title: Telomeres: the beginnings and ends of eukaryotic chromosomes.
abstract: The ends of eukaryotic chromosomes are called telomeres. This article provides a short history of telomere and telomerase research starting with the pioneering work of Muller and McClintock through the molecular era of telomere biology. These studies culminated in the 2009 Nobel Prize in Medicine. Critical findings that moved the field forward and that suggest directions for future research are emphasized.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA. vzakian@princeton.edu
authors.forename: Virginia A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Zakian
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002875:Chromosomes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D056890:Eukaryota / Q000235:genetics*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D008967:Molecular Biology / Q000266:history; D016615:Telomere / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*