Telomeres are the protective genetic elements located at the ends of chromosomes and they are essential for correct chromosomal structure and function. During each round of replication, the enzyme telomerase is responsible for the maintenance of these chromosomal ends. This book:

• draws together contributions from an interdisciplinary and international group of specialists concerned with research on all aspects of telomeres and telomerase
• includes discussions of the genetic structure of telomeres, and the properties, roles and expression of telomerase
• discusses the importance of telomeres and telomerase in cancer and ageing, as well as in DNA repair

CONTENTS

The telomere and telomerase: how do they interact?
E. BLACKBURN, A. BHATTACHARYYA, D. GILLEY, K. KIRK, A. KRAUSKOPF, M. MCEACHERN, J. PRESCOTT and T. WARE

Telomerase and the chromosome end replication problem
T. R. CECH and J. LINGNER

Characterization of the role of the EST genes in yeast telomerase function
T. HUGHES, D. MORRIS, N. WALCOTT, C. NUGENT, A. SALINGER and V. LUNDBLAD

Drosophila telomere elongation
H. BIESSMANN, M. F. WALTER and J. M. MASON

A protein-counting mechanism for telomere length regulation in yeast
D. SHORE, S. MARCAND and D. WOTTON

Chromatin and telomeres in ageing in yeast and mammals
B. KENNEDY, N. AUSTRIACO, D. LOMBARD, K. MILLS, T. SMEAL, R. MARCINIAK, S. MA, D. SINCLAIR and L. GUARENTE

The limited reproductive life span of normal human cells in culture
S. SHALL

Human ageing and telomeres
C. B. HARLEY

Telomerase and cancer
J. W. SHAY

Mouse models for telomerase function in cancer
M. A. BLASCO, H.-W LEE, R. DEPINHO and C. W. GREIDER

Telomerase repressor genes. Do they exist? How do we find them?
R. F. NEWBOLD

The DNA-joining process
T. LINDAHL, A. KLUNGLAND, P. SCHÄR, V. MACKENNEY and D. E. BARNES

Telomeres in the haematopoietic system
P. M. LANSDORP

Other contributors
S. BACCHETTI, H. COOKE, S. GASSER, R. HOLLIDAY, F. ISHIKAWA, S. JACKSON, D. KIPLING, R. REDDEL, D. RHODES, G. ROOS, D. SHIPPEN and D. WYNFORD-THOMAS

ISBN 0471 97278 9