| The telomere, we now know, acts as a sort of molecular clock, allowing a cell to keep track of divisions and hence of its lifespan. |
| Such a widespread conservation of telomeric silencing among eukaryotes suggests that it is fundamental to telomere function. |
| This ancestral telomeric element has evolved to optimize telomere maintenance. |
| All transfectants lacked detectable telomerase activity, showed progressive telomere shortening and ultimately arrested and died. |
| Which chromosomes have the shortest telomeres depends only on telomere length in the original parent mice. |
| It is known that induction of telomere shortening leads to the extinction of yeast clones similar to a senescent phenotype. |
