telomerase enzyme Actions Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/science/telomerase Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/science/telomerase Also known as: terminal transferase Written by Kara Rogers Kara Rogers is the senior editor of biomedical sciences at Encyclopædia Britannica, where she oversees a range of content from medicine and genetics to microorganisms. She joined Britannica in 2006 and... Kara Rogers Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Jul 17, 2024 • Article History Table of Contents Also called: terminal transferase (Show more) Key People: Jack W. Szostak Elizabeth Blackburn Carol W. Greider (Show more) telomerase, enzyme that influences cell life span by adding organic compounds known as nucleotides to telomeres, segments of DNA located at the ends of chromosomes. Telomeres consist of repetitive DNA sequences wherein the number of repeats determines the maximum life span of a cell. For context, some human cells have 1,500 to 2,000 such repeats at the end of each chromosome; the repeat sequence in humans and other mammals is TTAGGG (T, A, and G are the bases thymine, adenine, and guanine). Telomerase was discovered in 1984 by American scientists Elizabeth H. Blackburn and Carol W. Greider, who shared with ...(100 of 800 words)

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