Answer to Question #143661 in Genetics for Roshelle

Question

One of the chromosome in a nucleus has a telomere which contains many repeats of the base sequence TTAGGG.
This chromosome was extracted from four different cells and the total number of bases in the telomere was determined.
Which total number of bases was found in the cell that had gone undergone the most mitotic divisions

Answer 1

The largest number of times mammalian cells can divide is 40-60, known as the Hayflick limit or replicative aging .If replication will occur in accordance with the generally accepted scheme, then in each cycle the DNA should be shortened by the length of the RNA primer, i.e. by 10-20 nucleotides.The total number of bases found in the cell that has undergone the largest number of mitotic divisions will be approximately 40*10=400 nucleotides less.