by Buck Institute –
Research from the Buck Institute reveals that the protective APOE2 variant, already associated with exceptional longevity and reduced Alzheimer’s risk, keeps human brain cells genomically stable and resistant to cellular senescence
People who carry the APOE2 version of the apolipoprotein E gene are more likely to live to advanced age and are partly protected against Alzheimer’s disease, but scientists have struggled to explain why. A new study from the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, now published in Aging Cell, offers a mechanistic answer: APOE2 helps human neurons keep their DNA intact and resist becoming senescent, a damaged, dysfunctional state that accumulates with age and contributes to neurodegeneration.
