Telomere and Telomerase for the Regulation of Stem Cells

摘要: Telomeres, guanine-rich tandem DNA repeats of chromosomal ends, provide stability, and cellular replication causes their loss. In somatic cells, the activity telomerase, a reverse transcriptase that can elongate telomeric repeats, is usually diminished after birth so telomere length gradually shortened with cell divisions triggers senescence. embryonic stem telomerase activated maintains immortality. On other hand, in adult level low insufficient to maintain length. Thus, even except for cells cancer shortening occurs during replicative aging, possibly at slower rate than normal cells. past few years, importance maintenance human has been highlighted by studies on dyskeratosis congenita, aplastic anemia, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, part which are genetic disorders component characterized premature loss tissue regeneration dysfunction. The regulation complex dynamic process tightly linked cycle Here we review role telomeres