Scientists have developed a new method to determine the biological age of immune cells. To do this, they look at the structure of chromatin, the material in which DNA is embedded within cells. Chromatin can be tightly coiled, which keeps genes inactive, or open, which switches genes on. This determines how a cell behaves.
The researchers used a technique that allowed them to measure very precisely how chromatin was organised in different types of immune cells. In doing so, they created a ‘biological clock’ which, based on these chromatin structures, can indicate how old a cell actually is. This sometimes differs from the chronological age, and a higher biological age can indicate more damage and ageing.
Previous biological clocks mainly looked at blood cells in general, but this new method looks at each type of immune cell individually. That is important because the immune system consists of many different cells, each of which can age differently. This approach also helps to distinguish temporarily increased activity caused by, for example, stress or illness from true ageing.
Research into biological clocks is important for better understanding how our bodies age and where health problems originate. By knowing which cells are the most aged, more targeted treatments that slow down ageing could be developed in the future.
For those who want to age healthily, the insight that ageing does not progress at the same rate for all cells is relevant. In this way, disease and old age can be tackled better in part.
Source: Reason
