Paul Brookes wrote:
> The assumption by everyone has been that what they're measuring is
> apoptosis. What they in fact measure is cell viability by Trypan Blue
> exclusion. No TUNEL staining, DNA laddering, or caspase activation.
> The WT cells shown in Fig 2C don't look particularly apoptotic. Thus
> it could be apoptosis, necrosis, or anything on the spectrum in between.
Very good point -- but in fact they do mention TUNEL staining (page 310,
left column, line 3).
> The notion that "apoptosis is something to be prevented in order to
> prolong lifespan" is certainly not proven by this paper.
I absolutely agree.
> What they have neatly shown is that prevention of cell death and
> prolonged lifespan are linked, which isn't exactly a great leap of
> faith for anyone.
Hm, well it surprised me!
> By the way .... do MEF's have many mitochondria?
I don't know.
Aubrey de Grey
