1. Telomerase Targets for Cancer Treatment

2. The ends of chromosomes DNA polymerase has trouble copying the tips of chromosomes- so why don’t we loose a little bit of information each time the cell replicates?

3. Telomeres- the ends of shoe laces http://www.indiamart.com/srivaishnavi/shoes- laces-cords-and-tapes.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Telomere_ca ps.gif

4. DNA cap The DNA that is lost each time is “useless” DNA- it is just repeating meaningless bases The length of this region keeps track of how old the cell is Once the telomere gets too short the cell is programmed- it knows- to die

5. Hayflick Limit A cell can only divide so many times before it dies In the lab we keep track of how many plates the cells have filled- we know when they’re getting old People had observed this and didn’t know why it happened

6. Telomerase Telomerase adds telomeres to the ends of chromosomes- keeping a cell line alive longer – A cell line is a family of cells that all came from a single parent cell Some people have speculated that it could turn back aging- why?

7. Cancer and telomerase What will be different about telomerase in cancer cells?