how and if our DNA can change throughout our life.
In: Biology
Your DNA changes all the time. Transcription errors, ionizing radiation, mutagens, and other environmental factors will all bugger up individual strands.
Retroviruses will actually copy their genetic material into your DNA and the human genome is littered with their genetic remnants.
Telomeres are basically little tails that protect the end bits of your DNA strands, and they shorten with every cellular replication. When they get too short the ends of your DNA get frayed and the cell it’s in will stop functioning properly.
Genes can also get permanently turned off in response to various stimuli through a process called methylation. If this occurs in a sperm or egg cell, then the methylation can be passed on to subsequent offspring.
The DNA sequence itself doesn’t change per se, but over time it does accumulate mutations and other damage that become increasingly harder to fix.
The other thing that happens is that certain sections/genes can be switched on and off by cues that are not always entirely understood. This is why one twin might suddenly develop a rare congenital cancer at 45 when the other will not
Interesting thing you can look into is the effect that trauma (especially in childhood) can have on dna degradation. Essentially at the end of DNA strands there are these little protective caps called telomeres that act as a safeguard for DNA. Chronic exposure to cortisol causes the telomeres to degrade and unravel, explain the dna which can cause damage. While it doesn’t cause severe damage or gene deletion by any means, people with chronic trauma exposure are seen to have long term health symptoms associated with dna damage. This obviously can change with time and severity!!
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