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Updated: Jul 9, 2026

Telomere Length and Telomerase Activity; A Yin and Yang of Cell Senescence
Published on: May 22, 2013
Telomere length inheritance and aging
Dennis Kappei1, J Arturo Londoño-Vallejo
1Telomeres & Cancer Laboratory, UMR7147, Institut Curie-CNRS-UPMC, 26 rue d'Ulm, 75248 Paris Cedex 05, France.
Abstract:
Telomere shortening accompanies human aging, and premature aging syndromes are often associated with short telomeres. These two observations are central to the hypothesis that telomere length directly influences longevity. If true, genetically determined mechanisms of telomere length homeostasis should significantly contribute to variations of longevity in the human population. On the other hand, telomere shortening is also observed in the course of many aging-associated disorders but determining whether it is a cause or a consequence is not an easy task. Here, we review the most relevant experimental and descriptive data relating telomere length, as a quantitative trait, to aging and longevity.
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