The secret to immortality may be sex — cells, that is. The cells of especially long-lived roundworms run some of the same genetic programs found in sperm and egg cells. Known as germline cells, they can replicate indefinitely without wearing down, and have fascinated researchers seeking lessons in their longevity. Other, so-called somatic cells rapidly accumulate genetic and mechanical damage, and divide roughly 50 times before dying. Exactly why germline cells live so long isn’t completely understood. They do possess unusually large telomeres — protein caps on the ends of chromosomes that prevent those genetic spools from unraveling. They also possess mutations in genes linked to fighting off pathogens and repairing toxin damage. In a study described Sunday in Nature, researchers compared gene expression in germline cells with somatic cells taken from roundworms engineered to live several times longer than normal. The profiles matched. When long-lived and standard roundworms…[...]

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The Secret to Roundworm Longevity: Sex Cells