13 - Christmas and Carol

Summary

Human DNA is packed into forty-six chromosomes inside the cells of our body. At each end of the chromosome are the so-called telomeres: if the chromosome is a shoelace, the telomeres would be the protective plastic ends at the end of the shoelace. Cell divisions are essential to life, and they continuously take place in our body. However, the more the cell divides, the more telomeres are shortened, and the more the cell ages. In return, an enzyme called telomerase ‘rebuilds’ the telomeres, thus restoring the protection of the chromosome and delaying cellular senescence. The relationship between telomeres and telomerase is a delicate equilibrium. You won the Nobel Prize in 2009 for the discovery of ‘how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase’.