What cellular feature allows for indefinite cell division and may contribute to cancer cell survival?

The correct answer is telomerase, which is an enzyme that adds repetitive nucleotide sequences to the ends of chromosomes, known as telomeres. Telomeres serve as protective caps that prevent the degradation of genetic material during cell division. As normal somatic cells divide, their telomeres shorten, which eventually leads to cellular senescence or apoptosis when telomeres become critically short.

However, in certain cells, such as stem cells and many cancer cells, telomerase is active. This enzyme replenishes the telomere length, allowing these cells to avoid the normal limits on cell division. Cancer cells often manipulate this mechanism to achieve indefinite cell division, contributing to tumor growth and survival. The reactivation of telomerase allows these cells to bypass the typical signal for cell aging and death, granting them a significant advantage in proliferation.

Other options like centromeres, histones, and ribosomes play crucial roles in cell division and genetic organization, but they do not directly facilitate indefinite cell division or contribute to the survival of cancer cells in the way telomerase does. Centromeres are essential for the separation of chromosomes during mitosis, histones are involved in DNA packaging and regulation, and ribosomes are needed for protein synthesis,