Discovery that telomeres are transcribed into RNA could help explain why cancer cells never stop dividing@CH

Telomeres protect chromosome ends from fusion and degradation. Telomeres are maintained by the ribonucleoprotein enzyme telomerase. Most normal human somatic cells lack telomerase and telomere shortening limits their replicative potential. Reactivation of telomerase is a key requisite for human cancer cells to attain unlimited proliferation potential. Our laboratory combines in vitro biochemistry and molecular genetics to study telomere replication in human cells and in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. A thorough understanding of this process may allow disruption of telomere function in tumors.