Telomere



A telomere (, meaning "end" and from the root  meaning "part") is a region of the end of a chromosome composed of an unusual strecth of repeated sequences that together with certain specialized proteins, forms a cap. The telomere has two important functions. The first is to protecting the end of the chromosome from deterioration or from fusion with neighboring chromosomes. The second is that telomeres act as a specialized origin of replication allowing the cell to replicate the ends of the chromossomes.