Final answer:
The given statement is false because DNA polymerase adds nucleotides to the 3' end of the growing strand. Telomeres do shorten after each round of DNA replication, but an enzyme called telomerase can extend these ends in certain cell types to avoid the loss of essential genomic information.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement in the question is false, as DNA polymerase adds nucleotides to the 3' end of the growing strand, not the 5' end as mentioned. Telomeres, which are the repetitive DNA sequences at the ends of the eukaryotic chromosomes, do shorten after each round of DNA replication due to this limitation of DNA polymerase.
The DNA replication process is asymmetric, involving a leading and a lagging strand. DNA polymerase synthesizes new DNA by adding nucleotides to the 3' end of the growing strand. The leading strand is synthesized continuously, but the lagging strand is synthesized in short segments, known as Okazaki fragments, each of which starts with a primer. As the replication fork reaches the end of a linear chromosome, there is no way to replicate the very end of the lagging strand, as there is no place for a new primer. This results in the telomeres being slightly shorter after each cell division.
The enzyme telomerase helps to manage this shortening by adding repetitive nucleotide sequences to the ends of the chromosomes in certain cell types, like germ cells and stem cells, using an RNA template that it carries. Without telomerase, the progressive shortening of telomeres can lead to senescence or aging of the cell.