telomerase

te·lom·er·ase  (t-lm-rs, -rz)

n.

An enzyme found in the telomeres of certain chromosomes that is active in cell division and may have a role in the proliferation of cancer cells.

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telomerase  (t-lm-rs, -rz)

An enzyme that preserves the length of telomeres across cell divisions in germ cells, stem cells, and most cancer cells. A kind of reverse transcriptase, telomerase is an RNA-containing enzyme that synthesizes the DNA of telomeres by reverse transcription. It is active during DNA replication and is thought to play a role in the proliferation and apparent immortality of cells in which it is present. In cells that lack telomerase (that is, in most somatic cells of the body), the telomeres of chromosomes shorten and eventually disappear over repeated cell divisions. The inhibition of telomerase is being investigated as a method of killing cancerous cells. See more at telomere.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

telomerase - an enzyme in eukaryotic cells that can add telomeres to the ends of chromosomes after they divide enzyme - any of several complex proteins that are produced by cells and act as catalysts in specific biochemical reactions