Elizabeth Blackburn Part 3 Stress, Telomeres and Telomerase in Humans

Lecture Overview
Telomerase, a specialized ribonucleprotein reverse transcriptase, is important for long-term eukaryotic cell proliferation and genomic stability, because it replenishes the DNA at telomeres. Thus depending on cell type telomerase partially or completely (depending on cell type) counteracts the progressive shortening of telomeres that otherwise occurs. Telomerase is highly active in many human malignancies, and a potential target for anti-cancer approaches. Furthermore, recent collaborative studies have shown the relationship between accelerated telomere shortening and life stress and that low telomerase levels are associated with six prominent risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Cell
• Biology
• Medicine

[monikaevers]

Fascinating!

Thank you for your work.

Is there another part to this video. (It finish abruptly after the heart study.)

[Ellis2ca]

Thank you for a great course on telomeres... Excuse me if I ask about some of the basics... WHY do the cells duplicate? And if there is the "Hayflick limit" is this the same limit for ALL cells in the body, or do some cells duplicate maximum 70 times and others for example, a few hundred times? And after the cell duplicates, then there are TWO cells... does one die, the other live, or do they both go on living? What triggers that a cell "decides" to duplicate itself? Thanks.

[Reiuyi]

@archeng123 Has nothing to do with telomerase. Cell specialization is mediated by intracrine-, autocrine-, juxtacrine-, paracrine- and endocrine signaling. Mostly depending on paracrine and juxtacrine, though you cannot say all kinds of cells specialize according to a specific pattern as for example immune cells have a very different lineage compared to neuroglia cells.