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jessttscience.bsky.social
Jess Translating Science
@jessttscience.bsky.social
13 followers 6 following 14 posts
We highlight and translate science for both scientists and any science lover. We hope to make science more visible & more accessible for all backgrounds!

Website: https://jesstranslatingscience.com
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jessttscience.bsky.social
What roles do telomerase and DNA G-Quadruplexes play in #cancer? This figure can help show you!

Last week, I presented my #scicomm talk for my PhD research again, this time to actual high schoolers! Thus, I wanted to reshare my favorite infographic I created.

#cancerresearch #sciencecommunication
Normally, as cells decide, the ends of chromosomes get shorter until they reach a critical length that triggers cell death. In cancer cells, telomerase becomes activated and keeps chromosome ends long. Because of this, cells would then divide indefinitely, rendering them immortal. This is bad because with this, cells can clump together and form tumors which are hallmarks of cancer. But when when quadruplexes form at the chromosome ends, and when ligands bind to and keep the quadruplexes stable, quadruplexes can block telomerase from interacting with the DNA, thus stopping telomerase activity. Chromosome ends are allowed to shorten again, thus restoring the signal for cell death and preventing further tumor progression and growth.
August 18, 2025 at 7:56 PM