(tel'ŏ-mir‵, tēl' )

[ tel- + -mere ]

A repetitive segment of DNA found on the ends of chromosomes. With each mitotic division, parts of the telomeres of a chromosome are lost. A theory of cellular aging proposes that the telomeres act as a biological clock and that, when they are depleted, the cell dies or becomes much less active.

telomeric,

(tel‵ŏ-mer'ik )