Ask A Scientist© Molecular Biology Archive

name        Daniel J.
status      other
age         20s

Question -  I learned some time ago that when a cell becomes
cancerous, some of the genes within it express themselves and these genes
allow for the regeneration/restoration of the Protein chains (can't
remember their name) at the end of the Chromosomes. These protein chains
determine the number of times that Chromosome can divide. Is this true
and has research been done into manipulating this for extending human
lifespan? And if so, where might I be able to find information it?
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I believe you are referring to the telomere which is the end of the
chromosome.

Peter Faletra Ph.D.
Office of Science
Department of Energy
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I believe the term you are searching for is "telomer(s)". In its more
general context of polymer chemistry it is a block of polymer "T" that is
attached to both ends of a main polymer chain
"-PPPPPP-", so that the final polymer sequence is "TPPPPPPT".

You can find more info about the context of your inquiry at:
http://www.css.orst.edu/CLASSES/css430/telomer.html

Vince Calder
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These ends are called telomeres and some cancer cells have been observed
repairing these ends with an enzyme called telomerase. This extends the life
of the cell. Some scientists have experimented with giving this enzyme to
normal cells and have extended their life span also. The problem is there is
a fine balance between extending the life span of a cell and making it become
cancerous. So human trials in this case may be unethical. There needs to be
much more research into this area.

vanhoeck
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