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| | MIT Biologists Identify Aging Mechanism |
 | | During a yeast cell's life, whenever a particular, coiled piece of DNA pinches off from one of its chromosomes, that extrachromosomal ribosomal DNA (ERC) replicates until the cell becomes overwhelmed and dies. |
 | | Indeed, William Shakespeare, a man of powerful intuition and observation, would be pleased to learn how closely Hamlet's phrase denoting mortality -- the "mortal coil" -- portrays an actual molecular drama. |
 | | Yet, the very mechanism which saves the cell becomes its "mortal coil" as ERCs "accumulate exponentially in mother cells resulting in fragmented nucleoli, cessation of cell division, and cellular senescence," the authors wrote. |
| www.eurekalert.org /pub_releases/1997-12/MIoT-MBIA-261297.php (1156 words) |
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