Individual cells do not survive for the entire lifetime of an organism because
A) the enzyme telomerase is readily destroyed by the environment,resulting in cell death.
B) DNA replication is subject to errors that cause cell death.
C) Okazaki fragments disrupt protein synthesis,resulting in cell death.
D) the repeating telomeric sequence of TTAGGG interferes with normal DNA replication and leads to cell death.
E) the removal of the RNA primer following DNA replication leads to a shortening of the chromosome and eventual cell death.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The removal of the RNA primer during DNA replication results in the shortening of chromosomes because the DNA polymerase cannot fill in the gap left by the primer at the end of the lagging strand. This leads to progressive shortening of telomeres, eventually causing cell death when they become too short.

Individual Cells Do Not Survive for the Entire Lifetime of an Organism