The slight stress of the blood donation stimulates the stem stamins to promote virtuous cell regeneration and not potentially cancerous.
In the stem cells of the blood of the frequent donors have been identified genetic alterations that promote the generation of new cells to replace the lost oneshowever, without the mutations that could favor blood cancers. The discovery of the scientists of the Francis Crick Institute in London, in collaboration with the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) of Heidelberg and the Center for the donation of the Blood of the Red Cross in Germany, could help clarify how the mutations in the blood typical of advanced age developwhich favor leukemias and lymphomas.
On the hunt for clones. In the study, published on Bloodthe scientists analyzed the blood samples of 200 people who had donated the blood three times a year over the past forty years, for a total of over 120 timesand compared it with that of sporadic donors, with less than five total donations to the active. In these samples they sought traces of cellular clonescell populations carriers of identical mutations acquired, often borne by genes involved in the genesis of cancer. It may happen that specific cellular clones contribute to blood tumors such as leukemia.
By age or for necessity. When we age, the hematopoietic stem cells (i.e. responsible for creating blood components) in the bone marrow naturally accumulate mutationsprocess that can lead to the appearance of cellular clones. Even when the blood is donated, the stem cells of the bone marrow produce new cell lines to replace the lost blood (donate); This mild stress encourages the selection of certain cellular clones.
Benign alterations. Both the blood of the frequent donors and that of sporadic donors contained Similar levels of variety of cellular clones. For example, both contained clones with changes on a gene called DNMT3A, which is changed in those who develop leukemia. But the genetic alterations present in the blood cells of the assiduous donors were not of the type that encourages the genesis of the tumor. That is, they were not holding.
Supply the stocks. Further experiments have made it possible to understand that the mutations observed in assiduous donors take place in response to the physiological loss of blood subsequent to a donation. In fact, the non-withdrawal changes appeared easily in an environment containing the erythropoietin hormone (EPO), which stimulates the production of red blood cells and which increases after donations, and not in an environment that replicated the chemical make-up typical of an infection.
Favorable selection. Experiments on mice then showed that cellular clones with benevolent mutations promoted the creation of red blood cells without however inducing cancerous mutations in the new cells.
The authors of the study speculate that the regular donation of blood helps a Select Genetic alterations that allow cells to respond well to blood losswithout this selecting potentially oncogenic mutations.
A little caution. To say that the frequent donations of blood protect against pre -prore mutations would be premature, given the reduced sample of subjects studied. “It could be that the people who give blood are more likely to be healthy if they are suitableand this is also reflected in their blood cells of the blood cells, “explains Dominique Bonnet, manager of the hematopoietic stem cells of the Crick Institute stem cells, who coordinated the study.
