Cancer cells typically have longer telomeres than normal cells, which contributes to their ability to divide indefinitely. A) True B) False
Understand the Problem
The question is asking whether cancer cells have longer telomeres compared to normal cells, impacting their ability to divide indefinitely. This touches on topics related to cellular biology and the mechanisms of cancer.
Answer
False
The final answer is False
Answer for screen readers
The final answer is False
More Information
Cancer cells often maintain their ability to divide indefinitely through the action of telomerase, which prevents telomeres from shortening too much. However, cancer cells typically have shorter telomeres compared to normal cells, despite their indefinite division.
Tips
A common mistake is assuming that because cancer cells divide indefinitely, they must have longer telomeres. In fact, it's the activity of telomerase and other pathways that maintain telomere length sufficiently for survival, not an inherent lengthening.
Sources
- Role of telomeres and telomerase in cancer - PMC - PubMed Central - pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Are Telomeres the Key to Aging and Cancer - Learn Genetics Utah - learn.genetics.utah.edu
- Telomere Shortening, Aging, and Cancer - News-Medical - news-medical.net
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