Telomeres and Aging

The cessation of cell division is a key indicator of senescence and aging. The importance of telomerase for aging has been suggested by research on human cells grown in cell culture. Most human body cells (somatic cells) do not have active telomerase, so their telomeres shorten by about 100 base pairs each cell division.

When several kilobases of the telomeres are lost through successive replication cycles, cells stop dividing. On the other hand, active telomerase can make cells essentially immortal.