Where would you expect to find telomerase activity quizlet?

Where would you expect to find telomerase activity quizlet?

Where would you expect to find telomerase activity? At the end of a chromosome in a cancerous eukaryotic body cell.

What cells is telomerase active in?

Telomerase is found in fetal tissues, adult germ cells, and also tumor cells. Telomerase activity is regulated during development and has a very low, almost undetectable activity in somatic (body) cells. Because these somatic cells do not regularly use telomerase, they age. The result of aging cells is an aging body.

Which cell has the highest telomerase activity?

Telomerase activity is extinguished during embryonic differentiation in most somatic cells but remains active in some tissues, such as male germ cells, activated lymphocytes, and certain types of stem cell populations (124, 210, 249).

Why is telomerase not active in somatic cells?

Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein DNA polymerase complex that maintains telomere length. Telomerase activity is absent in most normal human somatic cells because of the lack of expression of TERT; TERC is usually present. On the other hand most mouse cells have telomerase activity (Blasco, 2005).

Why is telomerase active in germ cells?

Presence of telomerase activity in the male germ cells ensures maintenance of telomere length at maximum levels during spermatogenesis despite telomere attrition due to DNA replication or other genotoxic factors.

Is telomerase active in germ cells?

Telomerase is an RNA-dependent DNA polymerase, meaning an enzyme that can make DNA using RNA as a template. Telomerase is not usually active in most somatic cells (cells of the body), but it’s active in germ cells (the cells that make sperm and eggs) and some adult stem cells.

How is telomerase related to aging?

Every time cells divide, their telomeres shorten, which eventually prompts them to stop dividing and die. Telomerase prevents this decline in some kinds of cells, including stem cells, by lengthening telomeres, and the hope was that activating the enzyme could slow cellular ageing. They also die young.

Can telomerase be the secret to immortality?

According to Professor Julian Chen, the secret to reversing the aging process lies in understanding this very enzyme, telomerase. Researchers from Arizona State University believe that enzymes may hold the key to immortality.