomal aberrations, have been developed and show unequivocally that mutations accumulate in different tissues and cell types of ageing humans and animals. More recently, next-generation sequencing-based methods have been developed to accurately determine the complete landscape of base substitution mutations in single cells. The first results show that the somatic mutation rate is much higher than the germline mutation rate and that base substitution loads in somatic cells are high enough to potentially affect cellular function.
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July 2017
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This issue explores the molecular and cellular mechanisms which underpin the process of ageing. Guest Edited by Professor Tom Kirkwood, CBE and Dr Viktor Korolchuk of the Newcastle University Institute for Ageing and Health, the issue includes reviews on mechanisms involved in ageing include genome instability and redox stress as well as insights from systems biology and approaches for extending the human healthspan. - PDF Icon PDF LinkTable of Contents
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Review Article|
May 26 2017
Genome instability: a conserved mechanism of ageing?
Jan Vijg;
1Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Michael F. Price Center, 1301 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, U.S.A.
Correspondence: Jan Vijg (jan.vijg@einstein.yu.edu)
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Xiao Dong;
Xiao Dong
1Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Michael F. Price Center, 1301 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, U.S.A.
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Brandon Milholland;
Brandon Milholland
1Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Michael F. Price Center, 1301 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, U.S.A.
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Lei Zhang
Lei Zhang
1Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Michael F. Price Center, 1301 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, U.S.A.
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
February 22 2017
Revision Received:
April 18 2017
Accepted:
May 02 2017
Online ISSN: 1744-1358
Print ISSN: 0071-1365
© 2017 The Author(s). Published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society
2017
Essays Biochem (2017) 61 (3): 305–315.
Article history
Received:
February 22 2017
Revision Received:
April 18 2017
Accepted:
May 02 2017
Citation
Thomas B.L. Kirkwood, Viktor I. Korolchuk, Jan Vijg, Xiao Dong, Brandon Milholland, Lei Zhang; Genome instability: a conserved mechanism of ageing?. Essays Biochem 11 July 2017; 61 (3): 305–315. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/EBC20160082
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