Telomerase Overexpression
Telomerase Overexpression - Related Videos
02:41
Telomeres and Telomerase
0 Views •
2020
In eukaryotic DNA replication, a single-stranded DNA fragment remains at the end of a chromosome after the removal of the final primer. This section of DNA cannot be replicated in the same manner as the rest of the strand because there is no 3’ end to which the newly synthesized DNA can attach. This non-replicated fragment results in gradual loss of the chromosomal DNA during each cell duplication. Additionally, it can induce a DNA damage response by enzymes that recognize single-stranded DNA.
02:41
Telomeres and Telomerase
0 Views •
2023
In eukaryotic DNA replication, a single-stranded DNA fragment remains at the end of a chromosome after the removal of the final primer. This section of DNA cannot be replicated in the same manner as the rest of the strand because there is no 3’ end to which the newly synthesized DNA can attach. This non-replicated fragment results in gradual loss of the chromosomal DNA during each cell duplication. Additionally, it can induce a DNA damage response by enzymes that recognize single-stranded DNA.
09:25
In vitro Reconstitution of the Active T. castaneum Telomerase
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Cited by 5 •
2011
Efforts to isolate the catalytic subunit of telomerase, TERT, in sufficient quantities for structural studies, have been met with limited success for more than a decade. Here, we present methods for the isolation of the recombinant Tribolium castaneum TERT (TcTERT) and the reconstitution of the active T. castaneum telomerase ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex in vitro.
12:08
Telomere Length and Telomerase Activity; A Yin and Yang of Cell Senescence
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Cited by 29 •
2013
An accurate, short, sophisticated and cheap method is described that assesses telomere length in multiple tissues and species using qRT-PCR. In addition, we will describe a simple assay to assess telomerase activity as a complementary backbone test for telomere length.
05:16
Detecting Histone Modifications in Yeast Cells with Neurodegenerative Protein Overexpression
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2025
Source: Bennett, S. A., et al., Characterizing Histone Post-translational Modification Alterations in Yeast Neurodegenerative Proteinopathy Models. J. Vis. Exp. (2019).This video demonstrates the procedure of assessing histone modifications in yeast cells overexpressing neurodegenerative proteins. The steps include cell lysis, centrifugation, electrophoresis, membrane transfer, and antibody-based detection of modified histones.
FAQs
Elevated TERT expression can increase telomerase activity at chromosome ends, where the enzyme adds repetitive DNA to the 3′ ends of telomeres. This offsets part of the shortening associated with DNA replication, allowing cells to preserve telomere length for longer and potentially continue proliferating. The resulting change links telomere maintenance with cellular lifespan.
The 3′ end is the site that receives added repetitive DNA sequences during telomere maintenance. Focusing on this end connects enzyme activity to the physical preservation of chromosome termini rather than treating telomerase as a general proliferation signal. This distinction helps researchers relate altered activity to replication-associated shortening, cellular lifespan, and genome stability.
Ordinary telomerase activity describes the enzyme system’s function, whereas overexpression refers to an abnormal or experimentally induced increase in that activity. The distinction matters because the increased state can produce stronger telomere maintenance and support continued cell proliferation. Researchers can use this altered state to examine the consequences of changing telomerase levels in biological systems.
TERT is the catalytic subunit whose increased expression is specifically associated with greater telomerase activity. Because telomerase adds repetitive DNA to telomere ends, changes in TERT expression provide a focused way to investigate how enzyme abundance relates to telomere maintenance. This makes TERT central to studies of cellular lifespan, proliferation, and telomerase-related biology.
The topic is particularly relevant when researchers examine tumor cells that reactivate telomerase. Increased activity in these cells connects telomere maintenance with the capacity for continued proliferation, making the pathway important for cancer-related investigation. Studies may use this relationship to support diagnostic research and to explore telomerase as a potential target for therapeutic development.
Telomerase overexpression provides a way to examine how increased telomere maintenance relates to the ability of cells to keep proliferating. That relationship is relevant to stem cell renewal because renewal depends on continued cellular activity, and to aging research because telomere shortening is associated with cellular lifespan. The approach therefore connects chromosome-end maintenance with both processes.
An experimentally induced increase allows researchers to study the consequences of changing telomerase activity rather than observing only its usual state. They can examine how greater activity relates to telomere maintenance, continued proliferation, cellular lifespan, stem cell renewal, or genome stability. In cancer biology, the same framework can inform studies of telomerase reactivation and potential therapeutic targeting.