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Weed Gives Clues
on Aging, Cancer
UPI Science News - October 30, 2009

A U.S. study reports a common weed and human cancer cells could provide details about DNA structure and how telomeres affect cellular aging and cancer.

In the study, scientists from Texas A&M University and the University of Cincinnati examined the telomeres of Arabidopsis, a plant found throughout the world, and discovered a new set of essential telomere proteins.

Telomeres are located at each end of a chromosome and are composed of DNA and protein. Their main function is to protect the ends of the chromosome, but they also play a key role in cell division. Researchers also believe they play a key role in cellular lifespan.

The team said it then identified the human counterpart -- a discovery the scientists said could be beneficial in understanding human cancers and cellular aging.

"We found that removal of the plant telomere proteins caused rampant end-to-end joining of chromosomes and dramatic defects in plant development," Texas A&M Professor Dorothy Shippen said. She and University of Cincinnati Professor Carolyn Price were co-corresponding authors of the study.

"The discovery of a new protein complex that is required to maintain the protective telomere cap is very exciting and should open up new research avenues related to human disease," Price said.

The work appears in the journal Molecular Cell.