The Karlseder Lab focuses on understanding the functions of mammalian and nematode telomeres. Telomeres, the protein-DNA complexes at the ends of linear chromosomes, are crucial in DNA replication, tumor suppression, and aging. Every time a primary human cell divides its telomeres get shorter, until critically short telomeres lead to terminal cell cycle arrest. We believe that a better understanding of this telomere shortening process will lead to an ability to influence the aging process, and as a result to the restriction of cancer cell growth. Currently, we work on several aspects of telomere structure and function: