Patent ID: 7091021

Claim:
A polypeptide encoded by DNA that hybridizes to the sequence complementary to SEQ. ID NO:1 at 5° C. to 25° C. below T m in aqueous solution at 1 M NaCl, wherein T m is the melting temperature of double-stranded DNA having the sequence of SEQ. ID NO:1 under the same reaction conditions; wherein said polypeptide has one or more of the following deletions: a) residues 560–565, b) residues 930–934, c) at least 10 consecutive amino acids from residues 326–415, d) at least 10 consecutive amino acids from residues 637–660, e) at least 10 consecutive amino acids from residues 748–766, f) at least 10 consecutive amino acids from residues 1055–1071, or g) at least 10 consecutive amino acids from residues 1084–1116 of SEQ. ID NO:2; and wherein said polypeptide inhibits telomerase enzyme activity when introduced into a cell expressing human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTRT) (SEQ. ID NO:2).