Researchers have been studying roundworms to try and understand how germline cells might impact human longevity.
The cells of roundworms have some similarities to sperm and egg cells or germline cells.
Unlike somatic cells which replicate and wear-out, germline cells are capable of replicating indefinitely. It is this characteristic that researchers think may provide links to human longevity and regenerative medicine:
“Given that protection of the germ line is an evolutionarily shared trait across species, it will be interesting to investigate whether this is a broadly conserved mechanism of modulating lifespan,” wrote the researchers.
If so, then those mutations could be used in therapies that “assist in cellular repair and possibly regeneration,” they wrote.
Source: Wired
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