Does telomere elongation lead to a longer lifespan if cancer is considered?

Michael Masa, Stanisław Cebrat and Dietrich Stauffer

Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 2006, vol. 364, issue C, 324-330

Abstract: As cell proliferation is limited due to the loss of telomere repeats in DNA of normal somatic cells during division, telomere attrition can possibly play an important role in determining the maximum life span of organisms as well as contribute to the process of biological ageing. With computer simulations of cell culture development in organisms, which consist of tissues of normal somatic cells with finite growth, we obtain an increase of life span and life expectancy for longer telomeric DNA in the zygote. By additionally considering a two-mutation model for carcinogenesis and indefinite proliferation by the activation of telomerase, we demonstrate that the risk of dying due to cancer can outweigh the positive effect of longer telomeres on the longevity.

Keywords: Biological ageing; Computer simulations; Telomeres; Telomerase; Cancer (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2006
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:phsmap:v:364:y:2006:i:c:p:324-330

DOI: 10.1016/j.physa.2005.08.043

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