Telomeres are located at the ends of chromosomes and have specific sequences with a distinctive structure that safeguards genes. They possess capping structures that protect chromosome ends from fusion events and ensure chromosome stability. Telomeres shorten in length during each cycle of cell division. When this length reaches a certain threshold, it can lead to genomic instability, thus being implicated in various diseases, including cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. The possibility of telomeres serving as a biomarker for aging and age-related disease is being explored, and their significance is still under study. This is because post-mitotic cells, which are mature cells that do not undergo mitosis, do not experience telomere shortening due to age. Instead, other causes, for example, exposure to oxidative stress, can directly damage the telomeres, causing genomic instability. Nonetheless, a general agreement has been established that measuring telomere length offers valuable insights and forms a crucial foundation for analyzing gene expression and epigenetic data. Numerous approaches have been developed to accurately measure telomere lengths. In this review, we summarize various methods and their advantages and limitations for assessing telomere length.

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评估端粒长度的技术：方法学回顾

端粒位于染色体末端，具有保护基因的独特结构的特定序列。它们具有保护染色体末端免受融合事件影响并确保染色体稳定性的加帽结构。在细胞分裂的每个周期中，端粒的长度都会缩短。当这个长度达到一定阈值时，就会导致基因组不稳定，从而与多种疾病有关，包括癌症和神经退行性疾病。端粒作为衰老和年龄相关疾病生物标志物的可能性正在探索中，其意义仍在研究中。这是因为有丝分裂后细胞（不经历有丝分裂的成熟细胞）不会因年龄而经历端粒缩短。相反，其他原因，例如暴露于氧化应激，可以直接损害端粒，导致基因组不稳定。尽管如此，人们普遍认为测量端粒长度可以提供有价值的见解，并为分析基因表达和表观遗传数据奠定重要基础。已经开发了许多方法来准确测量端粒长度。在这篇综述中，我们总结了评估端粒长度的各种方法及其优点和局限性。