DNA in plants helps long-life cells

Italian scientists have captured and observed the state of the formation of a formation and formed a 'protective' dike of guanine (one of the nitrogen-containing bases in nucleic acids of DNA).

This protective 'dyke' can protect the head of the DNA (telomeres), which helps telomeres not be shortened, thereby prolonging the life of the cell.

This finding opens new avenues in cancer treatment research and prolongs human life.

In normal cells, telomeres will gradually shorten according to cell division. The higher the number of cell division, the more damage telomeres have, the shorter the life expectancy.

The report of the University of Bologna (Italy) said that scientists have captured the status of 'fighting formation' of guanines through high resolution microscopes: namely, guanines are from straight line formation turned into 4 groups, then regrouped to form a "protection" like the tortoise shell formation of the ancient Roman army. This protective 'dike' protects the telomeres.

In addition, scientists found that just a simple chemical stimulus such as putting in or taking out salts in cells could control the formation of guanine.

The findings suggest that guanine plays a key role in cell aging and cancer cell development.

In normal cases, guanine can maintain telomere length, prolonging cell life. In addition, in cancer cells, guanine can also maintain telomere length, thereby allowing cancer cells to continue to grow.

Therefore, an in-depth understanding of the morphology and combination of guanine helps open new avenues in the study of drugs that treat cancer or prolong life.