IUBio

Telomerase Expression in Human Cells!

Damien Broderick damien at ariel.its.unimelb.edu.au
Tue Jan 5 18:54:25 EST 1999


Deacon Sweeney wrote:

> It's good to hear that the cells are still alive after 220+ generations.

No - look again:

> telomerase, now more than 220 generations past their normal life span
> of 75 to 80 divisions, remain young and vigorous.

They're now at around 300 divisions.  (Due, as Aubrey de Grey kindly 
explained to me offline, to the absence in vitro of contact inhibition, so 
the salience to in vivo avoidance of senescence is still unproved.  But at 
least their telomeres haven't packed in.)

BTW, my forthcoming book THE LAST MORTAL GENERATION (Sydney: New Holland) 
will go to printers in Australia next week, due out in February.  Good timing 
from Geron and Shay & Wright...  :)

Damien Broderick




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