TERT and cancer: We also quantified the expression of genes with key functions in telomere maintenance, including those encoding the following: telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), which mediates the addition of nucleotides in a TTAGG sequence to telomeres; telomerase Cajal body protein 1 (TCAB1), required for telomere trafficking and synthesis in cancer cells; telomerase-binding protein EST1A; and telomere length regulation protein TEL2, using bacteriocyte transcriptome sequencing data of both nymphs and adults [4, 13].