[mage lang=”en|es|fr|en” source=”flickr”]telomerase dna replication[/mage]
DNA replication question?
how does shortening of the telomeres(leading to unstable chromosomes which will result in the cell line dying) occurs if the telomeric loss can be compensated by the enzyme telomerase?
That’s a good question.
In yeast, protozoa and other single-celled organisms, telomerase is active. These cells can divide forever. However, in most cells of higher organisms, telomerase is inactive and the ends of the chromosomes get shorter with each cell division. At a certain telomeric length, the cells no longer divide.
However, if telomerase becomes active, and the ends of the chromosomes lengthen, a signal is conveyed for cells to keep dividing, which can lead to cancerous growth.
Hope that helps.