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Telomeres cap chromosome ends and shorten as cells divide

Repetitive nucleotide sequences protect genetic data during cell replication cycles

Telomeres are repetitive non-coding DNA sequences located at the ends of linear chromosomes that protect genomic integrity during replication. Because standard DNA polymerase enzymes cannot replicate the very tip of a chromosome, telomeres shorten slightly with each cell division cycle. When telomeres become critically short, cells enter senescence or undergo cell death.

Telomerase&Telomeres
DevelopmentalBiology ยท CC BY-SA 3.0 ยท licence ยท source

Where this comes from

Nobel Prize

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Tags: biology, telomeres, genetics

Telomeres cap chromosome ends and shorten as cells divide: the short answers

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Repetitive nucleotide sequences protect genetic data during cell replication cycles. The figure is taken from Nobel Prize, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
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