Since human lifespan is closely related to cell division and proliferation, if cells could live forever, could humans achieve immortality? At first glance, this approach seems feasible. However, human body cells maintain life through a constant cycle of death and regeneration. Even if some cells could achieve immortality, they would be a tiny minority. These rare immortal cells would unscrupulously occupy the territory of other normal cells, steal their nutrients, and ultimately destroy other cells. Such cells are cancer cells, which will eventually take human lives!
In 1951, an immortal cell was discovered in the uterus of a 31-year-old American woman. However, these cells soon claimed her life, and they were named HeLa cells. Sixty years later, HeLa cells still reproduce at a rate of one generation every 24 hours, constantly dividing and proliferating. Many laboratories around the world preserve HeLa cells and use them as model cells for cancer research, helping humanity fight against cancer.
Why are HeLa cells immortal? The mystery has now been solved. The secret lies in the fact that the "life clock" of these cells always points to the "origin", meaning that the division of HeLa cells does not accompany the shortening of "telomeres". Why does this happen? Three American scientists, Blackburn, Greider, and Szostak, found the answer. They discovered that HeLa cells achieve immortality through a combination of RNA and protein, which is formally called "telomerase". Although telomeres shorten slightly with each cell division, telomerase immediately replenishes them. Because telomerase can automatically maintain the length of telomeres, many biologists refer to telomerase as the "immortality enzyme".