Welcome to Telomeres. A telomere is a region of repetitive DNA at the end of a chromosome, which protects the end of the chromosome from deterioration. The telomere regions deter the degradation of genes near the ends of chromosomes by allowing for the shortening of chromosome ends, which necessarily occurs during chromosome replication.

As a cell begins to become cancerous, it divides more often and its telomeres become very short. If its telomeres get too short, the cell may die. It can escape this fate by up-regulating an enzyme called telomerase, which can prevent telomeres from getting shorter and even elongate them.

Cancer cells require a mechanism to maintain their telomeric DNA in order to continue dividing indefinitely (immortalization). A mechanism for telomere elongation or maintenance is one of the key steps in cellular immortalization and can be used as a diagnostic marker in the clinic. Telomerase, the enzyme complex responsible for elongating telomeres, is activated in approximately 90% of tumors.

Telomerase is the natural enzyme that promotes telomere repair. It is active in stem cells, germ cells, hair follicles, and 90 percent of cancer cells, but its expression is low or absent in somatic cells. Telomerase functions by adding bases to the ends of the telomeres. Cells with sufficient telomerase activity are considered immortal in the sense that they can divide past the Hayflick limit without entering senescence or apoptosis. For this reason, telomerase is viewed as a potential target for anti-cancer drugs.

Shorter telomere length has been suggested as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The origin of this association is unclear, and several models have been proposed, particularly attributing the biomarker value to a genetic prediposition in subjects with shorter telomeres, to an effect of inflammation and oxidative stress or to a combination of both.

Thanks for visiting Telomeres. Also, please check out the two new sections we have recently added to telomerese – “Ask the Experts” for answers to common questions about antiaging in general, as well as the fast paced z “Blogette”.        

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