Telomerase is an RNA–protein complex (RNP) that extends telomeric DNA at the 3´ ends of chromosomes using its telomerase reverse transcriptase function (TERT) and integral template-containing telomerase RNA (TER).
Telomerase lengthens telomeres in DNA strands. Specifically, TERT is responsible for catalyzing the addition of nucleotides in a TTAGGG sequence to the ends of a chromosome’s telomeres. This addition of repetitive DNA sequences prevents degradation of the chromosomal ends following multiple rounds of replication.
Telomerase also called terminal transferase is a ribonucleoprotein polymerase that maintains telomere ends by addition of the telomere repeat TTAGGG. The enzyme consists of a protein component with reverse transcriptase activity, encoded by this gene, and an RNA component that serves as a template for the telomere repeat. Telomerase expression plays a role in cellular senescence, as it is normally repressed in postnatal somatic cells, resulting in progressive shortening of telomeres.
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