Blasco Lab Profile

Research Focus:

The protein counting model for telomere length regulation

The telomere length of telomere-positive cells is maintained at a constant mean value. The cellular determination of the mean number of telomeric repeats is best represented by the so-called counting mechanism, that is the ability of the cell to retain the “memory” of the number of telomeric repeats corresponding to a constant mean value. An excess of specific proteins (e.g. Rap1 in budding yeast and TRF1 in human cells) bound to a telomere causes repression of telomerase activity in cis, thereby creating a negative feedback loop that contributes to the setting of telomere length.

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