Roles of Telomere Biology in Cell Senescence, Replicative and Chronological Ageing.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review of basic biology, yeast, and animal models with no new human clinical data
PubMed 30650660 · doi:10.3390/cells8010054
What was done
This narrative review synthesizes research on how telomere biology regulates cellular replicative senescence and chronological post-mitotic ageing. The authors summarize mechanistic findings from the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae alongside overviews of animal and mammalian lifespans, focusing on telomerase action, telomere elongation, DNA damage responses, and environmental factors.
What was found
The abstract reports no quantitative results, sample sizes, or numerical effect sizes. It qualitatively describes telomere shortening triggering cell cycle arrest at the Hayflick limit, telomerase-mediated lengthening of the G-rich strand in yeast and human cells, and mechanisms supporting survival during telomerase deficiency in yeast and mammals.
Why it matters
It provides a conceptual synthesis connecting basic telomere dynamics in single-cell yeast models to chronological ageing in post-mitotic cells and overall mammalian lifespan.
Limits
The abstract provides no quantitative data or primary experimental measurements. Findings rely heavily on unicellular yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and animal models, limiting direct translation to human clinical physiology. As a narrative review, it lacks systematic search methodology.
Cited by
- supports Telomeres shorten with each cell division until they reach a critically short length, at which point the cell can no longer divide properly.