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Kevin Curran

Miss Burke

Honors English 11

5/22/17

"Are Telomeres the Key to Aging and Cancer." Learn.Genetics. University of Utah, n.d. Web. 16

May 2017. http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/basics/telomeres/

Telomeres play a key role in the process of cell division, specifically when the DNA is

replicated. During this step of cell division, the DNA is split into two halves so that each

of the new cells has a template of the original strand of DNA, allowing for both cells to

build the DNA back into its original form. To begin the process of creating a new strand

of DNA from the template, a piece of RNA called a primer, which comes from the

original DNA, is used to start the process. However, this RNA does not attach to the very

end of the DNA resulting in some pairs of DNA being lost. The telomere is a section of

repeating pairs that do not do anything besides protect the important sections of DNA.

This also means that the telomeres would get shorter with each cell division, eventually

leading to the cells being unable to divide due to the lack of the telomeres. This aspect of

DNA allows for only a limited number of cell divisions to take place in individual cells.

Cancer cells, however, do not have this problem. This is because these cells produce an

enzyme called telomerase which rebuilds the telomeres after some of it is lost during
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DNA replication. This telomerase is the key to allowing the cancer cells to be able to

divide an infinite number of times.

"Genes, DNA and Cancer." Cancer Research UK. Cancer Research UK, 29 Oct. 2016. Web. 17

May 2017. http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/what-is-cancer/genes-dna-and-

cancer

Many of the mutations that occur in the DNA of a cell are usually not a significant issue.

Many of the time, the cells are able to find these mistakes in the DNA and correct it

before it becomes an issue. Even if the mutation is bad enough for the cell to be unable to

repair its DNA, it is usually able to self-destruct or be killed off by the immune system.

However, in the chance that any of these preventatives are unable to function correctly, or

the mutation happens at a certain place in the DNA, then it is possible that the cell will

become cancerous. One mutation that could take place where this would happen is where

the DNA tells the cell how fast to replicate. If this is not correct, then the cell will

continuously divide without stopping. Another place in the DNA that can cause

something like this is where the DNA instructs when to stop dividing. This being

incorrect causes the cells to divide without stopping, leading to cancer. If the error takes

place on the gene in the DNA that is responsible for repairing the DNA, error in the DNA

will build up, eventually leading to the chance of the cell becoming cancerous. The final

place in the DNA that can cause issues if something were to go wrong is the self-

destruct gene. When the cell becomes too old, or something goes wrong to the cell itself,
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the gene instructs the cells to die. If this gene is not working properly, the cell will not die

and will continue to live and multiply. These mutations can happen at any time, but they

are more likely to occur as a result of influences from the environment. These influences

include things such as smoking, pollution, or general drug use, but they can also be

something as simple as the sunlight or contracting the flu.

"Mutations and Disease." The Tech Museum of Innovation. Department of Genetics, Stanford

School of Medicine, n.d. Web. 18 May 2017. http://genetics.thetech.org/about-

genetics/mutations-and-disease

Mutations in our DNA that are not fixed are actually in every single living being on the

Earth. The moment that a lifeform is conceived, it receives some mutations from both of

the parents. Other mutations occur when the DNA is replicated during cell division.

These mutations, over time, create genetic diversity in a population, leading to an overall

healthier population. While many of these mutations can be helpful, others are harmful,

and others do absolutely nothing. This kind of mutation is called a silent mutation. It is

estimated that there are anywhere between five and ten potentially deadly genetic

mutations, but there is only a single copy of this gene, to it is not expressed. Some

diseases that result from DNA mutations are cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia, and Tay-

Sachs disease. While each of these diseases are very serious and can be detrimental to

ones health, they are recessive genetic disorders, meaning that they require both of the

parents to carry the disease for the child to have it. For reasons such as this, having

children with close relatives is strongly discouraged. Any genetic defect that both parents

have would be expressed even worse in the child. Some diseases only require a single
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gene from just one of the parents to be expressed in the child. These diseases are called

dominant genetic diseases for this reason.

"Single Gene Disorders." Single Gene Disorders. Genetic Science Learning Center, 15 Feb.

2014. Web. 18 May 2017. http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/disorders/singlegene/

There are many genetic disorders that are a result of mutated genes being passed down

from the parents. Some genetic disorders are cystic fibrosis, Huntingtons disease, and

Sickle Cell Disease. In cystic fibrosis, the gene that aids in moving salt in and out of the

cell does not work correctly. This causes a thick layer of mucus to be produced and stick

to the outsides of the cells. This is bad for a few different reasons. In the lung cells, the

airways where the air would pass through are clogged. There is also a higher chance of

infection around the areas. The mucus also blocks important enzymes from entering the

intestines from the pancreas. Cystic fibrosis also causes too much salt to be lost in sweat.

Huntingtons disease is a dominant gene disorder, meaning that just one copy of the gene

is required for it to be expressed in the organism. Huntingtons disease results in brain

cells to die off. This is because the molecule that brings things to the outside of the cell

does not function correctly. It also causes clumps of proteins to form in the brain, which

becomes toxic. People with Huntingtons disease lose more than a quarter of their brain

cells before they die. Sickle Cell Disease is a mutation that effects red blood cells.

Normal red blood cells are round and flexible so that they are able to fit through the

narrow capillaries, but Sickle Cell Disease causes the cells to become rigid and sickle-
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shaped. This causes the blood cells to become stuck in the narrow blood vessels, which

does not allow oxygen to go all throughout the body.

Skloot, Rebecca. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. New York: Broadway, 2017. Print.

Mutations in the DNA can cause cells to become cancerous, which would then divide and

multiply without any regulation. The Henrietta Lacks cancer cells are a result of one of these

genetic mutations. The mutation was caused from the HPV virus; which Henrietta was sick with.

The mutation in the DNA did a few different things. The cells with this mutated DNA in them

were able to divide an infinite number of times, since the cells now produced telomerase, which

would renew the telomeres each time the DNA divided. The cells also were now able to survive

in environments that a normal cell would never be able to survive in otherwise, which allowed

for the cells to survive the treatment that the doctors provided for Henrietta. Both of these new

characteristics that the genetic mutation provided allowed for the HeLa cells to be the perfect

candidate for being the first immortal cell line, a cell line that is able to survive and multiply, as

long as it is given the nutrients that they need to survive. Due to the nature of DNA mutations

being somewhat random in their outcomes, HeLa cells are still widely used today. However, the

cells have gone through so many generations that each of them may have separate and new

characteristics that the original cells did not have due to the mutations that are able to occur with

each time the cells divide.