Aging: Molecular Pathways and Implications on the Cardiovascular System

Figure 3

Role and function of telomeres in DNA protection. After each cell division, each chromosome loses a part of its telomeres, a region characterized by thousands of repeated sequences of nitrogenous bases. At a critical point, cells with shortened telomeres stop to divide, leading to senescence and resulting in aging and CVDs. Cells with high replicative rates such as stem cell lineages express telomerase, an enzyme capable of reversing telomere shortening. This enzyme plays a key role in the development of new therapies that aim to slow or reverse the aging process.