Or it could be that the telomere shortening process is accelerated. It may be that the telomeres are inherently shorter. In some individuals this process doesn’t work as smoothly. This maintenance of the telomeres ensures the genetic information is continually protected and the cell can continue to divide normally. So that telomeres don’t shorten too quickly, resulting in early cell death (or premature biological aging), an enzyme called telomerase acts to replenish the telomere repeat DNA sequences at the ends of the chromosomes. To protect the genetic information, critically short telomeres act as a signal for the cell to stop dividing or die. Telomeres therefore act as a buffer to ensure that the important genetic information coded on the chromosome is protected and doesn’t get lost during replication. Therefore, every time a chromosome is duplicated the telomeres become shorter. However, the very end of each chromosome cannot be copied. What happens to telomeres during cell division?Įvery time a cell divides, each chromosome needs to be duplicated to provide a copy of genetic information for the new cell. In some individuals the length is abnormally short or the shortening process is accelerated (in some cases both issues can occur). It is normal for telomeres to shorten as we age. They are often described using the helpful analogy of an aglet of a shoelace, which prevents the end of the lace from fraying. Telomeres are made up of thousands of repeats of the same DNA sequence, bound by a special set of proteins called shelterin. These protect our chromosomes by preventing them from damage or fusion with other chromosomes. Our chromosomes have protective structures located at their ends called telomeres. Here we’ll run through a brief 101: what are telomeres, how they function and what can happen when they don’t work as they should… What are telomeres?
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