What happens when telomeres get frayed?
What happens when telomeres get frayed?
Answered
When telomeres become frayed, damaged, or excessively shortened, the protective function of the telomeres is compromised, leading to a range of detrimental effects on the cell. As telomeres shorten with each cell division, they eventually reach a critical length where they can no longer protect the chromosome from damage. This can lead to chromosome end-to-end fusion, where chromosomes stick together, resulting in genomic instability. The cell may recognize these fusions as DNA damage, triggering DNA repair pathways, leading to cellular responses such as apoptosis (programmed cell death) or senescence (permanent growth arrest). Alternatively, in some cases, the loss of functional telomeres may cause the cell to undergo uncontrolled proliferation, which is one of the hallmarks of cancer. In the context of aging, telomere shortening is associated with a decline in tissue regeneration capacity, which contributes to the aging process and the development of age-related diseases. Furthermore, telomere dysfunction is linked to a variety of diseases, including certain genetic syndromes and cancers, emphasizing their crucial role in maintaining cellular and organismal health.
BNO Team