Final answer:
The enzyme known as telomerase is responsible for adding telomeric ends to chromosomes, using an RNA template to maintain telomere length and protect the genetic material.
Step-by-step explanation:
The RNA containing enzyme that participates in the addition of the telomeric ends of the chromosome is known as telomerase. This enzyme is crucial in maintaining the length of telomeres, which are the DNA at the end of linear chromosomes. Telomerase is unique as it contains both a catalytic part and an inbuilt RNA template. The enzyme functions by attaching to the end of the chromosome, where it uses its RNA as a template to add DNA nucleotides to the 3' overhang at the end of the chromosome.
Telomere replication is a significant process, especially considering that during DNA replication, the lagging strand cannot be completed all the way to the end, which would lead to a gradual shortening of the chromosome with each cell division. By elongating the telomeres, telomerase ensures that the chromosomes maintain their integrity.
In humans, the telomere sequence TTAGGG is repeated hundreds to thousands of times, and the action of telomerase in lengthening telomeric DNA helps to protect the genetic material over time. The discovery of telomerase and its mechanism of action was so fundamental to our understanding of chromosome replication and stability that it led to a Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology in 2009 awarded to Elizabeth Blackburn.