What is Werner syndrome?
• Werner syndrome: A form of premature aging where sufferers start aging during adolescence or soon after and appear old by the time they reach their 30’s or 40’s. Milder forms of the condition may also occur. • Werner syndrome: Werner Syndrome (WS) is an inherited disease characterized by an early onset of atherosclerosis, osteoporosis, diabetes mellitus, and cancers of non-epithelial cell origin. Cultured cells from WS patients also present a shortened replicative lifespan and increased genetic instability. The genomic instability of WS cells is manifested at the cytogenetic level in the form of chromosome breaks and translocations, and at the molecular level predominately by multiple, large DNA deletions. (J. Biol.
