What is the function of telomerase?

summary

There is an enzyme in cells responsible for telomere lengthening. Its name is telomerase. Telomerase can fill up the defects of DNA replication. By lengthening telomere repair, telomere will not be lost due to cell division, and the number of cell division will increase. Telomerase is responsible for telomere elongation in cells. One of the enzymes that lengthens telomeres is the basic nuclear protein reverse transcriptase. Telomere DNA can be added to the chromosome ends of eukaryotic cells. The main biological function of telomerase in cells is to stabilize the length of telomere DNA through its reverse transcriptase activity, replication and extension of telomere DNA.

What is the function of telomerase?

Telomere plays an important role in maintaining chromosome stability and cell activity in different species of cells. Telomerase can prolong and shorten telomere, thus enhancing the proliferation of cells in vitro. Telomerase plays an important role in maintaining telomere stability, genome integrity, long-term cell activity and potential continuation, and proliferation.

The existence of telomerase is to fill up the defects of DNA replication, that is, to prolong the repair of breaks, so that telomeres will not be lost due to cell division, and the number of cell division will increase. However, in normal human cells, telomerase activity is closely regulated. Only in hematopoietic cells, stem cells and germ cells, which must constantly divide, can telomerase activity be detected.

When the cells differentiate and mature, they must be responsible for the requirements of different tissues in the body and perform their own duties. As a result, the activity of telomerase will gradually disappear. For the cells, whether they can continue to divide is not important, but the differentiated and mature cells will bear more important missions.

matters needing attention

Telomerase is an enzyme composed of catalytic protein and RNA template, which can synthesize DNA at the end of chromosome and endow cell replication with immortality. For cells, telomerase is to make tissues and organs work and make life last. Telomeres exist to maintain the stability of chromosomes. If there is no breakage, the ends will be exposed and easy to be hydrolyzed by exonuclease.