端粒酶是一种由ＲＮＡ和蛋白质组成的核糖核蛋白（ＲＮＰ）。它能够利用３’端粒作引物，以自身ＲＮＡ为模板来拷贝端粒ＤＮＡ序列并不断添加到染色体末端。其蛋白组分由多个亚基蛋白构成，对端粒酶活性的调控起着重要作用。目前，酵母、某些纤毛虫和人的端粒酶蛋白及其基因已相继提纯和克隆成功，端粒酶催化组分的研究也取得突破性进展。研究表明，端粒酶蛋白组分可能是一个潜在的抗肿瘤治疗的新靶点 Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein (RNP) consisting of RNA and proteins. It can use 3’ telomeres as primers, using its own RNA as a template to copy telomere DNA sequences and add it to the ends of chromosomes. Its protein component consists of multiple subunit proteins and plays an important role in the regulation of telomerase activity. At present, yeast, certain ciliates and human telomerase proteins and their genes have been successively purified and successfully cloned, and breakthroughs have also been made in the study of telomerase catalytic components. Studies show that telomerase protein components may be a potential new target for anti-tumor therapy