What Evidence Is There That Telomerase Activity Is Necessary for Long-Term

question 42

Essay

What evidence is there that telomerase activity is necessary for long-term cell viability?

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Definitions:

Genetic Drift

Random fluctuations in the frequencies of alleles within a population due to chance events.

Natural Selection

A process by which species adapt to their environment as individuals with traits conducive to survival and reproduction pass those traits to their offspring.

Nonsynonymous Mutation

A type of nucleotide substitution in a gene sequence that leads to the coding of a different amino acid, potentially altering the function of the protein.

Synonymous Mutation

A genetic mutation that does not alter the amino acid sequence of a protein due to the redundancy of the genetic code, often considered silent mutations.