TELOMERE AND LIFE METRICS
TELOMERE AND LIFE METRICS
Leonid Makarov
Candidate of Technical Sciences, PhD in System analysis, Associate Professor, Department of Intelligent Systems of Automation and Management, St. Petersburg State University of Telecom Communications named after prof. M. A. Bonch-Bruevich,
Russia, St. Petersburg
Alexander Pozdnyakov
Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Department of Medical Biophysics, St. Petersburg State Pediatric Medical University,
Russia, St. Petersburg
All living organisms have a set of chromosomes. The chromosome in the structure of the organism is represented by a self-reproducing element of the cell nucleus. The number, size and shape of chromosomes are unique for each species of living organisms. Any chromosome is represented by a set of nucleotides: adenine (A), guanine (G), thymine (T), cytosine (C), forming a chain of intersecting lines. Each chromosome line ends with a telomeric block of nucleotides. There are several clusters of organisms with a characteristic block of telomeres. For vertebrates, the nucleotide block is represented by a set of six TTAGGG nucleotides, the insect cluster has a block of five TTAGG nucleotides, and the cluster of a large number of plants is represented by a block of seven TTTAGGG nucleotides.
Telomeric blocks of chromosomes perform a protective function, eliminating communication between chromosomes in the cell. Another function of the telomeric block is realized in mitosis, when the synthesis of a daughter cell occurs. In each cycle of telomere division, cells are shortened due to the inability of DNA polymerase to synthesize a complete copy of DNA. This is explained by the fact that the "seed" of the telomeric block is carried out with a shortened set of nucleotides. During the full cycle of synthesis, it is only possible to add nucleotides to the residual set of the telomeric block. This natural phenomenon establishes the rules for shortening the telomeric block, which is the cause of biological aging of the body.
In the early 70s of the last centuries, the conceptual axiom was strengthened, according to which human embryo fibroblasts have the ability to divide a limited number of times. At the heart of this axiom is the thesis that all cells of the body divide, and many times. According to the results of numerous experiments, it was found that such cell division in the human body is possible approximately 50-70 times. This basic concept, considered in the theory of dissipative systems, stimulates the creation of a set of practical examples that can be reproduced on different types of organisms. Taking into account the physical conditions of the habitat, the variability of life expectancy is established, and the difference in chromosome sets that determine the type of organisms is explained.
Somewhat later, with the appearance of the first samples of computer technology and software products, the concept of the presence of a program code for the development of an organism, which is represented in the genome, is strengthened. This conceptual theory by the end of the twentieth century establishes the possibility of predicting the development of the human body, including in terms of life expectancy. The promotion of new ideas for the development of living organisms, taking into account the genotype, actualizes developments in the field of mathematical modeling of life processes.
Consideration of the program code of the development of a living organism, in terms of genetics, biophysics and mathematics, establishes patterns that are sufficiently fully described in scientific works on etymology. In this series of examples, clearly observed periods of the development of the organism, correlated with a certain species, are clearly distinguished.
Formally, the synthesis of cell sets from nucleotides is regularly supported by a natural genetic code [1], which is similar to a computer program containing cycles of repetition of events. In this context, the events are considered as procedures for the synthesis of a new cell structure, with the replacement of a set of nucleotides. In the variety of working procedures on the chromosome, two components are distinguished: variable and stabilizing. The variable component is implemented by starting the process of "rewriting" the telomeric block. At this stage, the opening of the chromosome, at the time of the formation of the so-called "fork", the synthesis of the telomeric block does not occur adequately. The inadequacy is manifested in the fact that the created set of telomeric nucleotides is transferred to the daughter cell in a shortened version.
Formally, in terms of a mathematical model, this artifact manifests itself in the creation of a reduced copy of the telomeric block [2]. Taking as a basis this thesis, which has a large number of experimentally obtained positive results, the existence of a connection between the chromosomal set of nucleotides and the set of nucleotides of the telomeric block is declared. This phenological fact clearly highlights the hypothesis that there are differences in the life expectancy of different species of organisms. The verification of this hypothesis is constantly carried out by a large number of research teams that create working materials for studies of the chromosome set, which allow us to consider a model of the process of vital activity of the organism, implemented at a certain time interval, in the form of:
Where k is the proportionality coefficient; m1 is the number of nucleotides in the chromosome; m2 is the number of nucleotides of the telomeric block; t is the time of event unfolding. In this case, the image of the model of the process being implemented is represented as an exponential arc. It should be recognized that the image conveys the main thesis of the model well: the shortening of the set of nucleotides occurs smoothly and fills a certain period of time correlated with the lifespan.
The telomeric block destruction model is associated with the main nucleotide set of the chromosome (m1) to which the m2 telomeric block is connected). The combination of the properties of the chromosome set with the properties of the telomeric block forms a general idea of the mechanism of inclusion of a series of procedures for modifying the hereditary code.
Having an information package at the time of the birth of the organism, which establishes the chronology of the development of events, the natural process of multiple division of cell populations is carried out. Different cellular populations, correlated with a variety of unique cellular tissues, go through a long path of genome replication. The presence of this mechanism contributes significantly to the renewal of cellular structures, which creates favorable conditions for increasing the period of functional activity of the organism.
Recognizing the presence of biosynthesis of cell populations, biological thermodynamics clearly indicates not only the mass character of this process on the scale of the organism, but declares the absence of simultaneous launch of all biosynthesis processes. From this point of view, it should be recognized that the effect of modification of all cell pools occurs selectively, taking into account the program code recorded in the genome and environmental factors. The constant process of replication of cellular structures has features that reduce the total chromosomal set of nucleotides in each new iteration of synthesis.
This understanding of the general process of cell pool synthesis is implemented in the model. Initially, the set of the body-measures block is distorted, or rather reduced. This is a relatively small block in terms of the number of nucleotides, which has conservative properties, decreasing in size, loses information links with the nucleotide set of the chromosome. The shortening of the telomer block is the basis for the modification of the main set of nucleotides concentrated in the chromosome. In the model, this effect is clearly seen in the decrease in the amplitude of the functional. The model image of the life process after a certain time interval after initialization steadily tends to zero values.
Following these ideas formed in the model based on the material of the genome of the organism, it seems possible to control the period of vital activity of the organism. Sympathies for this idea are formed on numerous examples from the world of living organisms that have relatively simple sets of genomes, but have a long-life span.
The presence of different types of living organisms establishes specific features in the formation of the nucleotide block of telomeres. Consideration of such natural patterns is provided in the model and correlates with the proportionality coefficient.
The presented model image of the development of events that establish the individual nature of the vital activity of the cell population. it is implemented in the field of concepts of genetics. A mathematical model combining the concepts of the basic nucleotide set on a chromosome with a telomere block allows us to compare a large number of results of a full-scale experiment.
References:
- Makarov L.M. The formalism of calculating the emergence estimate. Science, technology and education. 2020. № 1 (65). DOI: 10.24411/2312-8267-2020-10101
- Makarov L.M., Pozdnyakov A.V. Fractal image of the genome of the Covid-19 coronavirus In the collection: International scientific review of problems and prospects of modern science and education collection of scientific articles LXIX International Correspondence Scientific and Practical Conference. 2020. pp. 6-10. DOI: 10.24411/2542-0798-2020-16902