(ANSA) - ROME, DECEMBER 03 - A possible reason has been discovered why Covid is worse with the elderly: a typical sign of aging (at the cellular level) - or the shortening of the terminations of the chromosomes, the "telomeres" - yes associates with an increase in the concentration of the ACE2 receptor that the SARS-CoV-2 virus uses for the infectious process. It is therefore possible that the elderly are more susceptible to an excess of ACE2.
This is suggested by an Italian study coordinated by Fabrizio d'Adda di Fagagna of IFOM - The FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology, in Milan and of the Institute of Molecular Genetics, National Research Council, in Pavia in a work published in the journal EMBO Reports.
Telomeres are protective caps that close the chromosomes, like the small pieces of plastic that are found at the ends of the shoelaces to keep them from fraying. As we age, telomeres get shorter and this exposes the DNA to damage. Scientists have long agreed that measuring telomere shortening is a good way to estimate a person's true biological age.
In this study, experts have seen that the presence of ACE2 on lung cells increases the more the chromosomal ends, the telomeres, get shorter. With a series of experiments, the experts have also seen that the production of ACE2 is directly influenced by cellular signals that indicate the presence of DNA damage, and that if these cellular "SOS" are interrupted, the amount of ACE2 present on the cells is reduces. Therefore it is not the telomeres themselves that influence the concentration of ACE2, but rather the genetic damage that results from the shortening of telomeres.
According to experts, this study opens up the possibility of developing targeted therapies to protect the elderly;
However, further studies are needed in the first place to understand if reducing ACE2 reduces the rate of SARS-CoV-2 infections and also the severity of Covid.
Further research will also serve to understand why ACE2 increases in response to DNA damage.
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