Analyzing the Eukaryotic Chromosome Essay

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Structural Elements of a Functional Eukaryotic Chromosome

The three essential structural elements of a functional eukaryotic chromosome are centromere, telomeres, and origins of replication. Centromere serves as the attachment point for the spindle fibers. A centromere is a region of DNA responsible for the movement of the replicated chromosomes into the two daughter cells during meiosis and mitosis. Joining the sister chromatids is one of the major functions of the centromere. The two copies of the replicated chromosome are referred to as sister chromatids, and they stay joined together until they are physically pulled into the two future daughter cells, which ensures that each daughter cell will receive exactly one copy of each chromosome. The second major function of the centromere is to attach the microtubules in the mitotic spindle. The centromere will direct the formation of the kinetochore. The kinetochore is a special protein structure that attaches to the microtubules in the mitotic spindle (Hennig, 2013). Telomeres are the natural ends of the linear eukaryotic chromosomes and they stabilize the ends of the chromosome. Telomeres are the caps at the end of each DNA strands that protect the chromosome from being damaged. If the DNA strands are damaged they will not be able to perform their job. Origin of replication is the sequence of DNA where replication of a chromosome is initiated.

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For small DNA's a single origin is enough, but for larger DNAs, there is need to have many origins and replication would be initiated in all of them. If replication was limited to a single origin, it would take too long to replicate the DNA mass.

Research has shown that telomeres shorten as an individual get older, which causes aging of the individual's cells. Numerous studies have been carried out that are aimed at learning more about telomeres, and there is new evidence being discovered regarding the role that telomeres play in the aging process. Telomeres are not only associated with aging, but also cancer and the risk of death. There is a direct correlation between chronic disease and telomeres. In terms of cancer, as cells begin to become cancerous they tend to divide more often and the telomeres become very short. Measuring telomerase may be a way for detecting cancer. If scientists can discover how to stop telomerase, there is a possibility of them being able to fight cancer by making cancer cells age….....

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