51
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de Magalhães JP. Distinguishing between driver and passenger mechanisms of aging. Nat Genet 2024; 56:204-211. [PMID: 38242993 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-023-01627-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2024]
Abstract
Understanding why we age is a long-standing question, and many mechanistic theories of aging have been proposed. Owing to limitations in studying the aging process, including a lack of adequate quantitative measurements, its mechanistic basis remains a subject of debate. Here, I explore theories of aging from the perspective of causal relationships. Many aging-related changes have been observed and touted as drivers of aging, including molecular changes in the genome, telomeres, mitochondria, epigenome and proteins and cellular changes affecting stem cells, the immune system and senescent cell buildup. Determining which changes are drivers and not passengers of aging remains a challenge, however, and I discuss how animal models and human genetic studies have been used empirically to infer causality. Overall, our understanding of the drivers of human aging is still inadequate; yet with a global aging population, elucidating the causes of aging has the potential to revolutionize biomedical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- João Pedro de Magalhães
- Genomics of Ageing and Rejuvenation Lab, Institute of Inflammation and Ageing, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
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52
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Allen NE, Lacey B, Lawlor DA, Pell JP, Gallacher J, Smeeth L, Elliott P, Matthews PM, Lyons RA, Whetton AD, Lucassen A, Hurles ME, Chapman M, Roddam AW, Fitzpatrick NK, Hansell AL, Hardy R, Marioni RE, O’Donnell VB, Williams J, Lindgren CM, Effingham M, Sellors J, Danesh J, Collins R. Prospective study design and data analysis in UK Biobank. Sci Transl Med 2024; 16:eadf4428. [PMID: 38198570 PMCID: PMC11127744 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adf4428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Population-based prospective studies, such as UK Biobank, are valuable for generating and testing hypotheses about the potential causes of human disease. We describe how UK Biobank's study design, data access policies, and approaches to statistical analysis can help to minimize error and improve the interpretability of research findings, with implications for other population-based prospective studies being established worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naomi E Allen
- UK Biobank Ltd, Stockport, UK
- Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Ben Lacey
- UK Biobank Ltd, Stockport, UK
- Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Deborah A Lawlor
- Population Health Science, Bristol Medical School University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Jill P Pell
- School of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Scotland
| | - John Gallacher
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Dementias Platform UK, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Liam Smeeth
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Paul Elliott
- MRC Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
- NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Chemical Radiation Threats and Hazards, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Paul M Matthews
- UK Dementia Research Centre Institute and Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Ronan A Lyons
- Population Data Science, Swansea University Medical School, Swansea, Wales
| | - Anthony D Whetton
- Veterinary Health Innovation Engine, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
| | - Anneke Lucassen
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Faculty of Medicine, Southampton University, Southampton, UK
| | - Matthew E Hurles
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | | | | | | | - Anna L Hansell
- Centre for Environmental Health and Sustainability, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Rebecca Hardy
- School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK
| | - Riccardo E Marioni
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland
| | | | - Julie Williams
- UK Dementia Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales
| | - Cecilia M Lindgren
- Big Data Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Information and Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | | | - John Danesh
- British Heart Foundation Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Health Data Research UK Cambridge, Wellcome Genome Campus and University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- National Institute for Health Research Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals, Cambridge, UK
| | - Rory Collins
- UK Biobank Ltd, Stockport, UK
- Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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53
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Wang D, Li C, Zhang X, Li Y, He J, Guo X. Leukocyte telomere length and sarcopenia-related traits: A bidirectional Mendelian randomization study. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0296063. [PMID: 38166034 PMCID: PMC10760921 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0296063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Accumulating evidence indicated that leukocyte telomere length (LTL) was related to sarcopenia. However, it is still not clear whether the association of changes in LTL with sarcopenia is likely to be causal, or could be explained by reverse causality. Thus, we carried on bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) and multivariable MR analyses to identify the causal relationship between LTL and sarcopenia-related traits. Summary-level data and independent variants used as instruments came from large genome-wide association studies of LTL (472,174 participants), appendicular lean mass (450,243 participants), low grip strength (256,523 participants), and walking pace (450,967 participants). We identified suggestive association of longer LTL with larger appendicular lean mass [odds ratio (OR) = 1.053; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.009-1.099; P = 0.018], and causal association of longer LTL with a lower risk of low grip strength (OR = 0.915; 95% CI, 0.860-0.974; P = 0.005). In the reverse MR analysis, we also observed a positive causal association between walking pace and LTL (OR = 1.252; 95% CI, 1.121-1.397; P < 0.001). Similar results can be repeated in sensitivity analyses. While in the multivariable MR analysis, the estimate of the impact of walking pace on LTL underwent a transformation after adjusting for T2DM (OR = 1.141; 95%CI: 0.989-1.317; P = 0.070). The current MR analysis supported a causal relationship between shorter telomere length and both low muscle mass and strength. Additionally, walking pace may affect LTL through T2DM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dingkun Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China
| | - Chenhao Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xinwen Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yihao Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China
| | - Junhua He
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoming Guo
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
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Wang W, Huang N, Zhuang Z, Song Z, Li Y, Dong X, Xiao W, Zhao Y, Jia J, Liu Z, Qi L, Huang T. Identifying Potential Causal Effects of Telomere Length on Health Outcomes: A Phenome-Wide Investigation and Mendelian Randomization Study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2024; 79:glad128. [PMID: 37209418 DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glad128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Telomere length has been linked to various health outcomes. To comprehensively investigate the causal effects of telomere length throughout the human disease spectrum, we conducted a phenome-wide Mendelian randomization study (MR-PheWAS) and a systematic review of MR studies. METHODS We conducted a PheWAS to screen for associations between telomere length and 1 035 phenotypes in the UK Biobank (n = 408 354). The exposure of interest was the genetic risk score (GRS) of telomere length. Observed associations passing multiple testing corrections were assessed for causality by 2-sample MR analysis. A systematic review of MR studies on telomere length was performed to harmonize the published evidence and complement our findings. RESULTS Of the 1 035 phenotypes tested, PheWAS identified 29 and 78 associations of telomere length GRS at a Bonferroni- and false discovery rate-corrected threshold; 24 and 66 distinct health outcomes were causal in the following principal MR analysis. The replication MR using data from the FinnGen study provided evidence of causal effects of genetically instrumented telomere length on 28 out of 66 outcomes, including decreased risks of 5 diseases in respiratory diseases, digestive diseases, and myocardial infarction, and increased risks of 23 diseases, mainly comprised neoplasms, diseases of the genitourinary system, and essential hypertension. A systematic review of 53 MR studies found evidence to support 16 out of the 66 outcomes. CONCLUSIONS This large-scale MR-PheWAS identified a wide range of health outcomes that were possibly affected by telomere length, and suggested that susceptibility to telomere length may vary across disease categories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenxiu Wang
- Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Ninghao Huang
- Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhenhuang Zhuang
- Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Zimin Song
- Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yueying Li
- Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Xue Dong
- Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Wendi Xiao
- Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yimin Zhao
- Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Jinzhu Jia
- Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhonghua Liu
- Department of Biostatistics, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Lu Qi
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Tao Huang
- Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Epidemiology of Major Diseases (Peking University), Ministry of Education, Beijing, China
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55
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Chang Y, Zhou Y, Zhou J, Li W, Cao J, Jing Y, Zhang S, Shen Y, Lin Q, Fan X, Yang H, Dong X, Zhang S, Yi X, Shuai L, Shi L, Liu Z, Yang J, Ma X, Hao J, Chen K, Li MJ, Wang F, Huang D. Unraveling the causal genes and transcriptomic determinants of human telomere length. Nat Commun 2023; 14:8517. [PMID: 38129441 PMCID: PMC10739845 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44355-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomere length (TL) shortening is a pivotal indicator of biological aging and is associated with many human diseases. The genetic determinates of human TL have been widely investigated, however, most existing studies were conducted based on adult tissues which are heavily influenced by lifetime exposure. Based on the analyses of terminal restriction fragment (TRF) length of telomere, individual genotypes, and gene expressions on 166 healthy placental tissues, we systematically interrogate TL-modulated genes and their potential functions. We discover that the TL in the placenta is comparatively longer than in other adult tissues, but exhibiting an intra-tissue homogeneity. Trans-ancestral TL genome-wide association studies (GWASs) on 644,553 individuals identify 20 newly discovered genetic associations and provide increased polygenic determination of human TL. Next, we integrate the powerful TL GWAS with placental expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) mapping to prioritize 23 likely causal genes, among which 4 are functionally validated, including MMUT, RRM1, KIAA1429, and YWHAZ. Finally, modeling transcriptomic signatures and TRF-based TL improve the prediction performance of human TL. This study deepens our understanding of causal genes and transcriptomic determinants of human TL, promoting the mechanistic research on fine-grained TL regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Chang
- Tianjin Key Lab of Human Development and Reproductive Regulation, Tianjin Central Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Yao Zhou
- Department of Bioinformatics, The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Junrui Zhou
- Department of Genetics and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shanghai Children's Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wen Li
- Tianjin Key Lab of Human Development and Reproductive Regulation, Tianjin Central Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Jiasong Cao
- Tianjin Key Lab of Human Development and Reproductive Regulation, Tianjin Central Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Yaqing Jing
- Department of Genetics and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Shan Zhang
- Department of Genetics and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Yongmei Shen
- Tianjin Key Lab of Human Development and Reproductive Regulation, Tianjin Central Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Qimei Lin
- Tianjin Key Lab of Human Development and Reproductive Regulation, Tianjin Central Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Xutong Fan
- Department of Bioinformatics, The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Hongxi Yang
- Department of Bioinformatics, The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
- Department of Pharmacology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Inflammation Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Xiaobao Dong
- Department of Genetics and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Shijie Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Inflammation Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Xianfu Yi
- Department of Bioinformatics, The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Ling Shuai
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy, Tianjin Central Hospital of Gynecology Obstetrics/Tianjin Key Laboratory of Human Development and Reproductive Regulation, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Lei Shi
- Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Zhe Liu
- Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Jie Yang
- Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Xin Ma
- Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
| | - Jihui Hao
- Department of Pancreatic Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Kexin Chen
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Cancer Epidemiology, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Mulin Jun Li
- Department of Bioinformatics, The Province and Ministry Co-sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Cancer Epidemiology, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
| | - Feng Wang
- Department of Genetics and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
- Tianjin Medical University School of Stomatology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
- Department of Geriatrics, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital; Tianjin Geriatrics Institute, Tianjin, China.
| | - Dandan Huang
- Department of Pharmacology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Inflammation Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
- Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.
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Cacic AM, Schulz FI, Germing U, Dietrich S, Gattermann N. Molecular and clinical aspects relevant for counseling individuals with clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1303785. [PMID: 38162500 PMCID: PMC10754976 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1303785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) has fascinated the medical community for some time. Discovered about a decade ago, this phenomenon links age-related alterations in hematopoiesis not only to the later development of hematological malignancies but also to an increased risk of early-onset cardiovascular disease and some other disorders. CHIP is detected in the blood and is characterized by clonally expanded somatic mutations in cancer-associated genes, predisposing to the development of hematologic neoplasms such as MDS and AML. CHIP-associated mutations often involve DNA damage repair genes and are frequently observed following prior cytotoxic cancer therapy. Genetic predisposition seems to be a contributing factor. It came as a surprise that CHIP significantly elevates the risk of myocardial infarction and stroke, and also contributes to heart failure and pulmonary hypertension. Meanwhile, evidence of mutant clonal macrophages in vessel walls and organ parenchyma helps to explain the pathophysiology. Besides aging, there are some risk factors promoting the appearance of CHIP, such as smoking, chronic inflammation, chronic sleep deprivation, and high birth weight. This article describes fundamental aspects of CHIP and explains its association with hematologic malignancies, cardiovascular disorders, and other medical conditions, while also exploring potential progress in the clinical management of affected individuals. While it is important to diagnose conditions that can lead to adverse, but potentially preventable, effects, it is equally important not to stress patients by confronting them with disconcerting findings that cannot be remedied. Individuals with diagnosed or suspected CHIP should receive counseling in a specialized outpatient clinic, where professionals from relevant medical specialties may help them to avoid the development of CHIP-related health problems. Unfortunately, useful treatments and clinical guidelines for managing CHIP are still largely lacking. However, there are some promising approaches regarding the management of cardiovascular disease risk. In the future, strategies aimed at restoration of gene function or inhibition of inflammatory mediators may become an option.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Maria Cacic
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Clinical Immunology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Düsseldorf (CIO ABCD), Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Felicitas Isabel Schulz
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Clinical Immunology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Düsseldorf (CIO ABCD), Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Ulrich Germing
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Clinical Immunology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Düsseldorf (CIO ABCD), Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Sascha Dietrich
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Clinical Immunology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Düsseldorf (CIO ABCD), Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Norbert Gattermann
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Clinical Immunology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Düsseldorf (CIO ABCD), Düsseldorf, Germany
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Luo X, Ruan Z, Liu L. Causal relationship between telomere length and epilepsy: A bidirectional Mendelian randomization study. Epilepsia Open 2023; 8:1432-1439. [PMID: 37593897 PMCID: PMC10690705 DOI: 10.1002/epi4.12817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Observational studies have suggested a link between telomere length (TL) and epilepsy, but the direction of the effect and whether it is causal or not is still being debated. The objective of this study was to investigate the causal relationship between TL and epilepsy using Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. METHODS We performed a bidirectional two-sample MR analysis using pooled statistics from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of TL and epilepsy. Additionally, we conducted a replication analysis using data from another GWAS study on epilepsy to validate our findings. The final results were analyzed using five MR methods, with the inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method as the primary outcome. We applied methods such as radial MR, MR pleiotropy residual and outlier test and MR Steiger filters to exclude outliers. Sensitivity analyses were also conducted to assess heterogeneity and pleiotropy. RESULTS Our analysis found no evidence of a causal relationship between epilepsy and TL (all p-values >0.05). The sensitivity analysis confirms the robustness of these results. SIGNIFICANCE In summary, our study contradicts existing observational reports by not finding any evidence to support a causal relationship between epilepsy and TL. Further research is necessary to determine the underlying mechanism behind the association observed in observational studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinxin Luo
- Jiangxi Provincial People's Hospital and The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang Medical CollegeNanchangChina
| | - Zhichao Ruan
- Beijing University of Chinese MedicineBeijingChina
| | - Ling Liu
- Jiangxi Provincial People's Hospital and The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang Medical CollegeNanchangChina
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58
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Stacey SN, Zink F, Halldorsson GH, Stefansdottir L, Gudjonsson SA, Einarsson G, Hjörleifsson G, Eiriksdottir T, Helgadottir A, Björnsdottir G, Thorgeirsson TE, Olafsdottir TA, Jonsdottir I, Gretarsdottir S, Tragante V, Magnusson MK, Jonsson H, Gudmundsson J, Olafsson S, Holm H, Gudbjartsson DF, Sulem P, Helgason A, Thorsteinsdottir U, Tryggvadottir L, Rafnar T, Melsted P, Ulfarsson MÖ, Vidarsson B, Thorleifsson G, Stefansson K. Genetics and epidemiology of mutational barcode-defined clonal hematopoiesis. Nat Genet 2023; 55:2149-2159. [PMID: 37932435 PMCID: PMC10703693 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-023-01555-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/08/2023]
Abstract
Clonal hematopoiesis (CH) arises when a substantial proportion of mature blood cells is derived from a single hematopoietic stem cell lineage. Using whole-genome sequencing of 45,510 Icelandic and 130,709 UK Biobank participants combined with a mutational barcode method, we identified 16,306 people with CH. Prevalence approaches 50% in elderly participants. Smoking demonstrates a dosage-dependent impact on risk of CH. CH associates with several smoking-related diseases. Contrary to published claims, we find no evidence that CH is associated with cardiovascular disease. We provide evidence that CH is driven by genes that are commonly mutated in myeloid neoplasia and implicate several new driver genes. The presence and nature of a driver mutation alters the risk profile for hematological disorders. Nevertheless, most CH cases have no known driver mutations. A CH genome-wide association study identified 25 loci, including 19 not implicated previously in CH. Splicing, protein and expression quantitative trait loci were identified for CD164 and TCL1A.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Gisli H Halldorsson
- deCODE genetics/Amgen Inc., Reykjavik, Iceland
- School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Thorunn A Olafsdottir
- deCODE genetics/Amgen Inc., Reykjavik, Iceland
- Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - Ingileif Jonsdottir
- deCODE genetics/Amgen Inc., Reykjavik, Iceland
- Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
- Department of Immunology, Landspitali University Hospital, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | | | | | - Magnus K Magnusson
- deCODE genetics/Amgen Inc., Reykjavik, Iceland
- Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | | | | | | | - Hilma Holm
- deCODE genetics/Amgen Inc., Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - Daniel F Gudbjartsson
- deCODE genetics/Amgen Inc., Reykjavik, Iceland
- School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | | | - Agnar Helgason
- deCODE genetics/Amgen Inc., Reykjavik, Iceland
- Department of Anthropology, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - Unnur Thorsteinsdottir
- deCODE genetics/Amgen Inc., Reykjavik, Iceland
- Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | | | | | - Pall Melsted
- deCODE genetics/Amgen Inc., Reykjavik, Iceland
- School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - Magnus Ö Ulfarsson
- deCODE genetics/Amgen Inc., Reykjavik, Iceland
- School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - Brynjar Vidarsson
- Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
- Department of Hematology, Landspitali University Hospital, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | | | - Kari Stefansson
- deCODE genetics/Amgen Inc., Reykjavik, Iceland.
- Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland.
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59
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Liu W, You J, Ge Y, Wu B, Zhang Y, Chen S, Zhang Y, Huang S, Ma L, Feng J, Cheng W, Yu J. Association of biological age with health outcomes and its modifiable factors. Aging Cell 2023; 22:e13995. [PMID: 37723992 PMCID: PMC10726867 DOI: 10.1111/acel.13995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Identifying the clinical implications and modifiable and unmodifiable factors of aging requires the measurement of biological age (BA) and age gap. Leveraging the biomedical traits involved with physical measures, biochemical assays, genomic data, and cognitive functions from the healthy participants in the UK Biobank, we establish an integrative BA model consisting of multi-dimensional indicators. Accelerated aging (age gap >3.2 years) at baseline is associated incident circulatory diseases, related chronic disorders, all-cause, and cause-specific mortality. We identify 35 modifiable factors for age gap (p < 4.81 × 10-4 ), where pulmonary functions, body mass, hand grip strength, basal metabolic rate, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and C-reactive protein show the most significant associations. Genetic analyses replicate the possible associations between age gap and health-related outcomes and further identify CST3 as an essential gene for biological aging, which is highly expressed in the brain and is associated with immune and metabolic traits. Our study profiles the landscape of biological aging and provides insights into the preventive strategies and therapeutic targets for aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei‐Shi Liu
- Department of Neurology and National Center for Neurological Diseases, Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain ScienceShanghai Medical College, Fudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Jia You
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain‐Inspired Intelligence, Fudan UniversityShanghaiChina
- Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain‐Inspired Intelligence (Fudan University), Ministry of EducationShanghaiChina
| | - Yi‐Jun Ge
- Department of Neurology and National Center for Neurological Diseases, Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain ScienceShanghai Medical College, Fudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Bang‐Sheng Wu
- Department of Neurology and National Center for Neurological Diseases, Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain ScienceShanghai Medical College, Fudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Yi Zhang
- Department of Neurology and National Center for Neurological Diseases, Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain ScienceShanghai Medical College, Fudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Shi‐Dong Chen
- Department of Neurology and National Center for Neurological Diseases, Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain ScienceShanghai Medical College, Fudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Ya‐Ru Zhang
- Department of Neurology and National Center for Neurological Diseases, Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain ScienceShanghai Medical College, Fudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Shu‐Yi Huang
- Department of Neurology and National Center for Neurological Diseases, Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain ScienceShanghai Medical College, Fudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Ling‐Zhi Ma
- Department of Neurology, Qingdao Municipal HospitalQingdao UniversityQingdaoChina
| | - Jian‐Feng Feng
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain‐Inspired Intelligence, Fudan UniversityShanghaiChina
- Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain‐Inspired Intelligence (Fudan University), Ministry of EducationShanghaiChina
- Department of Computer ScienceUniversity of WarwickCoventryUK
| | - Wei Cheng
- Department of Neurology and National Center for Neurological Diseases, Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain ScienceShanghai Medical College, Fudan UniversityShanghaiChina
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain‐Inspired Intelligence, Fudan UniversityShanghaiChina
- Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain‐Inspired Intelligence (Fudan University), Ministry of EducationShanghaiChina
- Fudan ISTBI—ZJNU Algorithm Centre for Brain‐Inspired IntelligenceZhejiang Normal UniversityJinhuaChina
- Shanghai Medical College and Zhongshan Hosptital Immunotherapy Technology Transfer CenterShanghaiChina
| | - Jin‐Tai Yu
- Department of Neurology and National Center for Neurological Diseases, Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain ScienceShanghai Medical College, Fudan UniversityShanghaiChina
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Raj HA, Lai TP, Niewisch MR, Giri N, Wang Y, Spellman SR, Aviv A, Gadalla SM, Savage SA. The distribution and accumulation of the shortest telomeres in telomere biology disorders. Br J Haematol 2023; 203:820-828. [PMID: 37354000 PMCID: PMC10748793 DOI: 10.1111/bjh.18945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Revised: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023]
Abstract
Individuals with telomere biology disorders (TBDs) have very short telomeres, high risk of bone marrow failure (BMF), and reduced survival. Using data from TBD patients, a mean leukocyte Southern blot telomere length (TL) of 5 kilobases (kb) was estimated as the 'telomere brink' at which human survival is markedly reduced. However, the shortest telomere, not the mean TL, signals replicative senescence. We used the Telomere Shortest Length Assay (TeSLA) to tally TL of all 46 chromosomes in blood-derived DNA and examined its relationship with TBDs. Patients (n = 18) had much shorter mean TL (TeSmTL) (2.54 ± 0.41 kb vs. 4.48 ± 0.52 kb, p < 0.0001) and more telomeres <3 kb than controls (n = 22) (70.43 ± 8.76% vs. 33.05 ± 6.93%, p < 0.0001). The proportion of ultrashort telomeres (<1.6 kb) was also higher in patients than controls (39.29 ± 10.69% vs. 10.40 ± 4.09%, p < 0.0001). TeS <1.6 kb was associated with severe (n = 11) compared with non-severe (n = 7) BMF (p = 0.027). Patients with multi-organ manifestations (n = 10) had more telomeres <1.6 kb than those with one affected organ system (n = 8) (p = 0.029). Findings suggest that TBD clinical manifestations are associated with a disproportionately higher number of haematopoietic cell telomeres reaching a telomere brink, whose length at the single telomere level is yet to be determined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah A. Raj
- Clinical Genetics Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD
| | - Tsung-Po Lai
- Center of Human Development and Aging, Rutgers University of New Jersey, New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ
| | - Marena R. Niewisch
- Clinical Genetics Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Neelam Giri
- Clinical Genetics Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD
| | - Youjin Wang
- Clinical Genetics Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD
| | - Stephen R. Spellman
- Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research, National Marrow Donor Program/Be The Match, Minneapolis, MN
| | - Abraham Aviv
- Center of Human Development and Aging, Rutgers University of New Jersey, New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ
| | - Shahinaz M. Gadalla
- Clinical Genetics Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD
| | - Sharon A. Savage
- Clinical Genetics Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD
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Luo X, Ruan Z, Liu L. Causal relationship between depression and aging: a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization study. Aging Clin Exp Res 2023; 35:3179-3187. [PMID: 37999829 DOI: 10.1007/s40520-023-02596-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The causal relationship and the direction of the effect between depression and aging remain controversial. METHODS We used a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis to examine the relationship between depression and age proxy indicators. We obtained pooled statistics from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on depression and the age proxy indicators. We employed five MR analysis methods to address potential biases and ensure robustness of our results, with the inverse variance weighted (IVW) method being the primary outcome. We also conducted outlier exclusion using Radial MR, MRPRESSO, and MR Steiger filters. Additionally, sensitivity analyses were performed to assess heterogeneity and pleiotropy. RESULTS Our MR analysis revealed that depression causally leads to shortened telomere length (β = - 0.014; P = 0.038), increased frailty index (β = 0.076; P = 0.000), and accelerated GrimAge (β = 0.249; P = 0.024). Furthermore, our findings showed that the frailty index (OR = 1.679; P = 0.001) was causally associated with an increased risk of depression. Additionally, we found that appendicular lean mass (OR = 0.929; P = 0.000) and left-hand grip strength (OR = 0.836; P = 0.014) were causally associated with a reduced risk of depression. Sensitivity analyses demonstrated the robustness of our findings. CONCLUSIONS Our study provides evidence that depression contributes to the accelerated aging process, resulting in decreased telomere length, increased frailty index, and accelerated GrimAge. Additionally, we found that the frailty index increases the risk of depression, while appendicular lean mass and left-handed grip strength reduce the risk of depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinxin Luo
- Jiangxi Provincial People's Hospital and The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang Medical College, Nanchang, China
| | - Zhichao Ruan
- Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Ling Liu
- Jiangxi Provincial People's Hospital and The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang Medical College, Nanchang, China.
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Liu M, Lan Y, Zhang H, Zhang X, Wu M, Yang L, Zhou J, Tong M, Leng L, Zheng H, Li J, Mi X. Telomere length is associated with increased risk of cutaneous melanoma: a Mendelian randomization study. Melanoma Res 2023; 33:475-481. [PMID: 37650705 DOI: 10.1097/cmr.0000000000000917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
RESULTS The MR analysis using two TL GWAS datasets revealed strong and consistent evidence that long TL is causally associated with an increased risk of CM. The analysis of the Codd et al. dataset found that long TL significantly predicted an elevated risk of CM (IVW OR = 2.411, 95% CI 2.092-2.780, P = 8.05E-34). Similarly, the analysis of the Li et al. dataset yielded consistent positive results across all MR methods, providing further robustness to the causal relationship (IVW OR = 2.324, 95% CI 1.516-3.565, P = 1.11E-04). The study provides evidence for a causal association between TL and CM susceptibility, indicating that longer TL increases the risk of developing CM and providing insight into the unique telomere biology in melanoma pathogenesis. Telomere maintenance pathways may be a potential target for preventing and treating CM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingjuan Liu
- Department of Dermatology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College
- State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College
- 4 + 4 M.D. Program, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yining Lan
- Department of Dermatology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College
- State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College
| | - Hanlin Zhang
- Department of Dermatology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College
- State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College
| | - Xinyi Zhang
- Departments of Internal Medicine
- Cellular & Molecular Physiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Mengyin Wu
- Department of Dermatology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College
- State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College
| | - Leyan Yang
- Department of Dermatology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College
- State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College
| | - Jia Zhou
- Department of Dermatology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College
- State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College
| | - Meiyi Tong
- Department of Dermatology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College
- State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College
| | - Ling Leng
- State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College
| | - Heyi Zheng
- Department of Dermatology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College
- State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College
| | - Jun Li
- Department of Dermatology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College
- State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College
| | - Xia Mi
- Department of Dermatology, Strategic Support Force Medical Center, Beijing, China
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Bai C, Shen Z, Qiu B, Zhang S. Leukocyte telomere length is associated with increased risk of endometriosis: a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization study. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2023; 14:1272200. [PMID: 38034012 PMCID: PMC10687575 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1272200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Endometriosis (EMs) is a common gynecological disorder. Observational studies on the relationship between leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and EMs have shown conflicting results. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the precise causal relationship between LTL and EMs using Mendelian randomization (MR) methodology. Methods We employed MR to assess the causal relationship between LTL and EMs. Summary data from several large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were used for bidirectional two-sample MR analysis. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to ensure the robustness of our results. All analyses were also replicated in another completely independent EMs dataset. Results Our MR analysis indicated that genetically predicted longer LTL increased the risk of EMs (IVW: discovery, OR=1.169, 95%CI: 1.059-1.290, p=0.002; validation, OR=1.302, 95%CI: 1.140-1.487, p=0.000), while EMs had no causal impact on LTL (IVW: discovery, OR=1.013, 95%CI: 1.000-1.027, p=0.056; IVW: validation, OR=1.005, 95%CI: 0.995-1.015, p=0.363). Causal estimates were supported by various calculation models (including MR-Egger, Weighted median, MR-PRESSO, and MR-RAPS). Heterogeneity and pleiotropy analyses also indicated robustness of the results. Conclusion Our findings substantiate the idea that a genetically predicted longer LTL elevates the risk of EMs, with no influence of EMs on LTL risk. This research bolsters the causal link between LTL and EMs, overcoming the constraints of earlier observational studies. It implies that LTL may potentially function as a biomarker for EMs, opening up novel possibilities for EMs prevention and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenxue Bai
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Zixiong Shen
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Binxu Qiu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Songling Zhang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
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Coltell O, Asensio EM, Sorlí JV, Ortega-Azorín C, Fernández-Carrión R, Pascual EC, Barragán R, González JI, Estruch R, Alzate JF, Pérez-Fidalgo A, Portolés O, Ordovas JM, Corella D. Associations between the New DNA-Methylation-Based Telomere Length Estimator, the Mediterranean Diet and Genetics in a Spanish Population at High Cardiovascular Risk. Antioxidants (Basel) 2023; 12:2004. [PMID: 38001857 PMCID: PMC10669035 DOI: 10.3390/antiox12112004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Biological aging is a relevant risk factor for chronic diseases, and several indicators for measuring this factor have been proposed, with telomere length (TL) among the most studied. Oxidative stress may regulate telomere shortening, which is implicated in the increased risk. Using a novel estimator for TL, we examined whether adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet), a highly antioxidant-rich dietary pattern, is associated with longer TL. We determined TL using DNA methylation algorithms (DNAmTL) in 414 subjects at high cardiovascular risk from Spain. Adherence to the MedDiet was assessed by a validated score, and genetic variants in candidate genes and at the genome-wide level were analyzed. We observed several significant associations (p < 0.05) between DNAmTL and candidate genes (TERT, TERF2, RTEL1, and DCAF4), contributing to the validity of DNAmTL as a biomarker in this population. Higher adherence to the MedDiet was associated with lower odds of having a shorter TL in the whole sample (OR = 0.93; 95% CI: 0.85-0.99; p = 0.049 after fully multivariate adjustment). Nevertheless, this association was stronger in women than in men. Likewise, in women, we observed a direct association between adherence to the MedDiet score and DNAmTL as a continuous variable (beta = 0.015; SE: 0.005; p = 0.003), indicating that a one-point increase in adherence was related to an average increase of 0.015 ± 0.005 kb in TL. Upon examination of specific dietary items within the global score, we found that fruits, fish, "sofrito", and whole grains exhibited the strongest associations in women. The novel score combining these items was significantly associated in the whole population. In the genome-wide association study (GWAS), we identified ten polymorphisms at the suggestive level of significance (p < 1 × 10-5) for DNAmTL (intergenics, in the IQSEC1, NCAPG2, and ABI3BP genes) and detected some gene-MedDiet modulations on DNAmTL. As this is the first study analyzing the DNAmTL estimator, genetics, and modulation by the MedDiet, more studies are needed to confirm these findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oscar Coltell
- Department of Computer Languages and Systems, Universitat Jaume I, 12071 Castellón, Spain
- CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain; (E.M.A.); (C.O.-A.); (J.I.G.); (R.E.)
| | - Eva M. Asensio
- CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain; (E.M.A.); (C.O.-A.); (J.I.G.); (R.E.)
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - José V. Sorlí
- CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain; (E.M.A.); (C.O.-A.); (J.I.G.); (R.E.)
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Carolina Ortega-Azorín
- CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain; (E.M.A.); (C.O.-A.); (J.I.G.); (R.E.)
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Rebeca Fernández-Carrión
- CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain; (E.M.A.); (C.O.-A.); (J.I.G.); (R.E.)
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Eva C. Pascual
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Rocío Barragán
- CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain; (E.M.A.); (C.O.-A.); (J.I.G.); (R.E.)
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - José I. González
- CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain; (E.M.A.); (C.O.-A.); (J.I.G.); (R.E.)
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Ramon Estruch
- CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain; (E.M.A.); (C.O.-A.); (J.I.G.); (R.E.)
- Department of Internal Medicine, Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Hospital Clinic, University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Juan F. Alzate
- Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín 050010, Colombia
- Facultad de Medicina, Centro Nacional de Secuenciación Genómica—CNSG, Sede de Investigación Universitaria—SIU, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín 050010, Colombia
| | - Alejandro Pérez-Fidalgo
- Department of Medical Oncology, University Clinic Hospital of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain; (A.P.-F.)
- Biomedical Research Networking Centre on Cancer (CIBERONC), Health Institute Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- INCLIVA Biomedical Research Institute, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Olga Portolés
- CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain; (E.M.A.); (C.O.-A.); (J.I.G.); (R.E.)
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Jose M. Ordovas
- Department of Medical Oncology, University Clinic Hospital of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain; (A.P.-F.)
- Nutrition and Genomics, JM-USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111, USA
- Nutritional Control of the Epigenome Group, Precision Nutrition and Obesity Program, IMDEA Food, UAM + CSIC, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Dolores Corella
- CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain; (E.M.A.); (C.O.-A.); (J.I.G.); (R.E.)
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
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Pan R, Xiao M, Wu Z, Liu J, Wan L. Associations of genetically predicted circulating levels of cytokines with telomere length: a Mendelian randomization study. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1276257. [PMID: 37942318 PMCID: PMC10628532 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1276257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Telomere length (TL) has been regarded as a biomarker of aging, and TL shortening is associated with numerous chronic illnesses. The mounting evidence has shown that inflammatory cytokines are involved in maintaining or shortening TL, the causality of cytokines with TL remains unknown. Therefore, we performed a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to estimate the underlying correlations of circulating inflammatory cytokines with TL. Methods Genetic instrumental variables for inflammatory cytokines were identified through a genome-wide association study (GWAS) involving 8,293 European individuals. Summary statistics of TL were derived from a UK Bio-bank cohort comprising 472,174 samples of individuals with European descent. We employed the inverse-variance weighted (IVW) approach as our main analysis, and to ensure the reliability of our findings, we also conducted additional analyses including the weighted median, MR-Egger, MR pleiotropy residual sum and outlier test, and weighted model. Lastly, the reverse MR analyses were performed to estimate the likelihood of inverse causality between TL and the cytokines identified in the forward MR analysis. Cochran's Q test were employed to quantify the degree of heterogeneity. Results After applying Bonferroni correction, a higher circulating level of Interleukin-7 (IL-7) was suggestively associated with TL maintaining (OR:1.01, 95%CI:1.00-1.02, P=0.032 by IVW method). The study also revealed suggestive evidence indicating the involvement of Interleukin-2 receptor, alpha subunit (IL-2Rα) level was negatively associated with TL maintaining (OR:0.98, 95%CI:0.96-1.00, P=0.045 by IVW method), and the weighted median approach was consistent (OR:0.99, 95%CI:0.97-1.00, P=0.035). According to the findings of reverse MR analysis, no significant causal relationship between TL and cytokines was explored. Our analysis did not reveal any substantial heterogeneity in the Single nucleotide polymorphisms or horizontal pleiotropy. Conclusions Our MR analysis yielded suggestive evidence supporting the causality between circulating IL-7 and IL-2Rα and telomere length, necessitating further investigations to elucidate the mechanisms by which these inflammatory cytokines may impact the progression of telomeres.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renbing Pan
- Department of Urology, The Quzhou Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Quzhou People’s Hospital, Quzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Mingjia Xiao
- Department of Hepatology, The Quzhou Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Quzhou People’s Hospital, Quzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Zhigang Wu
- Department of Urology, The Quzhou Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Quzhou People’s Hospital, Quzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jingwen Liu
- Department of Psychiatry, Shulan Quzhou Hospital, Quzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Lijun Wan
- Department of Urology, The Quzhou Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Quzhou People’s Hospital, Quzhou, Zhejiang, China
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Nakao T, Natarajan P. Familial Clonal Hematopoiesis in a Long Telomere Syndrome. N Engl J Med 2023; 389:1535. [PMID: 37851887 PMCID: PMC10822666 DOI: 10.1056/nejmc2309139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
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Hu J, Lu J, Lu Q, Weng W, Guan Z, Wang Z. Mendelian randomization and colocalization analyses reveal an association between short sleep duration or morning chronotype and altered leukocyte telomere length. Commun Biol 2023; 6:1014. [PMID: 37803147 PMCID: PMC10558505 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05397-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Observational studies suggest certain sleep traits are associated with telomere length, but the causal nature of these associations is unclear. The study aimed to determine the causal associations between 11 sleep-related traits and leukocyte telomere length (LTL) through two-sample Mendelian randomization and colocalization analyses using the summary statistics from large-scale genome-wide association studies. Univariable Mendelian randomization indicates that genetically determined short sleep is associated with decreased LTL, while morning chronotype is associated with increased LTL. Multivariable Mendelian randomization further supports the findings and colocalization analysis identifies shared common genetic variants for these two associations. No genetic evidence is observed for associations between other sleep-related traits and LTL. Sensitivity MR methods, reverse MR and re-running MR after removing potential pleiotropic genetic variants enhance the robustness of the results. These findings indicate that prioritizing morning chronotype and avoiding short sleep is beneficial for attenuating telomere attrition. Consequently, addressing sleep duration and chronotype could serve as practical intervention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingyi Hu
- National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Key Laboratory of Diabetes Immunology, Ministry of Education, Department of Metabolism and Endocrinology, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
| | - Jiawen Lu
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518107, China
| | - Qiuhan Lu
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518107, China
| | - Weipin Weng
- Department of Neurology, Center for Cognitive Neurology, Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350001, China
| | - Zixuan Guan
- Chongchuan District Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nantong, Jiangsu, 226001, China
| | - Zhenqian Wang
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518107, China.
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Sullivan SM, Cole B, Lane J, Meredith JJ, Langer E, Hooten AJ, Roesler M, McGraw KL, Pankratz N, Poynter JN. Predicted leukocyte telomere length and risk of myeloid neoplasms. Hum Mol Genet 2023; 32:2996-3005. [PMID: 37531260 PMCID: PMC10549790 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddad126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Maintenance of telomere length has long been established to play a role in the biology of cancer and several studies suggest that it may be especially important in myeloid malignancies. To overcome potential bias in confounding and reverse causation of observational studies, we use both a polygenic risk score (PRS) and inverse-variance weighted (IVW) Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses to estimate the relationship between genetically predicted leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) risk in 498 cases and 2099 controls and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) risk in 610 cases and 1759 controls. Genetic instruments derived from four recent studies explaining 1.23-4.57% of telomere variability were considered. We used multivariable logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (OR, 95% confidence intervals [CI]) as the measure of association between individual single-nucleotide polymorphisms and myeloid malignancies. We observed a significant association between a PRS of longer predicted LTL and AML using three genetic instruments (OR = 4.03 per ~1200 base pair [bp] increase in LTL, 95% CI: 1.65, 9.85 using Codd et al. [Codd, V., Nelson, C.P., Albrecht, E., Mangino, M., Deelen, J., Buxton, J.L., Hottenga, J.J., Fischer, K., Esko, T., Surakka, I. et al. (2013) Identification of seven loci affecting mean telomere length and their association with disease. Nat. Genet., 45, 422-427 427e421-422.], OR = 3.48 per one-standard deviation increase in LTL, 95% CI: 1.74, 6.97 using Li et al. [Li, C., Stoma, S., Lotta, L.A., Warner, S., Albrecht, E., Allione, A., Arp, P.P., Broer, L., Buxton, J.L., Alves, A.D.S.C. et al. (2020) Genome-wide association analysis in humans links nucleotide metabolism to leukocyte telomere length. Am. J. Hum. Genet., 106, 389-404.] and OR = 2.59 per 1000 bp increase in LTL, 95% CI: 1.03, 6.52 using Taub et al. [Taub, M.A., Conomos, M.P., Keener, R., Iyer, K.R., Weinstock, J.S., Yanek, L.R., Lane, J., Miller-Fleming, T.W., Brody, J.A., Raffield, L.M. et al. (2022) Genetic determinants of telomere length from 109,122 ancestrally diverse whole-genome sequences in TOPMed. Cell Genom., 2.] genetic instruments). MR analyses further indicated an association between LTL and AML risk (PIVW ≤ 0.049) but not MDS (all PIVW ≥ 0.076). Findings suggest variation in genes relevant to telomere function and maintenance may be important in the etiology of AML but not MDS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon M Sullivan
- Division of Pediatric Epidemiology and Clinical Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Ben Cole
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - John Lane
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - John J Meredith
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Erica Langer
- Division of Pediatric Epidemiology and Clinical Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Anthony J Hooten
- Division of Pediatric Epidemiology and Clinical Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Michelle Roesler
- Division of Pediatric Epidemiology and Clinical Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Kathy L McGraw
- Laboratory of Receptor Biology and Gene Expression, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Nathan Pankratz
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Jenny N Poynter
- Division of Pediatric Epidemiology and Clinical Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
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Han D, Zhu Y, Choudhry AA, Cheng J, Liang H, Lin F, Chang Q, Liu H, Pan P, Zhang Y. Association of telomere length with risk of lung cancer: A large prospective cohort study from the UK Biobank. Lung Cancer 2023; 184:107358. [PMID: 37696218 DOI: 10.1016/j.lungcan.2023.107358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is associated with a wide variety of diseases, including cancer. However, findings regarding the association between LTL and the risk for lung cancer have been inconclusive and inconsistent across previous observational studies. METHODS This prospective cohort study included data from 425,146 participants 37-73 years of age housed in the UK Biobank. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to measure LTL in baseline DNA samples. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards model was used to evaluate the relationship between LTL and the risk for lung cancer. RESULTS An increase in LTL per interquartile range (IQR) was associated with a 9% increase in the risk for lung cancer (hazard ratio [HR] 1.09 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03-1.16]). Participants in the highest LTL quintile exhibited an approximately 25% elevated risk for developing lung cancer (HR 1.25 [95% CI 1.09-1.45]) compared with those in the lowest quintile. The relationship between per IQR increase in LTL and elevated risk for lung cancer was greater in the histological subtype of adenocarcinoma (HR 1.30 [95% CI 1.18-1.43]), female sex (HR 1.16 [95% CI 1.06-1.26]), non-smokers (HR 1.45 [95% CI 1.23-1.71]), and individuals with high genetic risk for lung cancer (HR 1.18 [95% CI 1.03-1.34]), respectively. Surprisingly, a per IQR increase in LTL was associated with increased risks for both lung adenocarcinoma (HR 1.56 [95% CI 1.24-1.96]) and squamous cell carcinoma (HR 2.01 [95% CI 1.13-3.56]) in never smokers. CONCLUSIONS Longer LTL was associated with an elevated risk for lung cancer, particularly for adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma in never smokers. The results suggest the potential of telomeres as non-invasive biomarkers for the early screening of lung cancer, particularly in non-smokers, who are typically overlooked.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duoduo Han
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, National Key Clinical Specialty, Branch of National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China
| | - Yiqun Zhu
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, National Key Clinical Specialty, Branch of National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China
| | - Abira A Choudhry
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Jun Cheng
- Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Huaying Liang
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, National Key Clinical Specialty, Branch of National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China
| | - Fengyu Lin
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, National Key Clinical Specialty, Branch of National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China
| | - Qinyu Chang
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, National Key Clinical Specialty, Branch of National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China
| | - Hong Liu
- Department of Dermatology, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha 41000, Hunan, China.
| | - Pinhua Pan
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, National Key Clinical Specialty, Branch of National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China; Center of Respiratory Medicine, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China; Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases in Hunan Province, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China; Hunan Engineering Research Center for Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment of Respiratory Disease, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China; National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China.
| | - Yan Zhang
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, National Key Clinical Specialty, Branch of National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China; Center of Respiratory Medicine, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China; Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases in Hunan Province, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China; Hunan Engineering Research Center for Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment of Respiratory Disease, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China; National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China.
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70
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Brown DW, Cato LD, Zhao Y, Nandakumar SK, Bao EL, Gardner EJ, Hubbard AK, DePaulis A, Rehling T, Song L, Yu K, Chanock SJ, Perry JRB, Sankaran VG, Machiela MJ. Shared and distinct genetic etiologies for different types of clonal hematopoiesis. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5536. [PMID: 37684235 PMCID: PMC10491829 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41315-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Clonal hematopoiesis (CH)-age-related expansion of mutated hematopoietic clones-can differ in frequency and cellular fitness by CH type (e.g., mutations in driver genes (CHIP), gains/losses and copy-neutral loss of chromosomal segments (mCAs), and loss of sex chromosomes). Co-occurring CH raises questions as to their origin, selection, and impact. We integrate sequence and genotype array data in up to 482,378 UK Biobank participants to demonstrate shared genetic architecture across CH types. Our analysis suggests a cellular evolutionary trade-off between different types of CH, with LOY occurring at lower rates in individuals carrying mutations in established CHIP genes. We observed co-occurrence of CHIP and mCAs with overlap at TET2, DNMT3A, and JAK2, in which CHIP precedes mCA acquisition. Furthermore, individuals carrying overlapping CH had high risk of future lymphoid and myeloid malignancies. Finally, we leverage shared genetic architecture of CH traits to identify 15 novel loci associated with leukemia risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derek W Brown
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD, USA
- Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program, Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Liam D Cato
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital and Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
| | - Yajie Zhao
- MRC Epidemiology Unit, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK
| | - Satish K Nandakumar
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital and Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
- Department of Cell Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Albert Einstein Cancer Center, Ruth L. and David S. Gottesman Institute for Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Medicine, Bronx, NY, 10461, USA
| | - Erik L Bao
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital and Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
| | - Eugene J Gardner
- MRC Epidemiology Unit, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK
| | - Aubrey K Hubbard
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Alexander DePaulis
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Thomas Rehling
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Lei Song
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Kai Yu
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Stephen J Chanock
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - John R B Perry
- MRC Epidemiology Unit, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK.
- Metabolic Research Laboratory, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK.
| | - Vijay G Sankaran
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital and Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA.
| | - Mitchell J Machiela
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD, USA.
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71
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Guo Y, Zhao H, Wang F, Xu H, Liu X, Hu T, Wu D. Telomere length as a marker of changes in body composition and fractures-an analysis of data from the NHANES 2001-2002. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1181544. [PMID: 37744360 PMCID: PMC10514483 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1181544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose There has been an association between changes in body composition, fracture incidence, and age in previous studies. Telomere length (TL) has been proposed as a biomarker of aging. However, the relationship between body composition, fractures, and TL has rarely been studied. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the correlation between TL and body composition and fractures.Patients and methods: 20950 participants from the 2001-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were included in the final analysis. In NHANES, body compositions were measured with DXA, and TL was determined with quantitative PCR. Correlation analysis of TL and body composition was conducted using multivariate weighted linear regression and logistic regression models. Results The results showed that TL positively correlated with bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) in most body parts. However, BMD and BMC were negatively connected with TL in the upper limbs and skull. Fat content was negatively associated with TL, while muscle content was positively linked to TL. In addition, TL's trend analysis results were consistent with the regression model when transformed from a continuous to a classified variable. An increase in TL was associated with a higher incidence of wrist fractures, while a decrease in spine fractures. The above correlation also has a certain degree of sex specificity. Conclusion Our study indicate that TL is associated with body composition as well as fractures, but further research is needed to confirm these contrasting associations in the skull, upper limbs, and wrists.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Tao Hu
- Department of Spine Surgery, Shanghai East Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Desheng Wu
- Department of Spine Surgery, Shanghai East Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
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Aung N, Wang Q, van Duijvenboden S, Burns R, Stoma S, Raisi-Estabragh Z, Ahmet S, Allara E, Wood A, Di Angelantonio E, Danesh J, Munroe PB, Young A, Harvey NC, Codd V, Nelson CP, Petersen SE, Samani NJ. Association of Longer Leukocyte Telomere Length With Cardiac Size, Function, and Heart Failure. JAMA Cardiol 2023; 8:808-815. [PMID: 37494011 PMCID: PMC10372756 DOI: 10.1001/jamacardio.2023.2167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023]
Abstract
Importance Longer leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is associated with a lower risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes. The extent to which variation in LTL is associated with intermediary cardiovascular phenotypes is unclear. Objective To evaluate the associations between LTL and a diverse set of cardiovascular imaging phenotypes. Design, Setting, and Participants This is a population-based cross-sectional study of UK Biobank participants recruited from 2006 to 2010. LTL was measured using a quantitative polymerase chain reaction method. Cardiovascular measurements were derived from cardiovascular magnetic resonance using machine learning. The median (IQR) duration of follow-up was 12.0 (11.3-12.7) years. The associations of LTL with imaging measurements and incident heart failure (HF) were evaluated by multivariable regression models. Genetic associations between LTL and significantly associated traits were investigated by mendelian randomization. Data were analyzed from January to May 2023. Exposure LTL. Main Outcomes and Measures Cardiovascular imaging traits and HF. Results Of 40 459 included participants, 19 529 (48.3%) were men, and the mean (SD) age was 55.1 (7.6) years. Longer LTL was independently associated with a pattern of positive cardiac remodeling (higher left ventricular mass, larger global ventricular size and volume, and higher ventricular and atrial stroke volumes) and a lower risk of incident HF (LTL fourth quartile vs first quartile: hazard ratio, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.81-0.91; P = 1.8 × 10-6). Mendelian randomization analysis suggested a potential causal association between LTL and left ventricular mass, global ventricular volume, and left ventricular stroke volume. Conclusions and Relevance In this cross-sectional study, longer LTL was associated with a larger heart with better cardiac function in middle age, which could potentially explain the observed lower risk of incident HF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nay Aung
- William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
- National Institute for Health and Care Research Barts Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Centre, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
- Barts Heart Centre, St Bartholomew’s Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust, West Smithfield, London, United Kingdom
| | - Qingning Wang
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester and NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, United Kingdom
- National Institute for Health and Care Research Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Stefan van Duijvenboden
- William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
- National Institute for Health and Care Research Barts Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Centre, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
- Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Richard Burns
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Svetlana Stoma
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester and NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Zahra Raisi-Estabragh
- William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
- National Institute for Health and Care Research Barts Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Centre, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
- Barts Heart Centre, St Bartholomew’s Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust, West Smithfield, London, United Kingdom
| | - Selda Ahmet
- Barts Heart Centre, St Bartholomew’s Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust, West Smithfield, London, United Kingdom
| | - Elias Allara
- British Heart Foundation Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Heart and Lung Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- National Institute for Health and Care Research Blood and Transplant Research Unit in Donor Health and Genomics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Angela Wood
- British Heart Foundation Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Heart and Lung Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- National Institute for Health and Care Research Blood and Transplant Research Unit in Donor Health and Genomics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- British Heart Foundation Centre of Research Excellence, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Health Data Research UK Cambridge, Wellcome Genome Campus and University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Cambridge Centre of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Emanuele Di Angelantonio
- British Heart Foundation Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Heart and Lung Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- National Institute for Health and Care Research Blood and Transplant Research Unit in Donor Health and Genomics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- British Heart Foundation Centre of Research Excellence, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Health Data Research UK Cambridge, Wellcome Genome Campus and University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Health Data Science Centre, Human Technopole, Milan, Italy
| | - John Danesh
- British Heart Foundation Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Heart and Lung Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- National Institute for Health and Care Research Blood and Transplant Research Unit in Donor Health and Genomics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- British Heart Foundation Centre of Research Excellence, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Health Data Research UK Cambridge, Wellcome Genome Campus and University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Department of Human Genetics, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - Patricia B. Munroe
- William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
- National Institute for Health and Care Research Barts Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Centre, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Alistair Young
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Nicholas C. Harvey
- MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
- NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Veryan Codd
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester and NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher P. Nelson
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester and NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Steffen E. Petersen
- William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
- National Institute for Health and Care Research Barts Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Centre, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
- Barts Heart Centre, St Bartholomew’s Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust, West Smithfield, London, United Kingdom
| | - Nilesh J. Samani
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester and NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, United Kingdom
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Yu W, Mei Y, Lu Z, Zhou L, Jia F, Chen S, Wang Z. The causal relationship between genetically determined telomere length and meningiomas risk. Front Neurol 2023; 14:1178404. [PMID: 37693759 PMCID: PMC10484632 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1178404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Studies have shown that longer leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is significantly associated with increased risk of meningioma. However, there is limited evidence concerning the causal association of LTL with benign and malignant meningiomas or with the location of benign tumors. Methods We used three LTL datasets from different sources, designated by name and sample size as LTL-78592, LTL-9190, and LTL-472174. The linkage disequilibrium score (LDSC) was used to explore the association between LTL and meningioma. We utilized two-sample bidirectional Mendelian randomization (TSMR) to evaluate whether LTL is causally related to meningioma risk. We adjusted for confounders by conducting multivariable Mendelian randomization (MVMR). Results In the LTL-78592, longer LTL was significantly associated with increased risk of malignant [odds ratio (OR) = 5.14, p = 1.04 × 10-5], benign (OR = 4.81, p < 0.05), benign cerebral (OR = 5.36, p < 0.05), and benign unspecified meningioma (OR = 8.26, p < 0.05). The same results were obtained for the LTL-9190. In the LTL-472174, longer LTL was significantly associated with increased risk of malignant (OR = 4.94, p < 0.05), benign (OR = 3.14, p < 0.05), and benign cerebral meningioma (OR = 3.59, p < 0.05). Similar results were obtained in the MVMR. In contrast, only benign cerebral meningioma displayed a possible association with longer LTL (OR = 1.01, p < 0.05). No heterogeneity or horizontal pleiotropy was detected. Conclusion In brief, genetically predicted longer LTL may increase the risk of benign, malignant, and benign cerebral meningiomas, regardless of the LTL measure, in European populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weijie Yu
- The School of Clinical Medicine, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen Key Laboratory of Brain Center, Xiamen, China
| | - Yunyun Mei
- Department of Neurosurgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center (Xiamen Hospital), Xiamen, China
| | - Zhenwei Lu
- The School of Clinical Medicine, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen Key Laboratory of Brain Center, Xiamen, China
| | - Liwei Zhou
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen Key Laboratory of Brain Center, Xiamen, China
| | - Fang Jia
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen Key Laboratory of Brain Center, Xiamen, China
- School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Sifang Chen
- The School of Clinical Medicine, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen Key Laboratory of Brain Center, Xiamen, China
| | - Zhanxiang Wang
- The School of Clinical Medicine, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen Key Laboratory of Brain Center, Xiamen, China
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Schuermans A, Nakao T, Uddin MM, Hornsby W, Ganesh S, Shadyab AH, Liu S, Haring B, Shufelt CL, Taub MA, Mathias RA, Kooperberg C, Reiner AP, Bick AG, Manson JE, Natarajan P, Honigberg MC. Age at Menopause, Leukocyte Telomere Length, and Coronary Artery Disease in Postmenopausal Women. Circ Res 2023; 133:376-386. [PMID: 37489536 PMCID: PMC10528840 DOI: 10.1161/circresaha.123.322984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Premature menopause is a risk factor for accelerated cardiovascular aging, but underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood. This study investigated the role of leukocyte telomere length (LTL), a marker of cellular aging and genomic instability, in the association of premature menopause with cardiovascular disease. METHODS Participants from the UK Biobank and Women's Health Initiative with complete reproductive history and LTL measurements were included. Primary analyses tested the association between age at menopause and LTL using multivariable-adjusted linear regression. Secondary analyses stratified women by history of gynecologic surgery. Mendelian randomization was used to infer causal relationships between LTL and age at natural menopause. Multivariable-adjusted Cox regression and mediation analyses tested the joint associations of premature menopause and LTL with incident coronary artery disease. RESULTS This study included 130 254 postmenopausal women (UK Biobank: n=122 224; Women's Health Initiative: n=8030), of whom 4809 (3.7%) had experienced menopause before age 40. Earlier menopause was associated with shorter LTL (meta-analyzed ß=-0.02 SD/5 years of earlier menopause [95% CI, -0.02 to -0.01]; P=7.2×10-12). This association was stronger and significant in both cohorts for women with natural/spontaneous menopause (meta-analyzed ß=-0.04 SD/5 years of earlier menopause [95% CI, -0.04 to -0.03]; P<2.2×10-16) and was independent of hormone therapy use. Mendelian randomization supported a causal association of shorter genetically predicted LTL with earlier age at natural menopause. LTL and age at menopause were independently associated with incident coronary artery disease, and mediation analyses indicated small but significant mediation effects of LTL in the association of menopausal age with coronary artery disease. CONCLUSIONS Earlier age at menopause is associated with shorter LTL, especially among women with natural menopause. Accelerated telomere shortening may contribute to the heightened cardiovascular risk associated with premature menopause.
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Affiliation(s)
- Art Schuermans
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics and Cardiovascular Disease Initiative, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Cardiovascular Research Center and Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Faculty of Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Tetsushi Nakao
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics and Cardiovascular Disease Initiative, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Cardiovascular Research Center and Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Md Mesbah Uddin
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics and Cardiovascular Disease Initiative, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Cardiovascular Research Center and Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Whitney Hornsby
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics and Cardiovascular Disease Initiative, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Cardiovascular Research Center and Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Shriie Ganesh
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics and Cardiovascular Disease Initiative, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Cardiovascular Research Center and Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Aladdin H. Shadyab
- Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Simin Liu
- Department of Epidemiology and Brown Center for Global Cardiometabolic Health, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Bernhard Haring
- Department of Medicine III, Saarland University Medical Center, Homburg, Saarland, Germany
- Department of Medicine I, University of Wuerzburg, Bavaria, Germany
| | - Chrisandra L. Shufelt
- Division of Internal Medicine, Women’s Health Research Center, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida
| | - Margaret A. Taub
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Rasika A. Mathias
- GeneSTAR Research Program, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Charles Kooperberg
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Alexander P. Reiner
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Alexander G. Bick
- Division of Genetic Medicine, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - JoAnn E. Manson
- Division of Preventive Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Pradeep Natarajan
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics and Cardiovascular Disease Initiative, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Cardiovascular Research Center and Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Cardiology Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michael C. Honigberg
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics and Cardiovascular Disease Initiative, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Cardiovascular Research Center and Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Cardiology Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
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75
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Tang L, Li D, Wang J, Su B, Tian Y. Ambient air pollution, genetic risk and telomere length in UK biobank. JOURNAL OF EXPOSURE SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENTAL EPIDEMIOLOGY 2023:10.1038/s41370-023-00587-1. [PMID: 37550565 DOI: 10.1038/s41370-023-00587-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Telomere length (TL) is a biomarker of genomic aging. The evidence on the association between TL and air pollution was inconsistent. Besides, the modification effect of genetic susceptibility on the air pollution-TL association remains unknown. OBJECTIVE We aimed to evaluate the association of ambient air pollution with TL and further assess the modification effect of genetic susceptibility. METHODS 433,535 participants with complete data of TL and air pollutants in UK Biobank were included. Annual average exposure of NO2, NOx, PM10 and PM2.5 was estimated by applying land use regression models. Genetic risk score (GRS) was constructed using reported telomere-related SNPs. Leukocyte TL was measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Multivariable linear regression models were employed to conduct associational analyses. RESULTS Categorical exposure models and RCS models both indicated U-shaped (for NO2 and NOx) and L-shaped (for PM10 and PM2.5) correlations between air pollution and TL. In comparison to the lowest quartile, the 2nd and 3rd quartile of NO2 (q2: -1.3% [-2.1%, -0.4%]; q3: -1.2% [-2.0%, -0.3%], NOx (q2: -1.3% [-2.1%, -0.5%]; q3: -1.4% [-2.2%, -0.5%]), PM2.5 (q2: -0.8% [-1.7%, 0.0%]; q3: -1.3% [-2.2%, -0.5%]), and the third quartile of PM10 (q3: -1.1% [-1.9%, -0.2%]) were inversely associated with TL. The highest quartile of NO2 was positively correlated with TL (q4: 1.0% [0.0%, 2.0%]), whereas the negative correlation between the highest quartile of other pollutants and TL was also attenuated and no longer significant. In the genetic analyses, synergistic interactions were observed between the 4th quartile of three air pollutants (NO2, NOx, and PM2.5) and genetic risk. IMPACT STATEMENT Our study for the first time revealed a non-linear trend for the association between air pollution and telomere length. The genetic analyses suggested synergistic interactions between air pollution and genetic risk on the air pollution-TL association. These findings may shed new light on air pollution's health effects, offer suggestions for identifying at-risk individuals, and provide hints regarding further investigation into gene-environment interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linxi Tang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, and State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health (Incubating), School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No.13 Hangkong Road, 430030, Wuhan, China
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No.13 Hangkong Road, 430030, Wuhan, China
| | - Dankang Li
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, and State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health (Incubating), School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No.13 Hangkong Road, 430030, Wuhan, China
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No.13 Hangkong Road, 430030, Wuhan, China
| | - Jianing Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, and State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health (Incubating), School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No.13 Hangkong Road, 430030, Wuhan, China
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No.13 Hangkong Road, 430030, Wuhan, China
| | - Binbin Su
- School of Population Medicine and Public Health, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Peking Union Medical College, No.31, Beijige-3, Dongcheng District, 100730, Beijing, China.
| | - Yaohua Tian
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, and State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health (Incubating), School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No.13 Hangkong Road, 430030, Wuhan, China.
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No.13 Hangkong Road, 430030, Wuhan, China.
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Igoshin AV, Yudin NS, Romashov GA, Larkin DM. A Multibreed Genome-Wide Association Study for Cattle Leukocyte Telomere Length. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:1596. [PMID: 37628647 PMCID: PMC10454124 DOI: 10.3390/genes14081596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomeres are terminal DNA regions of chromosomes that prevent chromosomal fusion and degradation during cell division. In cattle, leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is associated with longevity, productive lifespan, and disease susceptibility. However, the genetic basis of LTL in this species is less studied than in humans. In this study, we utilized the whole-genome resequencing data of 239 animals from 17 cattle breeds for computational leukocyte telomere length estimation and subsequent genome-wide association study of LTL. As a result, we identified 42 significant SNPs, of which eight were found in seven genes (EXOC6B, PTPRD, RPS6KC1, NSL1, AGBL1, ENSBTAG00000052188, and GPC1) when using covariates for two major breed groups (Turano-Mongolian and European). Association analysis with covariates for breed effect detected 63 SNPs, including 13 in five genes (EXOC6B, PTPRD, RPS6KC1, ENSBTAG00000040318, and NELL1). The PTPRD gene, demonstrating the top signal in analysis with breed effect, was previously associated with leukocyte telomere length in cattle and likely is involved in the mechanism of alternative lengthening of telomeres. The single nucleotide variants found could be tested for marker-assisted selection to improve telomere-length-associated traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander V. Igoshin
- The Federal Research Center Institute of Cytology and Genetics, The Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (ICG SB RAS), 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Nikolay S. Yudin
- The Federal Research Center Institute of Cytology and Genetics, The Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (ICG SB RAS), 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Grigorii A. Romashov
- The Federal Research Center Institute of Cytology and Genetics, The Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (ICG SB RAS), 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Denis M. Larkin
- Royal Veterinary College, University of London, London NW1 0TU, UK
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77
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Loh NY, Rosoff D, Noordam R, Christodoulides C. Investigating the impact of metabolic syndrome traits on telomere length: a Mendelian randomization study. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2023; 31:2189-2198. [PMID: 37415075 PMCID: PMC10658743 DOI: 10.1002/oby.23810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 04/23/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Observational studies have reported bidirectional associations between metabolic syndrome (MetS) traits and short leukocyte telomere length (LTL), a TL marker in somatic tissues and a proposed risk factor for age-related degenerative diseases. However, in Mendelian randomization studies, longer LTL has been paradoxically associated with higher MetS risk. This study investigated the hypothesis that shorter LTL might be a consequence of metabolic dysfunction. METHODS This study undertook univariable and multivariable Mendelian randomization. As instrumental variables for MetS traits, all of the genome-wide significant independent signals identified in genome-wide association studies for anthropometric, glycemic, lipid, and blood pressure traits conducted in European individuals were used. Summary-level data for LTL were obtained from a genome-wide association study conducted in the UK Biobank. RESULTS Higher BMI was associated with shorter LTL (β = -0.039, 95% CI: -0.058 to -0.020, p = 5 × 10-5 ) equivalent to 1.70 years of age-related LTL change. In contrast, higher low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was associated with longer LTL (β = 0.022, 95% CI: 0.007 to 0.037, p = 0.003) equivalent to 0.96 years of age-related LTL change. Mechanistically, increased low-grade systemic inflammation, as measured by circulating C-reactive protein, and lower circulating linoleic acid levels might link higher BMI to shorter LTL. CONCLUSIONS Overweight and obesity might promote the development of aging-related degenerative diseases by accelerating telomere shortening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nellie Y. Loh
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Radcliffe Department of MedicineUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Daniel Rosoff
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Radcliffe Department of MedicineUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
- Section on Clinical Genomics and Experimental TherapeuticsNational Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of HealthBethesdaMarylandUSA
| | - Raymond Noordam
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Gerontology and GeriatricsLeiden University Medical CenterLeidenthe Netherlands
| | - Constantinos Christodoulides
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Radcliffe Department of MedicineUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
- National Institute for Health Research, Oxford Biomedical Research CentreOxford University Hospitals National Health Service Foundation TrustOxfordUK
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78
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Allaire P, He J, Mayer J, Moat L, Gerstenberger P, Wilhorn R, Strutz S, Kim DS, Zeng C, Cox N, Shay JW, Denny J, Bastarache L, Hebbring S. Genetic and clinical determinants of telomere length. HGG ADVANCES 2023; 4:100201. [PMID: 37216007 PMCID: PMC10199259 DOI: 10.1016/j.xhgg.2023.100201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Many epidemiologic studies have identified important relationships between leukocyte telomere length (LTL) with genetics and health. Most of these studies have been significantly limited in scope by focusing predominantly on individual diseases or restricted to GWAS analysis. Using two large patient populations derived from Vanderbilt University and Marshfield Clinic biobanks linked to genomic and phenomic data from medical records, we investigated the inter-relationship between LTL, genomics, and human health. Our GWAS confirmed 11 genetic loci previously associated with LTL and two novel loci in SCNN1D and PITPNM1. PheWAS of LTL identified 67 distinct clinical phenotypes associated with both short and long LTL. We demonstrated that several diseases associated with LTL were related to one another but were largely independent from LTL genetics. Age of death was correlated with LTL independent of age. Those with very short LTL (<-1.5 standard deviation [SD]) died 10.4 years (p < 0.0001) younger than those with average LTL (±0.5 SD; mean age of death = 74.2 years). Likewise, those with very long LTL (>1.5 SD) died 1.9 years (p = 0.0175) younger than those with average LTL. This is consistent with the PheWAS results showing diseases associating with both short and long LTL. Finally, we estimated that the genome (12.8%) and age (8.5%) explain the largest proportion of LTL variance, whereas the phenome (1.5%) and sex (0.9%) explained a smaller fraction. In total, 23.7% of LTL variance was explained. These observations provide the rationale for expanded research to understand the multifaceted correlations between TL biology and human health over time, leading to effective LTL usage in medical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Allaire
- Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, Center for Precision Medicine Research, Marshfield, WI, USA
| | - Jing He
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - John Mayer
- Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, Office of Research Computing and Analytics, Marshfield, WI, USA
| | - Luke Moat
- Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, Center for Precision Medicine Research, Marshfield, WI, USA
| | - Peter Gerstenberger
- Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, Center for Precision Medicine Research, Marshfield, WI, USA
| | - Reynor Wilhorn
- Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, Center for Precision Medicine Research, Marshfield, WI, USA
| | - Sierra Strutz
- Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, Center for Precision Medicine Research, Marshfield, WI, USA
| | - David S.L. Kim
- Marshfield Clinic Health System, Pathology, Marshfield, WI, USA
| | - Chenjie Zeng
- National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Nancy Cox
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Division of Genetic Medicine, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Jerry W. Shay
- University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Department of Cell Biology and the Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Joshua Denny
- National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Lisa Bastarache
- Center for Precision Medicine, Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Scott Hebbring
- Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, Center for Precision Medicine Research, Marshfield, WI, USA
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Wan B, Lu L, Lv C. Mendelian randomization study on the causal relationship between leukocyte telomere length and prostate cancer. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0286219. [PMID: 37352282 PMCID: PMC10289467 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is related to prostate cancer (PCa). However, the causal relationship between them remains unknown. This study was aimed at identifying the causal direction between LTL and PCa with Mendelian randomization (MR). METHODS Single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with LTL were identified from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) involving 472,174 individuals. Summary-level data of PCa-related GWAS were extracted from four cohorts comprising 456,717 individuals. An inverse-variance-weighted (IVW) algorithm was used for MR. Sensitivity analyses were performed with MR-Egger regression, IVW regression, leave-one-out test, and MR-Pleiotropy Residual Sum and Outlier analyses. A meta-analysis was also performed to compute the average genetically determined effect of LTL on PCa. RESULTS A long LTL was associated with an increased risk of PCa in all cohorts, with odds ratios of 1.368 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.247 to 1.500, P = 2.84×10-11), 1.503 (95% CI: 1.243 to 1.816, P = 2.57×10-5), 1.722 (95% CI: 1.427 to 2.077, P = 1.48×10-8), and 1.358 (95% CI: 1.242 to 1.484, P = 1.73×10-11) in the IVW analysis. Sensitivity analyses showed that the genetically determined effect of LTL on PCa was stable and reliable. The meta-analysis showed that the genetically determined per 1-standard deviation rise in LTL correlated significantly with an average 40.6% increase in the PCa risk, with an average odds ratio of 1.406 (95% CI: 1.327 to 1.489, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION The results of this study supported the causal hypothesis that the genetically determined longer LTL was associated with a higher risk of PCa. This finding could serve as a basis for therapeutic strategies for PCa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bangbei Wan
- Reproductive Medical Center, Hainan Women and Children’s Medical Center, Haikou, China
- Department of Urology, Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine Affiliated Haikou Hospital, Haikou, China
| | - Likui Lu
- Institute for Fetology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Cai Lv
- Department of Urology, Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine Affiliated Haikou Hospital, Haikou, China
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Hujoel ML, Handsaker RE, Sherman MA, Kamitaki N, Barton AR, Mukamel RE, Terao C, McCarroll SA, Loh PR. Hidden protein-altering variants influence diverse human phenotypes. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.07.544066. [PMID: 37333244 PMCID: PMC10274781 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.07.544066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
Structural variants (SVs) comprise the largest genetic variants, altering from 50 base pairs to megabases of DNA. However, SVs have not been effectively ascertained in most genetic association studies, leaving a key gap in our understanding of human complex trait genetics. We ascertained protein-altering SVs from UK Biobank whole-exome sequencing data (n=468,570) using haplotype-informed methods capable of detecting sub-exonic SVs and variation within segmental duplications. Incorporating SVs into analyses of rare variants predicted to cause gene loss-of-function (pLoF) identified 100 associations of pLoF variants with 41 quantitative traits. A low-frequency partial deletion of RGL3 exon 6 appeared to confer one of the strongest protective effects of gene LoF on hypertension risk (OR = 0.86 [0.82-0.90]). Protein-coding variation in rapidly-evolving gene families within segmental duplications-previously invisible to most analysis methods-appeared to generate some of the human genome's largest contributions to variation in type 2 diabetes risk, chronotype, and blood cell traits. These results illustrate the potential for new genetic insights from genomic variation that has escaped large-scale analysis to date.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaux L.A. Hujoel
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Data Sciences, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Robert E. Handsaker
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Maxwell A. Sherman
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Data Sciences, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Nolan Kamitaki
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Data Sciences, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alison R. Barton
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Data Sciences, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ronen E. Mukamel
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Data Sciences, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Chikashi Terao
- Laboratory for Statistical and Translational Genetics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
- Clinical Research Center, Shizuoka General Hospital, Shizuoka, Japan
- Department of Applied Genetics, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Shizuoka, Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Steven A. McCarroll
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Po-Ru Loh
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Data Sciences, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
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Bountziouka V, Nelson CP, Wang Q, Musicha C, Codd V, Samani NJ. Dietary Patterns and Practices and Leucocyte Telomere Length: Findings from the UK Biobank. J Acad Nutr Diet 2023; 123:912-922.e26. [PMID: 36669753 DOI: 10.1016/j.jand.2023.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2022] [Revised: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Shorter telomere length (TL) is associated with risk of several age-related diseases and decreased life span, but the extent to which dietary patterns and practices associate with TL is uncertain. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to investigate the association of dietary patterns and practices and leucocyte TL (LTL). DESIGN This was a cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING Data collected voluntarily from up to 422,797 UK Biobank participants, during 2006-2010. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES LTL was measured as a ratio of the telomere repeat number to a single-copy gene and was loge-transformed and standardized (z-LTL). STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED Adherence a priori to a Mediterranean-style diet was assessed through the MedDietScore. Principal component analysis was used to a posteriori extract the "Meat" and "Prudent" dietary patterns. Additional dietary practices considered were the self-reported adherence to "Vegetarian" diet, "Eating 5-a-day of fruit and vegetables" and "Abstaining from eggs/dairy/wheat/sugar." Associations between quintiles of dietary patterns or adherence to dietary practices with z-LTL were investigated through multivariable linear regression models (adjusted for demographic, lifestyle, and clinical characteristics). RESULTS Adherence to the "Mediterranean" and the "Prudent" patterns, was positively associated with LTL, with an effect magnitude in z-LTL of 0.020 SD and 0.014 SD, respectively, for the highest vs the lowest quintile of adherence to the pattern (both P values < 0.05). Conversely, a reversed association between quintile of the "Meat" pattern and LTL was observed, with z-LTL being on average shorter by 0.025 SD (P = 6.12×10-05) for participants in the highest quintile of the pattern compared with the lowest quintile. For adherents to "5-a-day" z-LTL was on average longer by 0.027 SD (P = 5.36×10-09), and for "abstainers," LTL was shorter by 0.016 SD (P = 2.51×10-04). The association of LTL with a vegetarian diet was nonsignificant after adjustment for demographic, lifestyle, and clinical characteristics. CONCLUSIONS Several dietary patterns and practices associated with beneficial health effects are significantly associated with longer LTL. However, the magnitude of the association was small, and any clinical relevance is uncertain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vasiliki Bountziouka
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom; National Institute for Health Research Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, United Kingdom; Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of the Aegean, Lemnos, Greece.
| | - Christopher P Nelson
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom; National Institute for Health Research Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Qingning Wang
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom; National Institute for Health Research Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Crispin Musicha
- Peninsula Medical School, Faculty of Health, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom
| | - Veryan Codd
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom; National Institute for Health Research Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Nilesh J Samani
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom; National Institute for Health Research Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, United Kingdom
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82
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Ignatieva EV, Yudin NS, Larkin DM. Compilation and functional classification of telomere length-associated genes in humans and other animal species. Vavilovskii Zhurnal Genet Selektsii 2023; 27:283-292. [PMID: 37293446 PMCID: PMC10244590 DOI: 10.18699/vjgb-23-34] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2022] [Revised: 12/04/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomeres are the terminal regions of chromosomes that ensure their stability while cell division. Telomere shortening initiates cellular senescence, which can lead to degeneration and atrophy of tissues, so the process is associated with a reduction in life expectancy and predisposition to a number of diseases. An accelerated rate of telomere attrition can serve as a predictor of life expectancy and health status of an individual. Telomere length is a complex phenotypic trait that is determined by many factors, including the genetic ones. Numerous studies (including genome-wide association studies, GWAS) indicate the polygenic nature of telomere length control. The objective of the present study was to characterize the genetic basis of the telomere length regulation using the GWAS data obtained during the studies of various human and other animal populations. To do so, a compilation of the genes associated with telomere length in GWAS experiments was collected, which included information on 270 human genes, as well as 23, 22, and 9 genes identified in the cattle, sparrow, and nematode, respectively. Among them were two orthologous genes encoding a shelterin protein (POT1 in humans and pot-2 in C. elegans). Functional analysis has shown that telomere length can be influenced by genetic variants in the genes encoding: (1) structural components of telomerase; (2) the protein components of telomeric regions (shelterin and CST complexes); (3) the proteins involved in telomerase biogenesis and regulating its activity; (4) the proteins that regulate the functional activity of the shelterin components; (5) the proteins involved in telomere replication and/or capping; (6) the proteins involved in the alternative telomere lengthening; (7) the proteins that respond to DNA damage and are responsible for DNA repair; (8) RNA-exosome components. The human genes identified by several research groups in populations of different ethnic origins are the genes encoding telomerase components such as TERC and TERT as well as STN1 encoding the CST complex component. Apparently, the polymorphic loci affecting the functions of these genes may be the most reliable susceptibility markers for telomere-related diseases. The systematized data about the genes and their functions can serve as a basis for the development of prognostic criteria for telomere length-associated diseases in humans. Information about the genes and processes that control telomere length can be used for marker-assisted and genomic selection in the farm animals, aimed at increasing the duration of their productive lifetime.
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Affiliation(s)
- E V Ignatieva
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - N S Yudin
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - D M Larkin
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
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83
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Carlund O, Norberg A, Osterman P, Landfors M, Degerman S, Hultdin M. DNA methylation variations and epigenetic aging in telomere biology disorders. Sci Rep 2023; 13:7955. [PMID: 37193737 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-34922-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomere Biology Disorders (TBDs) are characterized by mutations in telomere-related genes leading to short telomeres and premature aging but with no strict correlation between telomere length and disease severity. Epigenetic alterations are also markers of aging and we aimed to evaluate whether DNA methylation (DNAm) could be part of the pathogenesis of TBDs. In blood from 35 TBD cases, genome-wide DNAm were analyzed and the cases were grouped based on relative telomere length (RTL): short (S), with RTL close to normal controls, and extremely short (ES). TBD cases had increased epigenetic age and DNAm alterations were most prominent in the ES-RTL group. Thus, the differentially methylated (DM) CpG sites could be markers of short telomeres but could also be one of the mechanisms contributing to disease phenotype since DNAm alterations were observed in symptomatic, but not asymptomatic, cases with S-RTL. Furthermore, two or more DM-CpGs were identified in four genes previously linked to TBD or telomere length (PRDM8, SMC4, VARS, and WNT6) and in three genes that were novel in telomere biology (MAS1L, NAV2, and TM4FS1). The DM-CpGs in these genes could be markers of aging in hematological cells, but they could also be of relevance for the progression of TBD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia Carlund
- Department of Medical Biosciences, Pathology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Anna Norberg
- Department of Medical Biosciences, Medical and Clinical Genetics, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Pia Osterman
- Department of Medical Biosciences, Pathology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Mattias Landfors
- Department of Medical Biosciences, Pathology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Sofie Degerman
- Department of Medical Biosciences, Pathology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Magnus Hultdin
- Department of Medical Biosciences, Pathology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
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84
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Wu W, Li C, Zhu X, Liu X, Li P, Wan R, Wu X, Chen S. Genetic association of telomere length, obesity and tobacoo smoking with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis risk. BMC Public Health 2023; 23:868. [PMID: 37170112 PMCID: PMC10176771 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-15733-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Due to the inadequacy of published evidence, association of telomere length (TL), obesity and tobacco smoking with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) remains unclear. The aim of the study was to explore whether these exposures genetically affected the risk of the disease. METHODS Genetic variants from genome-wide association studies for TL, body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage (BFP) and tobacco smoking (including maternal smoking) were used as instrumental variables. Inverse-variance weighted were mainly adopted to determine the genetic association of these exposures with IPF. All analyses were conducted by R-software (version 3.6.1). RESULTS Firstly, longer TL was associated with the decreased risk of IPF (OR = 0.475 per SD increase in TL, 95%CI = 0.336 ~ 0.670, P<0.001). Secondly, higher levels of BMI and BFP were related to the increased risk of the disease (OR = 1.425 per SD increase in BMI level, 95%CI = 1.114 ~ 1.823, P = 0.005; OR = 1.702 per SD increase in BFP level, 95%CI = 1.202 ~ 2.409, P = 0.003). Thirdly, maternal smoking was implicated in the increased risk of the disease (OR = 13.183 per SD increase in the prevalence of maternal smoking, 95%CI = 1.820 ~ 95.484, P = 0.011). CONCLUSION TL should be a genetic risk factor for IPF. Obesity and exposure to tobacco smoking as a fetus might also contribute to the development of this fibrotic diseases. These findings should be verified by future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjuan Wu
- Department of Geriatrics Medicine, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
| | - Chenghai Li
- Stem cell program of clinical research center, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University and Henan Provincial People's Hospital, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Xiaoming Zhu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Xueya Liu
- Department of Geriatrics Medicine, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Ping Li
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Ruijie Wan
- Department of Geriatrics Medicine, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Xinhui Wu
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou Shuqing Medical College, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Song Chen
- Translational Research Institute, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, Academy of Medical Science, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
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85
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Schreglmann SR, Goncalves T, Grant-Peters M, Kia DA, Soreq L, Ryten M, Wood NW, Bhatia KP, Tomita K. Age-related telomere attrition in the human putamen. Aging Cell 2023:e13861. [PMID: 37129365 PMCID: PMC10352551 DOI: 10.1111/acel.13861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Age is a major risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases. Shortening of leucocyte telomeres with advancing age, arguably a measure of "biological" age, is a known phenomenon and epidemiologically correlated with age-related disease. The main mechanism of telomere shortening is cell division, rendering telomere length in post-mitotic cells presumably stable. Longitudinal measurement of human brain telomere length is not feasible, and cross-sectional cortical brain samples so far indicated no attrition with age. Hence, age-related changes in telomere length in the brain and the association between telomere length and neurodegenerative diseases remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate that mean telomere length in the putamen, a part of the basal ganglia, physiologically shortens with age, like leukocyte telomeres. This was achieved by using matched brain and leukocyte-rich spleen samples from 98 post-mortem healthy human donors. Using spleen telomeres as a reference, we further found that mean telomere length was brain region-specific, as telomeres in the putamen were significantly shorter than in the cerebellum. Expression analyses of genes involved in telomere length regulation and oxidative phosphorylation revealed that both region- and age-dependent expression pattern corresponded with region-dependent telomere length dynamics. Collectively, our results indicate that mean telomere length in the human putamen physiologically shortens with advancing age and that both local and temporal gene expression dynamics correlate with this, pointing at a potential mechanism for the selective, age-related vulnerability of the nigro-striatal network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian R Schreglmann
- Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Tomas Goncalves
- Chromosome Maintenance Group, UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, London, UK
- Centre for Genome Engineering and Maintenance, College of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Brunel University London, London, UK
| | - Melissa Grant-Peters
- Genetics and Genomic Medicine, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Demis A Kia
- Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Lilach Soreq
- Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Mina Ryten
- Genetics and Genomic Medicine, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK
- NIHR Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Centre, University College London, London, UK
| | - Nicholas W Wood
- Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Kailash P Bhatia
- Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Kazunori Tomita
- Chromosome Maintenance Group, UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, London, UK
- Centre for Genome Engineering and Maintenance, College of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Brunel University London, London, UK
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86
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Chandyo RK, Schwinger C, Kvestad I, Ulak M, Ranjitkar S, Shrestha M, Nguyen LV, Corona-Perez D, DeVivo I, Shrestha L, Strand TA. The association between household biomass fuel use and leukocyte telomere length among toddlers in Bhaktapur, Nepal. JOURNAL OF EXPOSURE SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENTAL EPIDEMIOLOGY 2023; 33:448-454. [PMID: 36138138 PMCID: PMC10234806 DOI: 10.1038/s41370-022-00474-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Biomass fuels are still in use for cooking by many households in resource poor countries such as Nepal and is a major source of household air pollution (HAP). Chronic exposure to HAP has been shown to be associated with shorter telomere length in adults. OBJECTIVES To measure the association between exposure related to household biomass fuel in infancy and leukocyte telomere length (LTL) at 18-23 months of age among 497 children from Bhaktapur, Nepal. METHODS In a prospective cohort study design, we have collected information on household cooking fuel use and several clinical, anthropometric, demographic, and socioeconomic variables. We estimated the association between biomass fuel use and the relative LTL in multiple linear regression models. RESULTS Most of the families (78%) reported liquified petroleum gas (LPG) as the primary cooking fuel, and 18.7% used biomass. The mean relative (SD) LTL was 1.03 (0.19). Children living in households using biomass fuel had on average 0.09 (95% CI: 0.05 to 0.13) units shorter LTL than children in households with no biomass fuel use. The observed association was unaltered after adjusting for relevant confounders. The association between LTL and biomass use was strongest among children from households with ≤2 rooms and without separate kitchen. SIGNIFICANCE Exposure to biomass fuel use in early life might have consequences for longevity, and risk of chronic illnesses reflected in shortening of the telomeres. Our findings support the ongoing effort to reduce exposure to biomass fuel in low-resource settings. IMPACT STATEMENTS Biomass for cooking is a leading source of household air pollution in low and middle-income countries, contributing to many chronic diseases and premature deaths. Chronic exposure to biomass fuel through oxidative stress and inflammation has been associated with a shortening of the telomeres, a "biological marker" of longevity. This prospective cohort study describes the association between household biomass fuel use and leukocyte telomere length among 497 toddlers. Leukocyte telomere length was significantly shorter among children living in households with biomass fuel than in children from homes where mainly LPG was used for cooking. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02272842, registered October 21, 2014, Universal Trial Number: U1111-1161-5187 (September 8, 2014).
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Affiliation(s)
- Ram K Chandyo
- Department of Community Medicine, Kathmandu Medical College, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Catherine Schwinger
- Centre for Intervention Science in Maternal and Child Health, Centre for International Health, Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Ingrid Kvestad
- Regional Centre for Child and Youth Mental Health and Child Welfare, NORCE Norwegian Research Centre, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Research, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Lillehammer, Norway
| | - Manjeswori Ulak
- Centre for Intervention Science in Maternal and Child Health, Centre for International Health, Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Child Health, Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Suman Ranjitkar
- Department of Child Health, Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Merina Shrestha
- Department of Child Health, Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Linda Vy Nguyen
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Diana Corona-Perez
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Immaculata DeVivo
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Laxman Shrestha
- Department of Child Health, Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Tor A Strand
- Centre for Intervention Science in Maternal and Child Health, Centre for International Health, Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
- Department of Research, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Lillehammer, Norway.
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87
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Hill C, Duffy S, Kettyle LM, McGlynn L, Sandholm N, Salem RM, Thompson A, Swan EJ, Kilner J, Rossing P, Shiels PG, Lajer M, Groop PH, Maxwell AP, McKnight AJ. Differential Methylation of Telomere-Related Genes Is Associated with Kidney Disease in Individuals with Type 1 Diabetes. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:genes14051029. [PMID: 37239390 DOI: 10.3390/genes14051029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) represents a major global health problem. Accelerated ageing is a key feature of DKD and, therefore, characteristics of accelerated ageing may provide useful biomarkers or therapeutic targets. Harnessing multi-omics, features affecting telomere biology and any associated methylome dysregulation in DKD were explored. Genotype data for nuclear genome polymorphisms in telomere-related genes were extracted from genome-wide case-control association data (n = 823 DKD/903 controls; n = 247 end-stage kidney disease (ESKD)/1479 controls). Telomere length was established using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Quantitative methylation values for 1091 CpG sites in telomere-related genes were extracted from epigenome-wide case-control association data (n = 150 DKD/100 controls). Telomere length was significantly shorter in older age groups (p = 7.6 × 10-6). Telomere length was also significantly reduced (p = 6.6 × 10-5) in DKD versus control individuals, with significance remaining after covariate adjustment (p = 0.028). DKD and ESKD were nominally associated with telomere-related genetic variation, with Mendelian randomisation highlighting no significant association between genetically predicted telomere length and kidney disease. A total of 496 CpG sites in 212 genes reached epigenome-wide significance (p ≤ 10-8) for DKD association, and 412 CpG sites in 193 genes for ESKD. Functional prediction revealed differentially methylated genes were enriched for Wnt signalling involvement. Harnessing previously published RNA-sequencing datasets, potential targets where epigenetic dysregulation may result in altered gene expression were revealed, useful as potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets for intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Hill
- Centre for Public Health, Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast BT12 6BA, UK
| | - Seamus Duffy
- Centre for Public Health, Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast BT12 6BA, UK
| | - Laura M Kettyle
- Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology, Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast BT9 7AE, UK
| | - Liane McGlynn
- College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Niina Sandholm
- Folkhälsan Institute of Genetics, Folkhälsan Research Center, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Helsinki University Central Hospital, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
- Research Program for Clinical and Molecular Metabolism, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Rany M Salem
- Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Alex Thompson
- School of Medicine, The Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Elizabeth J Swan
- Centre for Public Health, Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast BT12 6BA, UK
| | - Jill Kilner
- Centre for Public Health, Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast BT12 6BA, UK
| | - Peter Rossing
- Nordsjaellands Hospital, Hilleroed, Denmark and Health, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
- Steno Diabetes Center, 2730 Gentofte, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, 1165 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Paul G Shiels
- School of Molecular Biosciences, Davidson Building, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Maria Lajer
- Steno Diabetes Center, 2730 Gentofte, Denmark
| | - Per-Henrik Groop
- Folkhälsan Institute of Genetics, Folkhälsan Research Center, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Helsinki University Central Hospital, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
- Research Program for Clinical and Molecular Metabolism, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Diabetes, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Alexander Peter Maxwell
- Centre for Public Health, Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast BT12 6BA, UK
- Regional Nephrology Unit, Belfast City Hospital, Belfast BT9 7AB, UK
| | - Amy Jayne McKnight
- Centre for Public Health, Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast BT12 6BA, UK
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88
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Lin B, Mu Y, Ding Z. Assessing the Causal Association between Biological Aging Biomarkers and the Development of Cerebral Small Vessel Disease: A Mendelian Randomization Study. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:biology12050660. [PMID: 37237474 DOI: 10.3390/biology12050660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 04/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Biological aging biomarkers, such as leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and epigenetic clocks, have been associated with the risk of cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) in several observational studies. However, it is unclear whether LTL or epigenetic clocks play causal roles as prognostic biomarkers in the development of CSVD. We performed a Mendelian randomization (MR) study of LTL and four epigenetic clocks on ten subclinical and clinical CSVD measures. We obtained genome-wide association (GWAS) data for LTL from the UK Biobank (N = 472,174). Data on epigenetic clocks were derived from a meta-analysis (N = 34,710), and CSVD data (N cases =1293-18,381; N controls = 25,806-105,974) were extracted from the Cerebrovascular Disease Knowledge Portal. We found that genetically determined LTL and epigenetic clocks were not individually associated with ten measures of CSVD (IVW p > 0.05), and this result was consistent across sensitivity analyses. Our findings imply that LTL and epigenetic clocks may not help in predicting CSVD development as causal prognostic biomarkers. Further studies are needed to illustrate the potential of reverse biological aging in serving as an effective form of preventive therapy for CSVD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biying Lin
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 261 Huansha Rd., Hangzhou 310006, China
| | - Yuzhu Mu
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 261 Huansha Rd., Hangzhou 310006, China
- Department of Radiology, The Fourth School of Clinical Medicine, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310006, China
| | - Zhongxiang Ding
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 261 Huansha Rd., Hangzhou 310006, China
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89
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Cortez Cardoso Penha R, Smith-Byrne K, Atkins JR, Haycock PC, Kar S, Codd V, Samani NJ, Nelson C, Milojevic M, Gabriel AAG, Amos C, Brennan P, Hung RJ, Kachuri L, Mckay JD. Common genetic variations in telomere length genes and lung cancer: a Mendelian randomisation study and its novel application in lung tumour transcriptome. eLife 2023; 12:e83118. [PMID: 37079368 PMCID: PMC10118386 DOI: 10.7554/elife.83118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified genetic susceptibility variants for both leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and lung cancer susceptibility. Our study aims to explore the shared genetic basis between these traits and investigate their impact on somatic environment of lung tumours. Methods We performed genetic correlation, Mendelian randomisation (MR), and colocalisation analyses using the largest available GWASs summary statistics of LTL (N=464,716) and lung cancer (N=29,239 cases and 56,450 controls). Principal components analysis based on RNA-sequencing data was used to summarise gene expression profile in lung adenocarcinoma cases from TCGA (N=343). Results Although there was no genome-wide genetic correlation between LTL and lung cancer risk, longer LTL conferred an increased risk of lung cancer regardless of smoking status in the MR analyses, particularly for lung adenocarcinoma. Of the 144 LTL genetic instruments, 12 colocalised with lung adenocarcinoma risk and revealed novel susceptibility loci, including MPHOSPH6, PRPF6, and POLI. The polygenic risk score for LTL was associated with a specific gene expression profile (PC2) in lung adenocarcinoma tumours. The aspect of PC2 associated with longer LTL was also associated with being female, never smokers, and earlier tumour stages. PC2 was strongly associated with cell proliferation score and genomic features related to genome stability, including copy number changes and telomerase activity. Conclusions This study identified an association between longer genetically predicted LTL and lung cancer and sheds light on the potential molecular mechanisms related to LTL in lung adenocarcinomas. Funding Institut National du Cancer (GeniLuc2017-1-TABAC-03-CIRC-1-TABAC17-022), INTEGRAL/NIH (5U19CA203654-03), CRUK (C18281/A29019), and Agence Nationale pour la Recherche (ANR-10-INBS-09).
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Cortez Cardoso Penha
- Genomic Epidemiology branch, International Agency for Research on Cancer/World Health Organization (IARC/WHO)LyonFrance
| | - Karl Smith-Byrne
- Cancer Epidemiology Unit, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Joshua R Atkins
- Genomic Epidemiology branch, International Agency for Research on Cancer/World Health Organization (IARC/WHO)LyonFrance
| | - Philip C Haycock
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, Bristol Population Health Science Institute, Bristol Medical School (PHS)BristolUnited Kingdom
| | - Siddhartha Kar
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, Bristol Population Health Science Institute, Bristol Medical School (PHS)BristolUnited Kingdom
| | - Veryan Codd
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of LeicesterLeicesterUnited Kingdom
- NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield HospitalLeicesterUnited Kingdom
| | - Nilesh J Samani
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of LeicesterLeicesterUnited Kingdom
- NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield HospitalLeicesterUnited Kingdom
| | - Christopher Nelson
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of LeicesterLeicesterUnited Kingdom
- NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield HospitalLeicesterUnited Kingdom
| | - Maja Milojevic
- Genomic Epidemiology branch, International Agency for Research on Cancer/World Health Organization (IARC/WHO)LyonFrance
| | - Aurélie AG Gabriel
- Ludwig Lausanne Branch, Faculty of Biology and MedicineLausanneSwitzerland
| | - Christopher Amos
- Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
| | - Paul Brennan
- Genomic Epidemiology branch, International Agency for Research on Cancer/World Health Organization (IARC/WHO)LyonFrance
| | - Rayjean J Hung
- Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai HealthTorontoCanada
| | - Linda Kachuri
- Departament of Epidemiology and Population Health, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
| | - James D Mckay
- Genomic Epidemiology branch, International Agency for Research on Cancer/World Health Organization (IARC/WHO)LyonFrance
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90
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Donoghue LJ, Stockwell AD, Neighbors M, Sheng RX, Prabhakaran R, Wolters PJ, Lancaster LH, Kropski JA, Blackwell TS, McCarthy MI, Yaspan BL. Identification of a Genetic Susceptibility Locus for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis in the 16p Subtelomere Using Whole-Genome Sequencing. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2023; 207:941-944. [PMID: 36603154 PMCID: PMC10111979 DOI: 10.1164/rccm.202206-1139le] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
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91
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Mannherz W, Agarwal S. Thymidine nucleotide metabolism controls human telomere length. Nat Genet 2023; 55:568-580. [PMID: 36959362 PMCID: PMC11000509 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-023-01339-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/25/2023]
Abstract
Telomere length in humans is associated with lifespan and severe diseases, yet the genetic determinants of telomere length remain incompletely defined. Here we performed genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 functional telomere length screening and identified thymidine (dT) nucleotide metabolism as a limiting factor in human telomere maintenance. Targeted genetic disruption using CRISPR-Cas9 revealed multiple telomere length control points across the thymidine nucleotide metabolism pathway: decreasing dT nucleotide salvage via deletion of the gene encoding nuclear thymidine kinase (TK1) or de novo production by knockout of the thymidylate synthase gene (TYMS) decreased telomere length, whereas inactivation of the deoxynucleoside triphosphohydrolase-encoding gene SAMHD1 lengthened telomeres. Remarkably, supplementation with dT alone drove robust telomere elongation by telomerase in cells, and thymidine triphosphate stimulated telomerase activity in a substrate-independent manner in vitro. In induced pluripotent stem cells derived from patients with genetic telomere biology disorders, dT supplementation or inhibition of SAMHD1 promoted telomere restoration. Our results demonstrate a critical role of thymidine metabolism in controlling human telomerase and telomere length, which may be therapeutically actionable in patients with fatal degenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Mannherz
- Division of Hematology/Oncology and Stem Cell Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program, Harvard/MIT MD-PhD Program, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Initiative for RNA Medicine, and Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Suneet Agarwal
- Division of Hematology/Oncology and Stem Cell Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
- Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program, Harvard/MIT MD-PhD Program, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Initiative for RNA Medicine, and Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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92
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Bryan TM. Nucleotide metabolism regulates human telomere length via telomerase activation. Nat Genet 2023; 55:532-533. [PMID: 36997693 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-023-01359-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/07/2023]
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93
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Meesters M, Van Eetvelde M, Martens DS, Nawrot TS, Dewulf M, Govaere J, Opsomer G. Prenatal environment impacts telomere length in newborn dairy heifers. Sci Rep 2023; 13:4672. [PMID: 36949104 PMCID: PMC10033676 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31943-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomere length is associated with longevity and survival in multiple species. In human population-based studies, multiple prenatal factors have been described to be associated with a newborn's telomere length. In the present study, we measured relative leukocyte telomere length in 210 Holstein Friesian heifers, within the first ten days of life. The dam's age, parity, and milk production parameters, as well as environmental factors during gestation were assessed for their potential effect on telomere length. We found that for both primi- and multiparous dams, the telomere length was 1.16% shorter for each day increase in the calf's age at sampling (P = 0.017). The dam's age at parturition (P = 0.045), and the median temperature-humidity index (THI) during the third trimester of gestation (P = 0.006) were also negatively associated with the calves' TL. Investigating multiparous dams separately, only the calf's age at sampling was significantly and negatively associated with the calves' TL (P = 0.025). Results of the present study support the hypothesis that in cattle, early life telomere length is influenced by prenatal factors. Furthermore, the results suggest that selecting heifers born in winter out of young dams might contribute to increased longevity in dairy cattle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maya Meesters
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
| | - Mieke Van Eetvelde
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Dries S Martens
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Tim S Nawrot
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
- Research Unit Environment and Health, Department of Public Health & Primary Care, Leuven University, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Manon Dewulf
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Jan Govaere
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Geert Opsomer
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
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94
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Topiwala A, Nichols TE, Williams LZJ, Robinson EC, Alfaro-Almagro F, Taschler B, Wang C, Nelson CP, Miller KL, Codd V, Samani NJ, Smith SM. Telomere length and brain imaging phenotypes in UK Biobank. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0282363. [PMID: 36947528 PMCID: PMC10032499 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0282363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomeres form protective caps at the ends of chromosomes, and their attrition is a marker of biological aging. Short telomeres are associated with an increased risk of neurological and psychiatric disorders including dementia. The mechanism underlying this risk is unclear, and may involve brain structure and function. However, the relationship between telomere length and neuroimaging markers is poorly characterized. Here we show that leucocyte telomere length (LTL) is associated with multi-modal MRI phenotypes in 31,661 UK Biobank participants. Longer LTL is associated with: i) larger global and subcortical grey matter volumes including the hippocampus, ii) lower T1-weighted grey-white tissue contrast in sensory cortices, iii) white-matter microstructure measures in corpus callosum and association fibres, iv) lower volume of white matter hyperintensities, and v) lower basal ganglia iron. Longer LTL was protective against certain related clinical manifestations, namely all-cause dementia (HR 0.93, 95% CI: 0.91-0.96), but not stroke or Parkinson's disease. LTL is associated with multiple MRI endophenotypes of neurodegenerative disease, suggesting a pathway by which longer LTL may confer protective against dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anya Topiwala
- Nuffield Department Population Health, Big Data Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas E. Nichols
- Nuffield Department Population Health, Big Data Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Logan Z. J. Williams
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Emma C. Robinson
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Fidel Alfaro-Almagro
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN FMRIB), University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Bernd Taschler
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN FMRIB), University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Chaoyue Wang
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN FMRIB), Oxford University, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher P. Nelson
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
- NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Karla L. Miller
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN FMRIB), Oxford University, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Veryan Codd
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
- NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Nilesh J. Samani
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
- NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen M. Smith
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN FMRIB), Oxford University, Oxford, United Kingdom
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95
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Yu X, Qian N, Wang Y. A new risk factor associated with cardiovascular disease: clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential. Mol Biol Rep 2023; 50:2813-2822. [PMID: 36595120 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-022-08118-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Clonal hematopoiesis is a prevalent disease associated with all-cause death. Not only because it can be a precancerous lesion of blood system diseases but also has a strong association with cardiovascular disease. A narrow term, clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP), was proposed by Steensma et al. [1] to describe individuals with detectable somatic clonal mutations in their genes in blood or bone marrow but without a diagnosis of hematological disease or unexplained cytopenia. Recently, studies have suggested that CHIP is associated with adverse cardiovascular disease progression, particularly in patients with ten-eleven translocation 2 (TET2) mutations or DNA methyltransferase 3 alpha (DNMT3A) mutations. Age is the most crucial factor which is associated with increased CHIP prevalence. The underlying mechanisms appear to be related to inflammatory status. However, new evidence suggests that genetic factors, lifestyle and environmental factors such as smoking, obesity, and diet also play essential roles in developing CHIP. More research needs to be done on the potential genetic mechanisms driving CHIP and the environmental factors that modulate CHIP risk. This review summarizes the latest research on CHIP, discusses in detail the strong association between clonal hematopoiesis and accelerated cardiovascular disease, and rationalizes the intervention of CHIP in combination with existing evidence, which may be beneficial for future treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiongkai Yu
- The fourth Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 322000, Yiwu, People's Republic of China
| | - Ningjing Qian
- The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 310009, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Yaping Wang
- The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 310009, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China.
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96
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Hill C, Duffy S, Coulter T, Maxwell AP, McKnight AJ. Harnessing Genomic Analysis to Explore the Role of Telomeres in the Pathogenesis and Progression of Diabetic Kidney Disease. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:609. [PMID: 36980881 PMCID: PMC10048490 DOI: 10.3390/genes14030609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The prevalence of diabetes is increasing globally, and this trend is predicted to continue for future decades. Research is needed to uncover new ways to manage diabetes and its co-morbidities. A significant secondary complication of diabetes is kidney disease, which can ultimately result in the need for renal replacement therapy, via dialysis or transplantation. Diabetic kidney disease presents a substantial burden to patients, their families and global healthcare services. This review highlights studies that have harnessed genomic, epigenomic and functional prediction tools to uncover novel genes and pathways associated with DKD that are useful for the identification of therapeutic targets or novel biomarkers for risk stratification. Telomere length regulation is a specific pathway gaining attention recently because of its association with DKD. Researchers are employing both observational and genetics-based studies to identify telomere-related genes associated with kidney function decline in diabetes. Studies have also uncovered novel functions for telomere-related genes beyond the immediate regulation of telomere length, such as transcriptional regulation and inflammation. This review summarises studies that have revealed the potential to harness therapeutics that modulate telomere length, or the associated epigenetic modifications, for the treatment of DKD, to potentially slow renal function decline and reduce the global burden of this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Hill
- Centre for Public Health, Queen’s University of Belfast, Belfast BT12 6BA, UK
| | - Seamus Duffy
- Centre for Public Health, Queen’s University of Belfast, Belfast BT12 6BA, UK
| | - Tiernan Coulter
- Centre for Public Health, Queen’s University of Belfast, Belfast BT12 6BA, UK
| | - Alexander Peter Maxwell
- Centre for Public Health, Queen’s University of Belfast, Belfast BT12 6BA, UK
- Regional Nephrology Unit, Belfast City Hospital, Belfast BT9 7AB, UK
| | - Amy Jayne McKnight
- Centre for Public Health, Queen’s University of Belfast, Belfast BT12 6BA, UK
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97
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Marriott RJ, Murray K, Budgeon CA, Codd V, Hui J, Arscott GM, Beilby JP, Hankey GJ, Wittert GA, Wu FCW, Yeap BB. Serum testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin are inversely associated with leucocyte telomere length in men: a cross-sectional analysis of the UK Biobank study. Eur J Endocrinol 2023; 188:7031076. [PMID: 36751991 DOI: 10.1093/ejendo/lvad015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Revised: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Older men on an average have lower testosterone concentrations, compared with younger men, and more age-related comorbidities. Whether lower testosterone concentrations contribute to biological ageing remains unclear. Shorter telomeres are a marker for biological age. We tested the hypothesis that testosterone concentrations are associated with leucocyte telomere length (LTL), in middle- to older-aged men. DESIGN Cross-sectional analysis of the UK Biobank study, involving community-dwelling men aged 40-69 years. METHODS Serum testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) were assayed. Free testosterone was calculated (cFT). Leucocyte telomere length was measured using polymerase chain reaction. Multivariable models were used to assess associations of hormones with standardised LTL. RESULTS In 167 706 men, median age 58 years, adjusting for sociodemographic, lifestyle, and medical factors, total testosterone was inversely associated with standardised LTL, which was 0.09 longer (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.08-0.10, P < .001) in men with total testosterone at median of lowest quintile [Q1] vs highest [Q5]. This relationship was attenuated after additional adjustment for SHBG (0.03 longer, CI = 0.02-0.05, P = .003). The association between cFT and LTL was similar in direction but lower in magnitude. In multivariable analysis, SHBG was inversely associated with standardised LTL, which was 0.12 longer (CI = 0.10-0.13, P < .001) for SHBG at median Q1 vs Q5. Results were similar with testosterone included in the model (0.10 longer, CI = 0.08-0.12, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS Total testosterone and SHBG were independently and inversely associated with LTL. Men with higher testosterone or SHBG had shorter telomeres, arguing against a role for testosterone to slow biological ageing in men.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ross J Marriott
- School of Population and Global Health, University of Western Australia, Perth 6009, Australia
| | - Kevin Murray
- School of Population and Global Health, University of Western Australia, Perth 6009, Australia
| | - Charley A Budgeon
- School of Population and Global Health, University of Western Australia, Perth 6009, Australia
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, United Kingdom
| | - Veryan Codd
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, United Kingdom
- National Institute for Health Research Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester LE3 9QP, United Kingdom
| | - Jennie Hui
- PathWest Laboratory Medicine, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth 6009, Australia
| | - Gillian M Arscott
- PathWest Laboratory Medicine, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth 6009, Australia
| | - John P Beilby
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth 6009, Australia
| | - Graeme J Hankey
- Medical School, University of Western Australia, Perth 6009, Australia
| | - Gary A Wittert
- Freemasons Centre for Male Health and Wellbeing, University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia
| | - Frederick C W Wu
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Gastroenterology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
| | - Bu B Yeap
- Medical School, University of Western Australia, Perth 6009, Australia
- Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Perth 6150, Australia
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98
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Eguchi A, Gonzalez AFGS, Torres-Bigio SI, Koleckar K, Birnbaum F, Zhang JZ, Wang VY, Wu JC, Artandi SE, Blau HM. TRF2 rescues telomere attrition and prolongs cell survival in Duchenne muscular dystrophy cardiomyocytes derived from human iPSCs. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2209967120. [PMID: 36719921 PMCID: PMC9963063 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2209967120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe muscle wasting disease caused by the lack of dystrophin. Heart failure, driven by cardiomyocyte death, fibrosis, and the development of dilated cardiomyopathy, is the leading cause of death in DMD patients. Current treatments decrease the mechanical load on the heart but do not address the root cause of dilated cardiomyopathy: cardiomyocyte death. Previously, we showed that telomere shortening is a hallmark of DMD cardiomyocytes. Here, we test whether prevention of telomere attrition is possible in cardiomyocytes differentiated from patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC-CMs) and if preventing telomere shortening impacts cardiomyocyte function. We observe reduced cell size, nuclear size, and sarcomere density in DMD iPSC-CMs compared with healthy isogenic controls. We find that expression of just one telomere-binding protein, telomeric repeat-binding factor 2 (TRF2), a core component of the shelterin complex, prevents telomere attrition and rescues deficiencies in cell size as well as sarcomere density. We employ a bioengineered platform to micropattern cardiomyocytes for calcium imaging and perform Southern blots of telomere restriction fragments, the gold standard for telomere length assessments. Importantly, preservation of telomere lengths in DMD cardiomyocytes improves their viability. These data provide evidence that preventing telomere attrition ameliorates deficits in cell morphology, activation of the DNA damage response, and premature cell death, suggesting that TRF2 is a key player in DMD-associated cardiac failure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asuka Eguchi
- Baxter Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
| | - Adriana Fernanda G. S. Gonzalez
- Baxter Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
| | - Sofía I. Torres-Bigio
- Baxter Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
| | - Kassie Koleckar
- Baxter Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
| | - Foster Birnbaum
- Baxter Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
| | - Joe Z. Zhang
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
| | - Vicky Y. Wang
- Stanford Department of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
| | - Joseph C. Wu
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
| | - Steven E. Artandi
- Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
- Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94035
| | - Helen M. Blau
- Baxter Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
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99
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Bountziouka V, Hansell AL, Nelson CP, Codd V, Samani NJ. Large-Scale Analysis of the Association between Air Pollutants and Leucocyte Telomere Length in the UK Biobank. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2023; 131:27701. [PMID: 36779965 PMCID: PMC9924307 DOI: 10.1289/ehp11745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Vasiliki Bountziouka
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
- National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, UK
| | - Anna L. Hansell
- Centre for Environmental Health and Sustainability, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
- NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Environmental Exposures and Health, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Christopher P. Nelson
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
- National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, UK
| | - Veryan Codd
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
- National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, UK
| | - Nilesh J. Samani
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
- National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, UK
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100
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Revy P, Kannengiesser C, Bertuch AA. Genetics of human telomere biology disorders. Nat Rev Genet 2023; 24:86-108. [PMID: 36151328 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-022-00527-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 43.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Telomeres are specialized nucleoprotein structures at the ends of linear chromosomes that prevent the activation of DNA damage response and repair pathways. Numerous factors localize at telomeres to regulate their length, structure and function, to avert replicative senescence or genome instability and cell death. In humans, Mendelian defects in several of these factors can result in abnormally short or dysfunctional telomeres, causing a group of rare heterogeneous premature-ageing diseases, termed telomeropathies, short-telomere syndromes or telomere biology disorders (TBDs). Here, we review the TBD-causing genes identified so far and describe their main functions associated with telomere biology. We present molecular aspects of TBDs, including genetic anticipation, phenocopy, incomplete penetrance and somatic genetic rescue, which underlie the complexity of these diseases. We also discuss the implications of phenotypic and genetic features of TBDs on fundamental aspects related to human telomere biology, ageing and cancer, as well as on diagnostic, therapeutic and clinical approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Revy
- INSERM UMR 1163, Laboratory of Genome Dynamics in the Immune System, Equipe Labellisée Ligue Nationale contre le Cancer, Paris, France.
- Université Paris Cité, Imagine Institute, Paris, France.
| | - Caroline Kannengiesser
- APHP Service de Génétique, Hôpital Bichat, Paris, France
- Inserm U1152, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Alison A Bertuch
- Departments of Paediatrics and Molecular & Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
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