Hallmarks of Health
If you are ill, you need rest and relaxation so that you do not overstrain your body and use the energy you need to fight the illness. Once you have overcome the illness, it can still take some time for your body to get back to 100 percent. The body needs to regenerate and repair the damage that has occurred. If it could not do this, it would gradually lose strength and functionality. The ability to regenerate is crucial for the health of the entire body and every single cell, because in the worst case scenario, a lack of repair can lead to illness. Cells have various systems for repair and regeneration. Here we explain the repair of DNA and proteins, but there are many more that are all important and can only work together to ensure a functional, healthy body.
DNA:
Damage occurs in all recurring synthesis mechanisms of the cell. This also applies to DNA, which has to be duplicated every time the cell divides. Possible damages include incorrect compositions at the DNA sequence level or incorrect folding of the DNA. This can be the cause of numerous chronic diseases and cancer. If the genes or blueprints of the repair mechanisms are also damaged, this leads to accelerated aging and an increased risk of cancer.
But in this case, the immune system is able to recognize damaged cells or precancerous lesions and eliminate them using killer cells. This works well up to the point where the body can still adapt and maintain homeostasis (i.e. balance). Homeostatic resilience is the 6th Hallmark of Health.
Protein
It takes several steps to produce a functioning protein. From the DNA, which has to be in the correct form, to the RNA, to the finished protein, many errors can occur. enzymesthat are responsible for these processes may already be defective, spreading the errors like a domino. Faulty proteins can clump together and block important supplies in the body. Many neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or Huntington's disease are the result of defective proteins accumulating. Cells use various mechanisms to ensure that proteins are correctly synthesized, folded, modified, transported and processed.
Chaperones are named after the term for chaperones and check whether proteins are folded correctly. Another system for quality control is the ubiquitin-proteasome system. In this system, faulty proteins are marked by ubiquitin - i.e. ubiquitinated. The marked proteins are then broken down in the proteasome.
Regeneration at all levels
Cell organelles such as the endoplasmic reticulum and the mitochondria have sensors for defective proteins. When these sensors detect a misfolded peptide, they trigger a series of signaling pathways to either initiate repair mechanisms or cell death if the damage cannot be repaired.
These examples of repair and regeneration take place at the molecular level. But cellular and tissue regeneration is also possible. There are cell types, so-called stem Cells, from which new, different types of cells can continually emerge. For example, stem cells and the body's rapid adaptation make it possible for a liver to regenerate surprisingly quickly after a partial removal. The ability to regenerate varies from tissue to tissue. It is only possible to regenerate neurons to a very limited extent, which is why neurodegenerative diseases cannot be cured, but only delayed.
The better repair mechanisms work on a small scale in the body, the better the entire body can recover and thus avoid major damage. To get an overview of which functions are still important for a healthy body, take a look at our overview article on the characteristics of health.
Sources
Literature:
López-Otín, Carlos, and Guido Kroemer. “Hallmarks of health.”Cell184.1 (2021): 33-63.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33340459/
Images:
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