• Question: why does progeria happen ?

    Asked by anon-181171 on 5 Jun 2018.
    • Photo: Damian Mole

      Damian Mole answered on 5 Jun 2018:

      There are several different types of progeria – called progeroid syndromes – and they each have different genetic defects. Some we know quite a lot about, for example Werner syndrome, where mutations in the WRN gene mean that DNA can’t unwind itself properly to replicate when cells divide and grow, so cells and tissues age very prematurely. Other specific syndromes have other defects.

    • Photo: Laurent Dupays

      Laurent Dupays answered on 5 Jun 2018:

      Progeria is a genetic condition. Most children with progeria have a mutation on the gene that encodes for lamin A, a protein that holds the nucleus of the cell together. The defective protein is thought to make the nucleus unstable. This instability makes cells more likely to die younger, leading to the symptoms of progeria.

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