In nature there is always a fierce competition for resources. This is
particularly relevant during the process of ageing, where there is canalisation of repair
resources; these tend to flow from the somatic tissue towards the germ line, in order to
assure the survival of the species. In the early periods of phylogenetic development
there was a time when repair of germ line cells became more efficient compared to the
repair of somatic cells. The level of somatic repair became just sufficient to ensure that
the organism reached sexual maturity. We are now looking for evidence that this could
be changing, that we may be witnessing a phase transition from effective germ line
repair to an effective somatic repair. Here, I consider mechanisms of fidelitypreservation
which may be present in the germ line, and examine the possibility that
these may be made to operate upon somatic cells instead. Mechanisms which safeguard
the reliability of germ line repair and ensure robustness/resilience in the germ line may
also (or instead) be applicable upon somatic material (cells, molecules, and other
factors) and safeguard a continually-effective repair of this somatic material. Relentless
hormetic challenges from the environment guarantee that the flow of information
remains operational and it persistently fuels the ability to repair the soma. Apart from
germ line cells, some unicellular organisms such as certain bacteria maintain their
ability for ongoing repairs (at least for some considerable time, albeit not indefinitely),
a fact that indicates that, in principle, senescence is not unavoidable. Thus the ability to
repair and maintain somatic organic material within biological systems is not entirely
lost.
Keywords: Apoptosis, Environment, Germ line, Germ line to soma cross-talk,
Indispensable soma hypothesis, Immortalisation, MicroRNAs, Somatic repairs,
Trade-offs, Transposons.
