A Theoretical Model of Telomere Length Regulation

Telomere length is maintained by a negative feedback mechanism that inhibits the telomerase activity when the telomere is sufficiently long. A prevailing explanation is that the negative feedback is caused by a mechanism that \"counts\" the number of regulatory protein molecules that are bound to the telomere. However, how such protein counting is accomplished is not clear. In this paper, I introduce a simple theoretical model to consider how the telomerase inhibition can depend on the telomere length. I show that this model is able to explain some key features of regulation of telomere length. While the real telomeres are more complex, this simple model may capture the essence of the mechanism.