Scientists of St. Louis University in the US disclosed the mechanism of rapid cell aging in children with progeria (Hutchinson-Guilford syndrome). This is reported by EurekAlert! on Tuesday, March 20.

According to experts, this disease breaks down the process of cell division and the work of the immune system. Vitamin D makes it possible to reverse this process.

Symptoms of progeria occur in children aged two to three years and include muscle atrophy, skin aging, hair loss and bone loss. As a rule, patients die from abnormalities in the functioning of the circulatory system due to atherosclerosis.

This disease is caused by a mutation of the LMNA gene, which encodes a lamina A - a protein that forms the underlying layer of the cell membrane of the cell nucleus. The defective form of a lamin is called a progerin, and it makes the nucleus unstable.

The cell nucleus separates DNA from the rest of the cell and participates in the replication (doubling) of genes, the realization of genetic information (expression) and other important processes. Misuse of the nuclear apparatus leads to the accumulation of mutations that promote aging and cancer.

Researchers have shown that the main cause of DNA damage in Hutchinson-Guilford syndrome is replication stress. It occurs when the mechanism responsible for the replication of nucleic acids meets in its path an obstacle that does not allow further copying of the gene.

There are usually ways to bypass these barriers, but the progerin makes them ineffective. First, it makes already replicated DNA vulnerable to nuclease enzymes that break down nucleic acids.

Secondly, progerin activates interferons in the fight against DNA fragments emerging from the nucleus, which causes inflammation.

Scientists have found that vitamin D can improve the condition of the cell by rejuvenating it. It blocks the activation of interferon and reduces the replication stress.

Earlier it was reported that scientists in Finland found a way to avoid premature death. a large-scale study lasted 22 years.

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