Gabriele Saretzki –Beyond Telomeres – Telomerase in Neuroplasticity and Neurodegenerative Disorders

The ends of chromosomes are called telomeres. In dividing cells a reverse transcriptase called telomerase adds a six-base DNA repeat to the telomeres thereby preventing their shortening. Telomere shortening occurs in proliferative tissues during aging and has been associated with a range of diseases. This led to the dogma that the only function of telomerase is to lengthen telomeres. In this episode Professor Gabriele Saretzki and I talk about our discoveries of non-telomeric functions of the telomerase protein in neurons including effects on gene expression mitochondria, and autophagy. We also talk about the potential of drugs that increase telomerase levels for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.