# STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF TELOMERES IN MAMMALIAN AGING

> **NIH NIH R01** · COLD SPRING HARBOR LABORATORY · 1991 · $261,773

## Abstract

Primary fibroblasts and other primary, untransformed cell types can
undertake only a limited number of cell doublings in vitro.  The number of
doublings is correlated with the age of the donor of the cells, and also
with the lifespan of the donor species.  It is possible that this in vitro
limit on cell doublings is the cause of organismal aging; however, the
cause of the limit on total cell doublings is entirely unknown.  We have
recently discovered that as human fibroblasts age, their chromosomal
telomeres get shorter and shorter, with no apparent limit to this
shortening.  It is possible that some chromosome ends lose all of their
functional telomeric sequences, and it is this loss that causes the
permanent cell cycle exit of senescent cells. Thus, telomere loss could be
the ultimate cause aging.  We plan to examine the structure and loss of
mammalian telomeres with aging, to investigate the mechanism of telomere
maintenance in germ cells and immortal cells, to isolate and characterize
human telomerase (the enzyme responsible for telomere maintenance), and to
try and see whether there is a cause-and-effect relationship between
telomere loss and aging.  Whether or not telomere loss is a cause of
cellular senescence, the experiments proposed will provide valuable
information on the structure and maintenance of human telomeres.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3121217
- **Project number:** 1R01AG009383-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** COLD SPRING HARBOR LABORATORY
- **SAM.gov UEI:** GV31TMFLPY88
- **Principal Investigator:** Carol W Greider
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1991
- **Award amount:** $261,773
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 1991-09-15 → 1996-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3121217

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3121217, STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF TELOMERES IN MAMMALIAN AGING (1R01AG009383-01A1). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3121217. Licensed CC0.

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