The long reach of telomeres.
The primary purpose of telomeres is to protect chromosome ends from erosion during cell division cycles. New observations suggest an additional function for telomeres, namely in gene silencing via formation of long-range chromatin interactions.
National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA mistelit@mail.nih.gov.
Tom
T
Misteli
D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D016615:Telomere / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D059506:Telomere Shortening / Q000235:genetics*
age-dependent gene expression; cancer; chromatin; chromosome looping; replicative aging; senescence; telomerase