Tag Archives: 2009

Telomeres And The Enzyme Telomerase

[mage lang=”en|es|fr|en” source=”flickr”]telomeres and the enzyme telomerase[/mage]
True or false question about telomerase and cancer..?

Overactive telomerase enzyme can delete the ends of chromosomes and cause cancer.

True or false.

I know that mutations of the telomeres can cause cancer, but I thought it was because it telomerase replicated the ends of the chromosomes, not deleted them?

PLEASE HELP!

False. Telomerase functions to preserve the telomeres. This enzyme is inactive (not transcribed) in healthy cells. Cancer cells regain the ability to transcribe telomerase.

Best wishes and good luck.

The 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine