端粒是线性染色体末端的核蛋白“帽子”结构, 其长度由端粒酶来维持。端粒对于维持基因组的稳定、防止细胞衰老和肿瘤发生具有重要的作用。鸡是遗传和发育研究的经典模式动物, 随着鸡基因组学研究的不断深入, 鸡的端粒和端粒酶研究取得了很大进展。文章综述了近年来鸡的端粒生物学研究进展, 并提出了未来的研究方向。
Telomeres, the nucleoprotein “caps” protecting the ends of linear chromosomes, are maintained by telomerase. Telomeres have important roles in maintaining genomic stability and preventing senescence or oncogenesis. Chicken is a classical model animal for genetic and developmental studies. With further development of chicken genomics, great progress has been made in research of chicken telomere and telomerase. This review describes recent advances and future research directions in chicken telomere biology.
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