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Research Perspective|Volume 2, Issue 10|pp 727—730

Telomere sister chromatid exchange and the process of aging

Krastan B. Blagoev1, Edwin H. Goodwin2, Susan M. Bailey3
  • 1National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA 22230, USA
  • 2KromaTiD Inc., Fort Collins, CO 80524, USA
  • 3Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1618, USA
Received: September 12, 2010Accepted: September 22, 2010Published: September 23, 2010
https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.100206

Copyright: © 2010 Blagoev et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Abstract

Telomeres are a hotspot for sister chromatid exchange (T-SCE). Any biological consequence of this form of instability remained obscure until quantitative modeling revealed a link between elevated T-SCE rates and accelerated cellular replicative senescence. This work strongly suggests that progressive telomere erosion is not the only determinant of replicative capacity; instead, T-SCE need to be considered as an independent factor controlling colony growth and senescence. Additionally high T-SCE rates have been observed in cells with deficiencies in WRN and BLM, the genes that are defective in Werner's and Bloom's syndromes, implying a connection to premature aging. In this Research Perspective we will explore some of the implications this recent work has for human health.