Telomere Syndromes: Molecular Mechanisms and Disease Implications

This lecture covers the molecular mechanisms underlying telomere syndromes, focusing on telomerase expression, end replication problems, telomere length during aging, defects in telomerase genes, and mouse models. It discusses the role of telomeres in Werner syndrome, the essential role of telomeres in pathogenesis, and the accelerated mortality in mice with WRN gene mutations. The lecture also explores the RecQ family of helicases, protein interactions, and methods for studying protein complexes. Various techniques such as coimmunoprecipitation, yeast 2-hybrid system, and biotin ligase fusion proteins are explained in detail.