telomerase

[ tuh-lom-uh-reys, ‑-reyz ]

noun

1. an enzyme, active chiefly in tumors and reproductive cells, that causes telomeres to lengthen: facilitates cell division and may account for the immortality of cancer cells.

telomerase

/ tɛˈlɒməˌreɪz /

noun

1. an enzyme that is involved in the formation and repair of telomeres, so that chromosomes are not shortened during cell division

telomerase

/ tə-lŏm′ə-rās′,-rāz′ /

1. An enzyme that preserves the length of telomeres across cell divisions in germ cells, stem cells, and most cancer cells. A kind of reverse transcriptase , telomerase is an RNA-containing enzyme that synthesizes the DNA of telomeres by reverse transcription. It is active during DNA replication and is thought to play a role in the proliferation and apparent immortality of cells in which it is present. In cells that lack telomerase (that is, in most somatic cells of the body), the telomeres of chromosomes shorten and eventually disappear over repeated cell divisions. The inhibition of telomerase is being investigated as a method of killing cancerous cells.
2. See more at telomere

Word History and Origins

Origin of telomerase¹

telomere + -ase

Example Sentences

Blasco takes these changes as evidence that TA-65 works by “turning on” telomerase.

From The Daily Beast

But he says the pill can still activate telomerase in human cells in the lab—and the low potency helps to reduce safety concerns.

From The Daily Beast

That life-giving source is the enzyme telomerase, which can actually lengthen telomeres.

From The Daily Beast

TA-65, the new study claims, is a “telomerase activator”—that is, it turns on telomerase in cells.

From The Daily Beast

Made from a Chinese root, TA-65 helps to activate telomerase, which rebuilds the strands.

From The Daily Beast