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telomerase
[ tuh-lom-uh-reys, ‑- ]
noun
- an enzyme, active chiefly in tumors and reproductive cells, that causes telomeres to lengthen: facilitates cell division and may account for the immortality of cancer cells.
telomerase
/ ɛˈɒəˌɪ /
noun
- an enzyme that is involved in the formation and repair of telomeres, so that chromosomes are not shortened during cell division
telomerase
/ ə-ŏ′ə-′,-′ /
- An enzyme that preserves the length of telomeres across cell divisions in germ cells, stem cells, and most cancer cells. A kind of reverse transcriptase , telomerase is an RNA-containing enzyme that synthesizes the DNA of telomeres by reverse transcription. It is active during DNA replication and is thought to play a role in the proliferation and apparent immortality of cells in which it is present. In cells that lack telomerase (that is, in most somatic cells of the body), the telomeres of chromosomes shorten and eventually disappear over repeated cell divisions. The inhibition of telomerase is being investigated as a method of killing cancerous cells.
- See more at telomere
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of telomerase1
Example Sentences
Scientists have long known how telomerase maintains the length of the G-rich strand, but only recently was it recognized that the same problem also exists for the C-rich strand.
The enzyme telomerase plays a key role in maintaining the length of telomeres as chromosomes replicate during cell division.
Further, telomerase is only part of the solution -- cells also use the CST-Polα-primase complex, which has been extensively studied in de Lange's laboratory.
Consider the enzyme telomerase, which is responsible for maintaining protective telomeres at the natural ends of chromosomes.
Some evidence suggests giving mice telomerase can reverse the symptoms of aging, curbing everything from the appearance of gray hair to cognitive decline.
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