The origin of life at the origin of ageing?
At first glance, the ageing of unicellular organisms would appear to be different from the ageing of complex, multicellular organisms. In an attempt to describe the nature of ageing in diverse organisms, the intimate links between the origins of life and ageing are examined. Departing from Leslie Orgel's initial ideas on why organisms age, it is then discussed how the potentially detrimental events characteristic of ageing are continuous, cell-autonomous and universal to all organisms. The manifestation of these alterations relies on the balance between their production and cellular renewal. Renewal is achieved not only by repair and maintenance mechanisms but, importantly, by the process of cell division such that every time cells divide ageing-associated effects are diluted.
The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 N. Torrey Pines Rd. La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. Electronic address: acurrais@salk.edu.
Antonio
A
Currais
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D000069497:Origin of Life
Cell division; Cellular renewal; Deleteriome; Origin of ageing; Origin of life