J Exp Zool B Mol Dev Evol 2003 Feb 15;2951:82-6. doi: 10.1002/jez.b.7.

Telomerase activity is widespread in adult somatic tissues of Xenopus.

???displayArticle.abstract???
Chromosome ends, or telomeres, are maintained by telomerase. Work in selected vertebrates has implied that telomerase is often repressed in differentiated cells, and telomere erosion results in senescence of cultured cells. Tissues from mature Xenopus laevis frogs were examined for telomerase enzymatic activity with the TRAP (telomere repeat amplification protocol) assay. All tissues contained active telomerase, most abundantly in testis, spleen, liver, and embryos; activity was less abundant but still readily detectable with < 100 ng of protein extract from brain and muscle tissues. Activity in somatic tissues of the diploid Xenopus tropicalis suggests this condition is not limited to the polyploid members of the genus, and that extensive differentiation-linked telomerase repression does not occur in Xenopus.

???displayArticle.pubmedLink??? 12548544
???displayArticle.link??? J Exp Zool B Mol Dev Evol


Species referenced: Xenopus tropicalis Xenopus laevis
Genes referenced: tert