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Growing Old Gracefully
07 October 2012

Growing Old Gracefully

While immortality is considered to be the reserve of gods and superheroes, it is also a property of cancer cells. Normal healthy cells, however, can only copy themselves about fifty times. Biologists describe cells that have reached the end of their ability to divide as senescent. The cell nucleus pictured comes from a recently senescent human skin cell. Its DNA is coiled around structural proteins like rope around a capstan. Regions managing active processes (shown in blue) are loosely coiled and ‘open for business’. In contrast DNA in the green sections is tightly wound and inoperative. As the cell reaches the end of its life, DNA directing cell division (highlighted in red) also starts to coil tightly causing all business to stop as the cell approaches senescence. Understanding this process could also help scientists to steer cancer cells to an early end.

Written by Julie Webb

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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