Telomeres, Chromatids, Chromatin, Centromeres, Genes

Telomeres are an essential part of human cells that affect how our cells age. Telomeres are the caps at the end of each strand of DNA that protect our chromosomes, like the plastic tips at the end of shoelaces. Without the coating, shoelaces become frayed until they can no longer do their job, just as without telomeres, DNA strands become damaged and our cells can’t do their job. Centromere - the region of a chromosome to which the microtubules of the spindle attach, via the kinetochore, during cell division. Gene - a unit of heredity that is transferred from a parent to offspring and is held to determine some characteristic of the offspring. Chromatin - the material of which the chromosomes of organisms other than bacteria (i.e., eukaryotes) are composed. It consists of protein, RNA, and DNA. Chromatid - each of the two threadlike strands into which a chromosome divides longitudinally during cell division. Each contains a double helix of DNA. #telomeres #Genetics #DNA #chromosomes #kinetochore #microtubules #gene #eukaryotes #RNA