[The structures at the termini of chromosomes: what is there hidden under the cap ?].
The telomeres are the nucleoproteic structures present at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes. One can compare them to the protective ends of a shoelace; when the ends get eroded, the shoelace disintegrates and we dispose of it. The same thus applies to the chromosomes; when telomeres reach a critical threshold for function, the genome becomes unstable and the cell senesces. Therefore, telomeres, and particularly their terminal DNA structures, are critical for the integrity of the genome.
LeBel
Catherine
C
Département de microbiologie et d'infectiologie, Faculté de médecine, Université de Sherbrooke, 3001, 12e Avenue Nord, Sherbrooke, Québec, J1H 5N4, Canada.
Wellinger
Raymund J
RJ
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002875:Chromosomes / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004247:DNA / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D016615:Telomere / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure*
D004247:DNA