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telomere
[ tel-uh-meer, tee-luh‐ ]
/ ˈtɛl əˌmɪər, ˈti lə‐ /
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noun
the segment of DNA that occurs at the ends of chromosomes.
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Origin of telomere
First recorded in 1935–40
Words nearby telomere
telocentric, telodynamic, Teloekbetoeng, telolecithal, telomerase, telomere, telomerization, telophase, telos, telotaxis, telpher
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use telomere in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for telomere
telomere
/ (ˈtɛləˌmɪə) /
noun
genetics either of the ends of a chromosome
Word Origin for telomere
C20: from Greek telos end + meros part
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for telomere
telomere
[ tĕl′ə-mîr′, tē′lə- ]
Either of the sections of DNA occurring at the extreme ends of each chromosome in a eukaryotic cell. Telomeres consist of highly repetitive sequences of DNA that do not code for proteins, but function as caps to keep chromosomes from fusing together. The length of the telomere influences the stability of genetic information just interior of the telomere, since the nucleotide sequences at the ends of a chromosome are not copied by DNA polymerase. Successive copying can thus shorten telomeres, sometimes to the point that functional genes near the telomeres are lost, and this may play a role in cellular senescence and age-related diseases. In germ cells, stem cells, and some cancer cells, shortened telomeres can be extended by the enzyme telomerase, thus keeping both the telomeres and the genes near them functioning. Most somatic cells do not express telomerase, and the shortening of telomeres during each round of cell division may be part of the natural aging of cells.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for telomere
telomere
[ (tel-uh-meer) ]
The long end sequences of a DNA strand occurring at the tip of the chromosomes; a type of repetitive DNA that usually consists of one hundred to fifteen hundred copies of a single DNA sequence.
notes for telomere
During DNA replication, small parts of the telomere are lost with each cycle. Scientists think that this loss may be related to the aging process.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.