Why are telomeres important in the context of cancer research?

Telomeres play a crucial role in maintaining the integrity of chromosomes and are important in the context of cancer research because they indicate cellular aging and limit cell division. Telomeres are repetitive nucleotide sequences located at the ends of chromosomes, and they protect chromosomes from deterioration or from fusion with neighboring chromosomes.

As cells divide, telomeres shorten, which eventually leads to a state known as replicative senescence, where the cell can no longer divide. This process acts as a natural barrier to uncontrolled cell proliferation, which is a hallmark of cancer. In many cancer cells, the normal shortening of telomeres does not occur, as they often activate an enzyme called telomerase that maintains or lengthens telomeres. This allows cancer cells to bypass the normal limits on cell division, contributing to tumor growth and progression.

Understanding the behavior of telomeres in cancer cells helps researchers develop potential therapeutic strategies that can target telomere maintenance mechanisms, making them an important area of study in cancer research.