Telomere and Telomerase in Cancer: Recent Progress

Telomeres are specialized structures at the ends of all eukaryotic chromosomes and have special biological functions. They protect chromosomes from nucleolytic degradation, endto-end fusions, and to be recognized as damaged DNA. Telomeres also contribute to the functional organizations of the chromosomes within the nucleus, participate in the regulation of gene expression, and most importantly, they serve as a molecular clock that controls the replicative capacity of the cells (Allsopp et al., 1992; Bailey et al., 2006; Chan & Blackburn, 2004; Hahn, 2005; O’sullivan & Karlseder, 2010).