Question: What mutation would you do to yourself?

Nicola Ibberson answered on 18 Jun 2012:

Ooh that’s an interesting question. Well I certainly wouldn’t like to have any of the mutations I deal with at work, because they are all pretty nasty things to have! Hmm…I’m trying to think of a realistic one, and not just something like ‘a mutation that means I can fly’ or something!

Ooh I know: I would like to have a mutation in my telomerase gene so that my telomeres are continually lengthened and I could live a really long life. Telomeres are little caps on the end of your chromosomes that gradually shorten over your life and are known to contribute to ageing. Telomerase is the enzyme that ‘re-grows’ your telomeres. The idea of lengthening telomeres is one which is being actively researched and may have a role in protecting against ageing and cancers http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/traits/telomeres/ 🙂