A parthenogenetic quasi-program causes teratoma-like tumors during aging in wild-type C. elegans

Abstract

Aging: Runaway programs are a cause of aging The main cause of disease worldwide is aging, a process long suspected to result from damage accumulation. However, new work from a team led by David Gems at University College London describes a different type of cause: quasi-programs, or the futile run-on biological programs in later life, supporting a recently proposed, alternative theory about aging. The study focuses on the short-lived worm C. elegans, which during aging develop very large tumors in the uterus. The authors show how such tumors develop due to futile attempts by unfertilized eggs to develop by switching on programs of embryogenesis. In mammals, similar runaway programs cause teratomas, a type of benign tumor of grotesque appearance. This work provides new insights about the nature of aging as a disease process, suggesting that it is to an extent teratoma-like.