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0:00
Hello,
and welcome to this presentation
on the use of the nematode worms Caenorhabditis elegans
in ageing research.
My name is Nektarios Tavernarakis.
I'm a Professor at the University
of Crete Medical School,
and a Research Director
at the Foundation
for Research and Technology
in Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
0:20
I will begin by introducing
and defining
the phenomenon of ageing,
in relation to biological systems.
I will then introduce
Caenorhabditis elegans,
focusing primarily on its biology,
features and advantages
relevant to ageing research.
In the following part of the talk,
I will give you an overview
of the main factors
and mechanisms
that have been discovered
to influence ageing in the nematode.
In the last part, I will present
some of our own work
that directly implicates
mitochondrial turnover
in the regulation
of organism lifespan,
and which demonstrates
the versatility of C. elegans
as a tool to dissect
the cellular and molecular
underpinnings of ageing.
1:04
Senescent decline in ageing
is driven by the inexorable
and random incidents of damage
to cellular constituents.
This continued white noise
of random molecular damage
forms the bedrock
for the advent of ageing.
In turn, molecular damage leads
to accumulation of cellular defects
that gradually and in time
precipitate a decline
in the function of cells,
organs, and tissues,
which can be manifested
as age-related frailty,
disability and disease.
1:37
The source of damage can be
both intrinsic and extrinsic.
Damaging agents can target
a variety of
important micromolecules,
such as DNA, proteins and lipids,
but also essential organs
in the cells, such as mitochondria.
Examples of agents and causes of
damage originating within the cell
are the byproducts
of metabolic processes,
such as oxidizing
reactive oxygen species,
as well as errors during
molecular synthesis processes.
Outside damaging factors
include UV radiation,
chemicals, toxins,
and heat among others.
Both intrinsic
and extrinsic factors
conspire to bring about ageing
and senescent decline.
Numerous diverse organisms
ranging from microbes to primates
have been used towards
understanding
the cellular
and molecular basis of ageing.
