Abstract:Telomeres are hexameric nucleotide repeats in tandem at the ends of linear chromosomes that function to protect chromosomes and prevent genomic DNA erosion. Telomeric DNA can be elongated by the telomerase complex, which is composed of a reverse transcriptase catalytic subunit (TERT), an RNA template (TERC), and associated proteins. Loss-of-function mutations in genes encoding telomerase complex components are leading causes for telomeres shortening and have been associated with several human pathologies, incl… Show more
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