What happened in an experiment where normal cultured human cells were infected with a virus that carried DNA encoding for the telomerase catalytic subunit?

A) The cells underwent more cell divisions than normal.
B) The cells underwent fewer cell divisions than normal.
C) The cells died almost immediately.
D) The cells did not express the foreign telomerase gene.
E) The cell cycle shortened.

The introduction of the telomerase catalytic subunit into normal cultured human cells through a virus allows these cells to maintain their telomeres over time. Telomeres are the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes that shorten with each cell division. By maintaining telomere length, cells can undergo more divisions than they normally would, effectively bypassing the usual replicative senescence or "aging" process that limits cell division. This is why the cells underwent more cell divisions than normal.