StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Significance of Differing Levels of Telomerase Activity in Different Types of Cell - Assignment Example

Cite this document
Summary
It will also focus on the functions of telomerase in different types of cells such as eggs, sperms, somatic cells and cancer cells…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER97.1% of users find it useful
Significance of Differing Levels of Telomerase Activity in Different Types of Cell
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Significance of Differing Levels of Telomerase Activity in Different Types of Cell"

The paper "Significance of Differing Levels of Telomerase Activity in Different Types of Cell" is a great example of an essay on biology. This is a paper that will discuss the function of the telomerase enzyme and identify the biochemical activity of the enzyme. It will also focus on the functions of telomerase in different types of cells such as eggs, sperms, somatic cells, and cancer cells. Chromosomes contain repeated DNA sequences at their ends called telomeres. For the purpose of DNA replication in every cell division, these telomeres are shortened.

Ultimately the chromosomes become frayed (Pardue & DeBaryshe, 2009). The problem is the replication of the daughter strand at the 5’ end. In certain specific cells like eggs, sperm and cancer cells the enzyme called telomerase performs the function of reconstruction of the telomeres and prolongs the cell life.  Telomerase is a complex enzyme, which consists of a protein that acts as reverse transcriptase and a piece of RNA that behave as a template. During the DNA replication process the CA (Cytosine, Adenine) rich end of the RNA template bases pair with GT (Guanine, Thiamine) rich single-strand 3’ end of the DNA.

The enzyme reverse transcriptase acts hereby synthesizing DNA following the 5’→3’ sequence using the RNA template. After this step telomerase translocates to the newly formed strand and the process of replication is repeated. After the GT rich strand gets the appropriate length, it is used by another enzyme primase as a template to synthesize the RNA primer that is extended to the proper length by DNA polymerase and the primer is disconnected (Harvey & Ferrier, 2011, p. 408).

Functions of Telomerase in different cells The function of Telomerase enzyme is to maintain the length of the telomere. Each time a cell divides its length is reduce which is restructured by telomerase. The length of telomere shows the proliferative potential of cells that is how many times a cell can divide before it is dead (Papachristodoulou, Snape, Elliott, & Elliott, 2009, p. 361). In embryonic cells the telomerase is found in high amount which activates and maintains the length of the telomeres constantly, therefore, these cells have unlimited fission potential as the embryo keeps on developing rapidly till it becomes a fetus.

In stem cells, the activity of telomerase is slow which allows partial compensation for the shortening of the telomeres. In somatic cells telomerase is absent. The shortening of telomeres achieves the Hay flick limit, which is characterized as the state of senescence. Subsequently, the cells attain the state of crisis and finally meet cell death. The cells, which survived the process, become tumor cells or cancer cells. In cancer cells the activity of telomerase is high. They can divide and multiply much rapidly and can maintain the length of telomeres by the help of telomerase (Rubtsova, Vasilkova, Malyavko, Naraikina, Zvereva, & Dontsova, 2012).

Conclusion It was found that the function of telomerase is to aid in the replication process of DNA by preventing the cells from death and become abnormal. It keeps on maintaining the length of chromosomes until their death. The function of telomerase is distinguished in different types of cells that are normal and abnormal cells. In cancer patients inhibiting the telomerase activity can be used for the treatment of cancer.

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(Significance of Differing Levels of Telomerase Activity in Different Assignment, n.d.)
Significance of Differing Levels of Telomerase Activity in Different Assignment. https://studentshare.org/biology/1851221-briefly-describe-the-main-biochemical-actions-of-telomerase-and-discuss-the-significance-of-differing-levels-of-telomerase-activity-in-different-types-of-cell
(Significance of Differing Levels of Telomerase Activity in Different Assignment)
Significance of Differing Levels of Telomerase Activity in Different Assignment. https://studentshare.org/biology/1851221-briefly-describe-the-main-biochemical-actions-of-telomerase-and-discuss-the-significance-of-differing-levels-of-telomerase-activity-in-different-types-of-cell.
“Significance of Differing Levels of Telomerase Activity in Different Assignment”. https://studentshare.org/biology/1851221-briefly-describe-the-main-biochemical-actions-of-telomerase-and-discuss-the-significance-of-differing-levels-of-telomerase-activity-in-different-types-of-cell.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Significance of Differing Levels of Telomerase Activity in Different Types of Cell

Different types of financial statements

The liabilities include long term liabilities such as loans as well as There are four different types of financial ments being used by organizations to keep a track of their accounts and finances.... A balance sheet describes the financial situation of a company at any given point of time....
1 Pages (250 words) Essay

Different Types of Memories

The paper "different types of Memories" highlights that when a person talks about a particular capital city, deferent types of food, functions of objects, a particular vocabulary, social customs or even an understanding of mathematics, he/she will recall basing on semantic memory.... I once told my home science teacher different types of traditional foods in Africa.... There are deferent types of memories: Long-term, Short-term, and Sensory memory....
1 Pages (250 words) Essay

Different types of advertising

… There are seven different types of advertising include brand, retail or local, direct-response, business-to-business, institutional, non-profit, and public service advertising.... different types of Advertising different types of advertising exist.... This essay describes various types of advertising, their targets, and characteristics.... It is noteworthy that the seven types of advertising differ markedly....
2 Pages (500 words) Assignment

Different Types of Variables

This essay "different types of Variables" explores the variable as the qualities, properties, or characteristics of persons, things, or situations that are prone to change or vary.... The main types of variables are the dependent and independent variables.... Generally, research is divided into two main types, qualitative and quantitative research....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Different Types of Business Agreements

The paper "different types of Business Agreements" discusses that a business contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties.... There are different types of business agreements where two or more parties agree to enter into a business contract.... There are different types of business agreements where two or more parties agree to enter into a business contract....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Different Types of Advertising in Business

This paper "different types of Advertising in Business" discusses various aspects of business and explains how is it for a nation.... The paper also provides a brief explanation of the various types of advertisements and their association with business.... This paper elaborates on various types of advertisements.... Also, businesses can be limited to the homeland of the businessman, or else, it can also be spread across different countries....
8 Pages (2000 words) Assignment

Different Personality Types

From the paper "Different Personality types" it is clear that I was this child that always strived to be at the top of my firstborn and receive all the attention with no competition from anyone.... I also stood an opportunity to be a leader of my siblings who were younger than me....
6 Pages (1500 words) Assignment

Different Types of Memory

From the paper "different types of Memory" it is clear that the sensory memory may store information up to a few seconds; the short-term memory may store data up to a few minutes or hours while the long-term memory may store information for a few or a lifetime.... This paper discusses the different forms of memory and how they coordinate in the brain to ensure that the information is stored based on their particular category....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us