Telomeres

Description

Telomeres are a component of Chromosomes of the Nucleus of Cells - the Telomere of each Chromosome is located at the distal end of a Chromosome’s arm.  Each Telomere is a set of repeated base pairs at the end of Chromosomes.  A human Telomere is about 9,000 base pairs long at conception.

Aging Process

 Telomeres are the mechanism by which the Genetic Theory of Aging governs the progression of the Aging Process (i.e. they are speculated to be the Molecular Clock of cellular aging):  ^[1]

 Each Cell is only capable of dividing from 60-100 times during its life.  Each time it divides, the Telomere section of the Chromosome is slightly shortened because Cells are unable to fully replicate the repeated DNA sequence of Telomeres.

 When the Telomere of a Cell reaches a certain shortened length, the Cell cease to replicate and dies.

 Telomere shortening at the end of chromosomes is the major mechanism of cellular senescence in Skin Aging.

Immune System

 Telomeres help to prevent Cancer (by ensuring that mutated Cells only replicate a maximum of 60 - 100 times before they die).