Telomerase activity

Telomeres are a special structure at the end of chromosomes of eukaryotes. They consist of a guanine-rich repeating DNA sequence and its related proteins. Telomeres are an essential structure to protect the stability of the ends of chromosomes. The maintenance of telomere length requires the presence of telomerase activity. Telomerase plays an important role in the long-term survival of immortal cells and tumor cells. Telomerase is a complex composed of RNA and protein bodies. It belongs to a kind of specific RNA-dependent reverse transcriptase. It can use its own RNA as a template to synthesize telomere DNA at the end of chromosomes from scratch to make up for telomeres during cell division. The loss of DNA maintains the length of telomeres, maintains the dynamic balance of chromosomes, and enables cells to obtain immortality. Since Kim established a highly sensitive, PCR-based method for detecting telomerase in 1994, telomerase has attracted widespread attention. It has been found that telomerase has a close relationship with cell proliferation, differentiation, and immortality, and has become one of the hot spots in basic research on tumors and aging.