Telomeres in the mouse have large inter-chromosomal variations in the number of T(2)AG(3) repeats

The ultra-long telomeres that have been observed in mice are not in accordance with the concept that critical telomere shortening is related to aging and immortalization. Here, we have used quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization to estimate (T(2)AG(3))(n) lengths of individual telomeres in various mouse strains. Telomere lengths were very heterogeneous, but specific chromosomes of bone marrow cells and skin fibroblasts from individual mice had similar telomere lengths. We estimate that the shortest telomeres are around 10 kb in length, indicating that each mouse cell has a few telomeres with (T(2)AG(3))(n) lengths within the range of human telomeres. These short telomeres may be critical in limiting the replicative potential of murine cells.