Ever since Dan managed to construct the fundamental mechanism related to DNA modification, represented by the Sixth Vitality Seal, his power had increased tremendously. However, this increase in power was not caused by the mechanism itself, but was a direct result of the precise and cumulative modifications and improvements he had made to his own body.
The first thing he applied this new mechanism to was achieving the goal that had obsessed him ever since the moment he first arrived in this world: true longevity. He divided this grand objective into four interconnected mechanisms.
First, he permanently and precisely activated the telomerase enzyme through continuous and tightly controlled genetic stimulation of the TERT gene that encodes this enzyme. To understand the importance of this step, every cell in a normal body carries protective sequences at the ends of its chromosomes called telomeres. These sequences function like protective caps that shield the genetic code from erosion and damage during the process of cellular division.
The problem, however, is that these telomeres become slightly shorter with every new cell division, like a fuse that gradually burns down each time it is used. Once the telomeres reach a critically short length, the cell completely stops dividing and enters a state known as cellular senescence. This is one of the fundamental causes of aging in normal bodies. As time passes, the body's cells become less capable of regeneration, while worn-out and weakened cells accumulate.
The telomerase enzyme is the natural solution to this problem. It is capable of rebuilding and extending these ends again after every division. However, in normal bodies, this enzyme is suppressed or activated only to a very limited degree in most somatic cells. In reality, this suppression is a natural protective mechanism that evolved to prevent uncontrolled cellular division, which could lead to cancer.
But thanks to the comprehensive mechanism he now possessed through the Sixth Vitality Seal, Dan was able to activate this enzyme permanently and precisely while keeping it under strict controls that simultaneously prevented uncontrolled division. He rebuilt and extended the ends of his chromosomes immediately after every division without exception, giving his cells the ability to divide indefinitely without aging or weakening through repeated division.
Second, he implemented an extremely precise system of programmed cellular death at the genetic level, a mechanism far deeper than the natural process of programmed cell death known as apoptosis. In a normal body, this process occurs with varying degrees of efficiency and can sometimes happen too late, allowing senescent or damaged cells to accumulate within the body. These cells can cause chronic inflammation or gradual functional disturbances that contribute to the body's overall aging.
His modification made senescent or damaged cells identify themselves immediately and with extreme precision as soon as the first genuine sign of dysfunction appeared within them. They would then activate programmed cell death themselves without any delay or unwanted accumulation. Afterward, healthy neighboring cells would be stimulated to engulf them through a process known as phagocytosis, using their basic components , proteins, nucleic acids, and other elements . to construct entirely new and healthy cells in their place instead of allowing those components to decompose and become a metabolic burden on the body.
This resulted in a comprehensive and integrated mechanism that continuously reactivated stem cells through specialized genetic factors known in the field of molecular biology, namely Oct4, Sox2, and Klf4. These factors are collectively known for their ability to reprogram mature cells, returning them to a state closer to that of stem cells capable of differentiating into whatever type of cell the body requires.
This kept the stem-cell reserves within Dan's body in a state of constant and continuous renewal without any genuine depletion, ensuring that the supply of cells capable of replacing whatever was lost or damaged would never run out.
Third, he implemented a system for the regular and periodic resetting of the methylation patterns associated with the genes of the Yamanaka factors, which possess the ability to completely reprogram mature cells, returning them to a state closer to embryonic stem cells.
What this meant specifically was periodically and in a controlled manner reducing the age of what could be described as the internal biological clock of every individual cell. Every cell in the body carries a pattern of chemical modifications to its DNA known as methylation patterns. These patterns accumulate and change over time in a way that can be measured with considerable precision, to the point that scientists use them as an actual biological clock capable of determining a cell's true physiological age regardless of the person's chronological age.
As a direct result of this repeated periodic regulation that Dan performed at the level of every cell in his body, what is known as the aging memory was erased from the histones , the proteins around which DNA is wrapped , as well as from the methylation patterns accumulated over time, without this erasure eliminating the cell's original identity or its specific function within the body.
A liver cell remained a liver cell with all of its functions, while a muscle cell remained a muscle cell. However, both returned to a youthful state in terms of their performance and efficiency.
This extremely delicate balance between erasing the effects of aging and completely preserving the cell's original function returned Dan's cells physiologically to a state of absolute youth, a state in which they neither aged nor declined regardless of how many years accumulated upon them.
Then came the final mechanism, which Dan considered one of the most important components of this integrated system: distributing a form of genuine computation across every cell in his body.
Human DNA contains a vast proportion of non-coding sequences that are not directly translated into proteins.
Dan creatively exploited this enormous unused space, making every cell in his body contain a miniature computational copy encoded within these non-coding sequences, taking advantage of their enormous storage capacity.
The practical result of this final mechanism was that even if his head and entire body were crushed during any confrontation, no matter how violent or devastating it might be, any single remaining tissue cell from his body even a tiny skin cell that survived the destruction would contain within it something resembling the complete executable file required to reconstruct his entire body and brain from scratch.
This encoded file contained all the information necessary to recreate every organ, every part of the nervous system, and every minute detail of his physical and mental structure, including his memories. This granted him an extraordinary ability to regenerate and heal that surpassed any imaginable limit.
These mechanisms collectively continuous telomere extension, tightly controlled programmed cell death combined with uninterrupted stem-cell reactivation, periodic resetting of the biological clock, and finally distributed computation at the level of every individual cell . formed a single integrated system.
His longevity was no longer merely a number that gradually increased, as had been the case with his previous Vitality Seals, which had progressively raised his expected lifespan from hundreds to thousands and then tens of thousands of years.
He had now reached a state that could be described as true immortality, so long as this universe continued to exist and so long as the fundamental conditions necessary for his body to maintain this continuous cycle of healing and self-renewal remained intact.
What distinguished this achievement in Dan's eyes was not merely reaching the goal that had obsessed him for so long, but the precise and controlled manner in which he had achieved it.
Every one of these mechanisms had been studied with extraordinary care and tested patiently, and each one functioned in complete harmony with the others without creating any conflict or malfunction that could lead to unforeseen problems.
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