First Map of Chromosome Terminals of Higher Fungi Nov 22, 2009
21, 2009) Doctor in biology from the UPNA, Ms G;mer P;rez Garrido studied and described for the first time how the telomeres and adjacent sequences of the oyster fungus (Pleurotus ostreatus) are organised ... In fact, the telomere sequence of P. ostreatus is identical to that of human telomeres ... Chromosomes (stores of genetic information in the cells) have special structures known as telomeres at their ends, the size and integrity of which are essential for the survival of the cell. (Science Daily)
Childhood abuse 'quickens ageing' Nov 21, 2009
Chromosomes have telomeres at the end of each strand ... A team from Brown University focused on telomeres, the protective caps on the chromosomes that keep a cell's DNA stable but shorten with age ... They found the telomeres of 31 people who had reported abuse as children tended to shorten more rapidly, speeding up cells' ageing process. (BBC News -- Americas)
Longevity Tied to Preserving Chromosome Tips Nov 15, 2009
15, 2009) A team led by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University has found a clear link between living to 100 and inheriting a hyperactive version of an enzyme that rebuilds telomeres -- the tip ends of chromosomes ... Telomeres play crucial roles in aging, cancer and other biological processes ... Their importance was recognized last month, when three scientists were awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for determining the structure of... (Science Daily)
Mutant genes 'key to long life' Nov 15, 2009
Chromosomes have telomeres at the end of each strand ... Telomeres are relatively short sections of specialized DNA that sit at the ends of all our chromosomes ... Each time a cell divides, its telomeres shorten and the cell becomes more susceptible to dying. (BBC News -- Americas)
Common weed could provide clues on aging and cancer Oct 27, 2009
A common weed and human cancer cells could provide some very uncommon details about DNA structure and its relationship with telomeres and how they affect cellular aging and cancer, according to a team led by scientists from Texas Aersity and the University of Cincinnati (UC). For the study, the multi-institutional team examined the telomeres of Arabidopsis, a plant found throughout the world, and discovered a new set of essential telomere proteins ... Telomeres are located at each end of a... (EurekAlert!)
Mice Regain Ability To Extend Telomeres Suggesting Potential For Dyskeratosis Congenita Therapy Oct 20, 2009
19, 2009) Mice and DKC patients share a genetic deficiency that shortens their telomeres, the caps that protect the ends of each chromosome; studying how the mice recover normal telomere length could lead to novel treatments for this genetic disorder ... At the heart of DKC is telomerase, the enzyme that maintains the length of telomeres, the protective caps on the ends of chromosomes ... Telomerase has two main components; telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and telomerase RNA. The latter... (Science Daily)
A first XI doing their country proud Oct 10, 2009
In the right amounts telomerase is a good guy, topping up the telomeres as they wear down with age ... Blackburn, a scientist long driven by a deep sense of curiosity, recently turned to exploring how chronic stress can also shorten telomeres and age cells ... Rather than advocating some telomerase-based elixir of youth, the 60-year-old, who takes time to relax, exercise and eat well, is keen on the opposite approach: to see if lifestyle interventions can promote natural telomere repair and... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
The Nobel Science prizes: Winning ways Oct 9, 2009
Prizes for optical fibres, charge-coupled devices, ribosomes and telomeres ... And the physiology prize went to Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider and Jack Szostak for their work on telomeres, the DNA caps that stop the ends of chromosomes either unravelling or sticking to one another ... The paradox of telomeres is that when they are behaving properly they contribute to the process of ageing, and when they are behaving improperly they help cause cancer. (The Economist)
SARS spurs China to act on AIDS Oct 7, 2009
Prize goes to discoverers of telomere caps and telomerase the enzyme that makes them. FEATURE: 13:18 05 October 2009 15 comments. (Yahoo News -- SARS)
What's a nice girl like you doing with a Nobel prize? Oct 6, 2009
Dr Blackburn, who is based in San Francisco, pioneered the study of telomeres - caps that protect chromosomes in cells - and is a discoverer of telomerase, an enzyme that does the protecting. Or, as she recently explained it: ''You can think of a chromosome as a shoelace with a telomere as the aglet - the tag or sheath at the end of a shoelace that prevents the end from fraying ... She said recently that her work on telomeres aimed to overcome the burden of damage caused by ageing cells. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Nobel Prize in Medicine shared by three U.S. genetic researchers Oct 6, 2009
Work on Telomeres Wins Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 3 U.S. Genetic Researchers [Update]: Scientific American ... Work on Telomeres Wins Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 3 U.S. Genetic Researchers [Update ... Blackburn, Greider and Szostak recognized for research into telomeres--a key chromosome component--and the enzyme telomerase. (Scientific American)
Telomeres, Telomerase and Cancer Oct 6, 2009
An unusual enzyme called telomerase acts on parts of chromosomes known as telomeres ... TELOMERES cap the ends of chromsomes ... Yet in most organisms that have been studied, the tips, called telomeres, are actually ever changing; they shorten and lengthen repeatedly. (Scientific American)
Nobel prize for chromosome find Oct 6, 2009
The answer lies at the ends of the chromosomes - the telomeres - and in an enzyme that forms them - telomerase ... If the telomeres did repeatedly shorten, cells would rapidly age ... Conversely, if the telomere length is maintained, the cell would have eternal life, which could also be problematic. (BBC News -- Americas)
Telomere Copy Protection: Nobel Goes To Scientists Who Solved How Chromosome Ends Work Oct 6, 2009
The Nobel Laureates have shown that the solution is to be found in the ends of the chromosomes the telomeres and in an enzyme that forms them telomerase ... The long, thread-like DNA molecules that carry our genes are packed into chromosomes, the telomeres being the caps on their ends ... Elizabeth Blackburn and Jack Szostak discovered that a unique DNA sequence in the telomeres protects the chromosomes from degradation. (Science Daily)
Nobel Prize in Medicine Awarded for Cracking DNA Puzzle Oct 6, 2009
"They have solved a fundamental mystery and opened up a whole new field of research," said Shankar Balasubramanian, a telomere expert at the University of Cambridge in the U.K.. Telomeres are the caps on the end of chromosomes, which carry the genetic code that's written in our DNA. ... In theory, telomeres and therefore the chromosome as a whole should become significantly shorter every time a cell divides, but in some cases they don't an enigma that had perplexed scientists for decades. (National Geographic)
3 Americans win Nobel for chromosome research Oct 6, 2009
Winners studied structures at the end of chromosomes called telomeres ... It centers on structures at the end of chromosomes called telomeres and an enzyme that forms them, called telomerase ... Work by the researchers determined that telomeres protect DNA from degradation in the process, and that telomerase maintains the telomeres. (CNN -- Health)
Winning Nobel Prize seen as recognition for entire telomere field Oct 6, 2009
U.S. laureate sees winning Nobel Prize as recognition for entire telomere field_English_Xinhua. U.S. laureate sees winning Nobel Prize as recognition for entire telomere field ... WASHINGTON, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Three Americans won the Nobel prize for medicine on Monday for revealing the existence and nature of telomerase, which one of the laureates, Professor Carol Greider says is a recognition for the entire telomere field. (Xinhuanet, China)
Three American scientists win 2009 Nobel Prize for Medicine Oct 6, 2009
The trio were awarded the prize for the discovery of "how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase,"the Nobel jury -- the Nobel Assembly announced at a press conference at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden ... He added, the solution is to be found in the ends of the chromosomes -- the telomeres -- and in an enzyme that forms them -- telomerase ... He said that scientists also speculated that telomere shortening could be a reason for ageing, and also bone marrow,... (Xinhuanet, China)
Trio of Americans share 2009 Nobel medicine prize Oct 6, 2009
Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider and Jack Szostak discovered telomeres and the enzyme that creates them, telomerase, in the late 1970s and 1980s ... The telomeres are "much like the little protective tips at the end of a shoelace that keep it from fraying away," Blackburn said at her home early Monday after getting the 2 a.m. call from ... The telomeres are the blank tape at the end of the chromosome. (USA Today)
Trio win Nobel Medicine Prize for research into ageing Oct 6, 2009
The trio were honoured for discovering how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the role of an enzyme called telomerase in maintaining or stripping away this vital shield ... Telomeres are a minute yet vital factor in ageing ... Related article: Telomeres explained. (Yahoo! Asia News)
Researchers identify proteintelomere interactions that could be key in treating cancer Sep 1, 2009
Researchers identify proteintelomere interactions that could be key in treating cancer ... Researchers identify proteintelomere interactions that could be key in treating cancer ... A team of researchers from The Wistar Institute have shown that a large non-coding RNA in mammals and yeast plays a central role in helping maintain telomeres, the tips of chromosomes that contain important genetic information and help regulate cell division. (EurekAlert!)
Anti-Aging Pill Targets Telomeres at Ends of Chromosomes Aug 18, 2009
In real life, some scientists are looking at telomeres, or regions of repetitive DNA at the ends of our chromosomes, to try to arrive at something like a real version of this story. Telomeres consist of up to 3,300 repeats of the DNA sequence TTAGGG. They protect chromosome ends from being mistaken for broken pieces of DNA that would otherwise be fixed by cellular repair machinery ... But every time our cells divide, the telomeres shrink. (Scientific American)
Protein plays unexpected role protecting chromosome tips Aug 14, 2009
That last protein, TRF1, protects telomeres, dense structures at the end of chromosomes which, like the compressed plastic tips on the ends of a shoelace, keep the chromosome ends intact ... Telltale telomere damage ... "The reason they died, in part, was that telomeres were fusing together. There was no reason to think Gcn5 would have anything at all to do with telomeres, so these fusions were quite puzzling.". (EurekAlert!)
New Connection Between Cancer Cells, Stem Cells Jul 3, 2009
Telomerase was known to stabilize telomeres, special caps that protect the ends of chromosomes ... In this most recent study, they were following up on a previous finding suggesting that one part, a protein called TERT, was involved in more than just maintaining telomeres ... "This was a pretty clear hint that TERT was involved in something more than just telomere maintenance," he said. (Science Daily)
Hope for test to measure ageing Jun 17, 2009
" The researchers were surprised to find that levels of the protein were not linked to obesity, even though research has suggested that limiting calorie intake may help to slow down the ageing process. Dr Sharpless said this raised the possibility that a lack of exercise may have a more profound impact on molecular ageing than being overweight or obese. Professor Tim Spector, of Kings College London, has carried out much research into how ageing is related to the length of strands of DNA called... (BBC News -- Health)
Key Target Of Aging Regulator Found Jun 17, 2009
The study reveals that removal of this acetyl group by Sir2 near the chromosome ends the telomeres is important for yeast cells to maintain the ability to replicate. Researchers found that Sir2 levels decline as cells age, and there is a concomitant accumulation of the acetylation mark along with disrupted histone organization at telomeres ... Deacetylation of H4K16 by Sir2 and consequent telomere stability play a major role in maintaining long lifespan in yeast. (Science Daily)
How Adrenal Cancer Forms: Dysfunctional Telomeres Can Trigger Cancer Mutations Jun 6, 2009
ScienceDaily (June 5, 2009) At the ends of chromosome are special pieces of DNA called telomeres ... The telomeres send signals to the cells to let them know it s the end point, not a break that should be repaired ... Over time, as cells reproduce, the telomeres become shorter and eventually no longer do their job. (Science Daily)
Multivitamins Might Prolong Life May 20, 2009
Telomeres, or the end portion of chromosomes, protect chromosomes from damage. Because telomeres shorten slightly when cells divide, researchers speculated that preventing this shortening could protect new cells and thus reduce the effects of aging ... "This study provides the first epidemiological evidence that multivitamin use is associated with longer leukocyte telomeres among women," said lead researcher Dr. Honglei Chen, head of the Aging epidemiology Group at the U.S. National Institute of... (MEDLINEplus)
First sister study results reinforce the importance of healthy living Mar 17, 2009
Two recent papers published in Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention looked at the length of telomeres, or the repeating DNA sequences that cap the ends of a person's chromosomes. Telomere length is one of the many measures being looked at in the Sister Study ... Telomeres protect the ends of chromosomes and buffer them against the loss of important genes during cell replication. (EurekAlert!)
Shortening Telomeres Linked To Aging In Population Studies, But Original Telomere Length Varies Between Individuals Feb 17, 2009
University in Sweden have shown that the shortening of telomeres in pace with increasing age, as demonstrated in population studies, does not apply at the individual level. The attrition rate seems to mainly depend on the original length of the telomeres, which indicates that some individuals can even have longer telomeres over time ... Chromosomes are a part of DNA and their end structures, telomeres, are important for the genetic stability of cells. (Science Daily)
