American scientists have found that the rate of accumulation of genetic mutations can predict how many years a person will live. In women, this method can also predict fertility. The research results are published in Scientific Reports.
It has long been known that DNA damage occurs constantly throughout life, but the body has repair mechanisms that prevent the accumulation of harmful mutations. Over time, these mechanisms become less effective, which is why, for example, older parents tend to pass on more genetic mutations to their offspring through the germ line - the egg and sperm.
Biologists from the University of Utah and the University of Louisville have suggested that the rate at which a person acquires DNA mutations could serve as a biomarker of aging and predict life expectancy even in young people, as well as fertility in women.
The basis for the study was the databank of the Center for the Study of Human Polymorphism, an international genetic research institute in Paris that plays a key role in many of the major studies contributing to the modern understanding of human genetics.
The sample included 41 families, each of three generations. The authors analyzed blood DNA sequences in triplets of 61 pairs of first-generation grandparents and one of their children.
So, they compared the mutations found in the DNA of representatives of both generations, and were able to determine how much of them each of the parents accumulated in an egg or sperm at the time of conception, and then calculated the number of mutations and the rate of their accumulation for the second generation.
Since this study is retrospective, scientists were able to compare life expectancy with the number of accumulated mutations not only for the older generation, but also for the middle generation.
It turned out that young people who received fewer mutations from their parents and accumulated them at a slower rate during life lived about five years longer than those with a higher rate of mutation growth. This difference is comparable to the effects of smoking or lack of physical activity.
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"Thus, compared to a 32-year-old man with 75 mutations, we expect a 40-year-old man with the same number of mutations to age more slowly and live longer," said one of the study's leaders, professor in a press release from the University of Utah. Human Genetics, Dr. Richard Cawthon.
"If the results are confirmed by other independent studies, it will have tremendous consequences," said the second leader, Dr. Lynn Jorde. "This means we could find ways to fix ourselves and live longer."
Scientists also found that the rate of accumulation of mutations increases during or shortly after puberty, which suggests that aging begins in adolescence.
The authors also note the relationship between the rate of accumulation of mutations and fertility in women. Women with the highest mutation rates had significantly fewer live births and stopped giving birth at a young age.
“Being able to determine when aging begins, how long women can remain fertile, and how long people can live is a tremendous opportunity,” says Dr. Coughton. "If we can understand how developmental biology affects mutation rates during puberty, we can develop medical interventions to restore DNA repair and other homeostatic mechanisms to pre-puberty."
The authors note that this is the first study of its kind and hope that the findings will help develop anti-aging measures.