Compartmental and intracompartmental regulation of aging

Abstract

Individual differences of aging occur in systems of regulation and communication. Different types of suppressor capacity can change in opposite directions as an individual ages. The progression of these changes in suppressor capacity can be changed to different extents by hormones or diets differing in fatty acid composition. It seems reasonable to conclude that these two activities depend on different precursors which age under the control of two different genes, although the two precursors are almost certainly derived from a common stem cell line. A variety of molecules and activities undergo age-related reductions, which are completed by middle age; the resulting levels of a given gene product are remarkably similar in different individuals, while the levels at a young age show very great individual differences. This correlation between the youthful quantity of a given gene product and the rate of change in later life has been designated as "economic correction." The study of multicentricity of different controlling and of functional competencies of different alleles is an important component in the development of preventive geriatric medicine.