IOWA CITY, Iowa, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- University of Iowa researchers have made a connection between a rare, hereditary premature aging disease and cell damage that comes from smoking.
Dr. Toru Nyunoya of the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine and University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics said that the study found that a key protein that is lost in Werner syndrome is decreased in smokers with emphysema and this decrease harms lung cells that normally heal wounds.
"Smoking can accelerate the aging process and shorten the lifespan by an average of more than 10 years," Nyunoya said in a statement. "We focused on what happens within the lungs because of the similar aging effects, including atherosclerotic diseases and cancer, seen in people with Werner's syndrome and people who smoke."
People with Werner's syndrome begin aging rapidly after adolescence and typically die from cancer or heart disease in their 40s or 50s. Werner syndrome involves a genetic mutation that causes a deficiency in what's known as Werner syndrome protein -- a protein that normally helps repair DNA damage.
"Overall, our study may support efforts to target Werner's syndrome protein for use in developing treatments for smoking-related conditions such as emphysema," Nyunoya said.
The findings are published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
