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Gold NM, Okeke MN, He Y. Involvement of Inheritance in Determining Telomere Length beyond Environmental and Lifestyle Factors. Aging Dis 2023:AD.2023.1023. [PMID: 37962459 DOI: 10.14336/ad.2023.1023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
All linear chromosomal ends have specific DNA-protein complexes called telomeres. Telomeres serve as a "molecular clock" to estimate the potential length of cell replication. Shortening of telomere length (TL) is associated with cellular senescence, aging, and various age-related diseases in humans. Here we reviewed the structure, function, and regulation of telomeres and the age-related diseases associated with telomere attrition. Among the various determinants of TL, we highlight the connection between TL and heredity to provide a new overview of genetic determinants for TL. Studies across multiple species have shown that maternal and paternal TL influence the TL of their offspring, and this may affect life span and their susceptibility to age-related diseases. Hence, we reviewed the linkage between TL and parental influences and the proposed mechanisms involved. More in-depth studies on the genetic mechanism for TL attrition are needed due to the potential application of this knowledge in human medicine to prevent premature frailty at its earliest stage, as well as promote health and longevity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naheemat Modupeola Gold
- Key Laboratory of Healthy Aging Research of Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, Yunnan, China
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic, Evolution and Animal Models, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, Yunnan, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Michael Ngozi Okeke
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Center for Nanomedical Technology Research, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Yonghan He
- Key Laboratory of Healthy Aging Research of Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, Yunnan, China
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic, Evolution and Animal Models, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, Yunnan, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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2
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Peka M, Balatsky V, Saienko A, Tsereniuk O. Bioinformatic analysis of the effect of SNPs in the pig TERT gene on the structural and functional characteristics of the enzyme to develop new genetic markers of productivity traits. BMC Genomics 2023; 24:487. [PMID: 37626279 PMCID: PMC10463782 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09592-y] [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: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) plays a crucial role in synthesizing telomeric repeats that safeguard chromosomes from damage and fusion, thereby maintaining genome stability. Mutations in the TERT gene can lead to a deviation in gene expression, impaired enzyme activity, and, as a result, abnormal telomere shortening. Genetic markers of productivity traits in livestock can be developed based on the TERT gene polymorphism for use in marker-associated selection (MAS). In this study, a bioinformatic-based approach is proposed to evaluate the effect of missense single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the pig TERT gene on enzyme function and structure, with the prospect of developing genetic markers. RESULTS A comparative analysis of the coding and amino acid sequences of the pig TERT was performed with corresponding sequences of other species. The distribution of polymorphisms in the pig TERT gene, with respect to the enzyme's structural-functional domains, was established. A three-dimensional model of the pig TERT structure was obtained through homological modeling. The potential impact of each of the 23 missense SNPs in the pig TERT gene on telomerase function and stability was assessed using predictive bioinformatic tools utilizing data on the amino acid sequence and structure of pig TERT. CONCLUSIONS According to bioinformatic analysis of 23 missense SNPs of the pig TERT gene, a predictive effect of rs789641834 (TEN domain), rs706045634 (TEN domain), rs325294961 (TRBD domain) and rs705602819 (RTD domain) on the structural and functional parameters of the enzyme was established. These SNPs hold the potential to serve as genetic markers of productivity traits. Therefore, the possibility of their application in MAS should be further evaluated in associative analysis studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mykyta Peka
- Institute of Pig Breeding and Agroindustrial Production, National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, 1 Shvedska Mohyla St, Poltava, 36013 Ukraine
- V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, 4 Svobody Sq, Kharkiv, 61022 Ukraine
| | - Viktor Balatsky
- Institute of Pig Breeding and Agroindustrial Production, National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, 1 Shvedska Mohyla St, Poltava, 36013 Ukraine
- V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, 4 Svobody Sq, Kharkiv, 61022 Ukraine
| | - Artem Saienko
- Institute of Pig Breeding and Agroindustrial Production, National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, 1 Shvedska Mohyla St, Poltava, 36013 Ukraine
| | - Oleksandr Tsereniuk
- Institute of Pig Breeding and Agroindustrial Production, National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, 1 Shvedska Mohyla St, Poltava, 36013 Ukraine
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3
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Sparks AM, Spurgin LG, van der Velde M, Fairfield EA, Komdeur J, Burke T, Richardson DS, Dugdale HL. Telomere heritability and parental age at conception effects in a wild avian population. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:6324-6338. [PMID: 33586226 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Revised: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Individual variation in telomere length is predictive of health and mortality risk across a range of species. However, the relative influence of environmental and genetic variation on individual telomere length in wild populations remains poorly understood. Heritability of telomere length has primarily been calculated using parent-offspring regression which can be confounded by shared environments. To control for confounding variables, quantitative genetic "animal models" can be used, but few studies have applied animal models in wild populations. Furthermore, parental age at conception may also influence offspring telomere length, but most studies have been cross-sectional. We investigated within- and between-parental age at conception effects and heritability of telomere length in the Seychelles warbler using measures from birds caught over 20 years and a multigenerational pedigree. We found a weak negative within-paternal age at conception effect (as fathers aged, their offspring had shorter telomeres) and a weak positive between-maternal age at conception effect (females that survived to older ages had offspring with longer telomeres). Animal models provided evidence that heritability and evolvability of telomere length were low in this population, and that variation in telomere length was not driven by early-life effects of hatch period or parental identities. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction plate had a large influence on telomere length variation and not accounting for it in the models would have underestimated heritability. Our study illustrates the need to include and account for technical variation in order to accurately estimate heritability, as well as other environmental effects, on telomere length in natural populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra M Sparks
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Lewis G Spurgin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Marco van der Velde
- Behavioural and Physiological Ecology, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Jan Komdeur
- Behavioural and Physiological Ecology, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Terry Burke
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - David S Richardson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.,Nature Seychelles, Victoria, Mahé, Republic of Seychelles
| | - Hannah L Dugdale
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.,Behavioural and Physiological Ecology, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
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4
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Chik HYJ, Sparks AM, Schroeder J, Dugdale HL. A meta-analysis on the heritability of vertebrate telomere length. J Evol Biol 2022; 35:1283-1295. [PMID: 35932478 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Revised: 07/03/2022] [Accepted: 07/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Telomere dynamics are linked with both cellular and organismal senescence, and life history, individual quality and health. Telomere dynamics, particularly telomere length, have therefore garnered much research interest in evolutionary biology. To examine the evolution of telomere length, it is important to quantify its heritability, the proportion of total variation explained by additive genetic effects. Many studies have quantified telomere length heritability, but estimates are varied, and no general conclusion has been drawn. Additionally, it is unclear whether biological and methodological factors influence telomere length heritability estimates. We present the first meta-analysis of telomere length heritability, using 104 estimates from 43 studies over 18 vertebrate species. We calculated an overall mean heritability and examined how estimates varied by study, phylogeny, species-specific ecology, environmental setting, age at sampling, laboratory methods, statistical methods, sex and repeated measurements. Overall heritability was moderate (44.9%, 95% CI: 25.2-64.7%), and there was considerable heterogeneity in heritability estimates, in particular among studies and estimates. Laboratory method influenced heritability estimates, with in-gel hybridization TRF yielding higher heritabilities than qPCR and Southern blot TRF. There was also an effect from statistical method, with twin-based and SNP-based estimates lower than correlation-based or pedigree-based estimates. Our results highlight an overall heritable basis of telomere length, and we recommend future research on a wider range of taxa, and the use of variance-partitioning methods with relatedness or SNP data over correlation methods to minimize heritability estimation bias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heung Ying Janet Chik
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.,School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Alexandra M Sparks
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.,School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Julia Schroeder
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London Silwood Park, Ascot, UK
| | - Hannah L Dugdale
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
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5
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Genetic, parental and lifestyle factors influence telomere length. Commun Biol 2022; 5:565. [PMID: 35681050 PMCID: PMC9184499 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03521-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 05/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractThe average length of telomere repeats (TL) declines with age and is considered to be a marker of biological ageing. Here, we measured TL in six blood cell types from 1046 individuals using the clinically validated Flow-FISH method. We identified remarkable cell-type-specific variations in TL. Host genetics, environmental, parental and intrinsic factors such as sex, parental age, and smoking are associated to variations in TL. By analysing the genome-wide methylation patterns, we identified that the association of maternal, but not paternal, age to TL is mediated by epigenetics. Single-cell RNA-sequencing data for 62 participants revealed differential gene expression in T-cells. Genes negatively associated with TL were enriched for pathways related to translation and nonsense-mediated decay. Altogether, this study addresses cell-type-specific differences in telomere biology and its relation to cell-type-specific gene expression and highlights how perinatal factors play a role in determining TL, on top of genetics and lifestyle.
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Hecker M, Bühring J, Fitzner B, Rommer PS, Zettl UK. Genetic, Environmental and Lifestyle Determinants of Accelerated Telomere Attrition as Contributors to Risk and Severity of Multiple Sclerosis. Biomolecules 2021; 11:1510. [PMID: 34680143 PMCID: PMC8533505 DOI: 10.3390/biom11101510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomeres are protective structures at the ends of linear chromosomes. Shortened telomere lengths (TL) are an indicator of premature biological aging and have been associated with a wide spectrum of disorders, including multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is a chronic inflammatory, demyelinating and neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system. The exact cause of MS is still unclear. Here, we provide an overview of genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors that have been described to influence TL and to contribute to susceptibility to MS and possibly disease severity. We show that several early-life factors are linked to both reduced TL and higher risk of MS, e.g., adolescent obesity, lack of physical activity, smoking and vitamin D deficiency. This suggests that the mechanisms underlying the disease are connected to cellular aging and senescence promoted by increased inflammation and oxidative stress. Additional prospective research is needed to clearly define the extent to which lifestyle changes can slow down disease progression and prevent accelerated telomere loss in individual patients. It is also important to further elucidate the interactions between shared determinants of TL and MS. In future, cell type-specific studies and advanced TL measurement methods could help to better understand how telomeres may be causally involved in disease processes and to uncover novel opportunities for improved biomarkers and therapeutic interventions in MS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Hecker
- Division of Neuroimmunology, Department of Neurology, Rostock University Medical Center, Gehlsheimer Str. 20, 18147 Rostock, Germany; (J.B.); (B.F.); (P.S.R.); (U.K.Z.)
| | - Jan Bühring
- Division of Neuroimmunology, Department of Neurology, Rostock University Medical Center, Gehlsheimer Str. 20, 18147 Rostock, Germany; (J.B.); (B.F.); (P.S.R.); (U.K.Z.)
| | - Brit Fitzner
- Division of Neuroimmunology, Department of Neurology, Rostock University Medical Center, Gehlsheimer Str. 20, 18147 Rostock, Germany; (J.B.); (B.F.); (P.S.R.); (U.K.Z.)
| | - Paulus Stefan Rommer
- Division of Neuroimmunology, Department of Neurology, Rostock University Medical Center, Gehlsheimer Str. 20, 18147 Rostock, Germany; (J.B.); (B.F.); (P.S.R.); (U.K.Z.)
- Department of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18–20, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Uwe Klaus Zettl
- Division of Neuroimmunology, Department of Neurology, Rostock University Medical Center, Gehlsheimer Str. 20, 18147 Rostock, Germany; (J.B.); (B.F.); (P.S.R.); (U.K.Z.)
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7
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Geronimus AT, Bound J, Mitchell C, Martinez-Cardoso A, Evans L, Hughes L, Schneper L, Notterman DA. Coming up short: Comparing venous blood, dried blood spots & saliva samples for measuring telomere length in health equity research. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0255237. [PMID: 34407110 PMCID: PMC8372921 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0255237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Telomere length (TL) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from fresh venous blood is increasingly used to estimate molecular impacts of accumulated social adversity on population health. Sometimes, TL extracted from saliva or dried blood spots (DBS) are substituted as less invasive and more scalable specimen collection methods; yet, are they interchangeable with fresh blood? Studies find TL is correlated across tissues, but have not addressed the critical question for social epidemiological applications: Do different specimen types show the same association between TL and social constructs? METHODS We integrate expertise in social epidemiology, molecular biology, and the statistical impact of measurement error on parameter estimates. Recruiting a diverse sample of 132 Metro-Detroit women, we measure TL for each woman from fresh blood PBMC, DBS, and saliva. Using regression methods, we estimate associations between social characteristics and TL, comparing estimates across specimen types for each woman. RESULTS Associations between TL and social characteristics vary by specimen type collected from the same woman, sometimes qualitatively altering estimates of the magnitude or direction of a theorized relationship. Being Black is associated with shorter TL in PBMC, but longer TL in saliva or DBS. Education is positively associated with TL in fresh blood, but negatively associated with TL using DBS. CONCLUSION Findings raise concerns about the use of TL measures derived from different tissues in social epidemiological research. Investigators need to consider the possibility that associations between social variables and TL may be systematically related to specimen type, rather than be valid indicators of socially-patterned biopsychosocial processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arline T. Geronimus
- School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
- Population Studies Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
- National Academy of Medicine, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - John Bound
- Population Studies Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
- Department of Economics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Colter Mitchell
- Population Studies Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Aresha Martinez-Cardoso
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Linnea Evans
- Center for Health Equity Research, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Landon Hughes
- School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
- Population Studies Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Lisa Schneper
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Daniel A. Notterman
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
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8
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Protsenko E, Rehkopf D, Prather AA, Epel E, Lin J. Are long telomeres better than short? Relative contributions of genetically predicted telomere length to neoplastic and non-neoplastic disease risk and population health burden. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0240185. [PMID: 33031470 PMCID: PMC7544094 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0240185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Mendelian Randomization (MR) studies exploiting single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) predictive of leukocyte telomere length (LTL) have suggested that shorter genetically determined telomere length (gTL) is associated with increased risks of degenerative diseases, including cardiovascular and Alzheimer’s diseases, while longer gTL is associated with increased cancer risks. These varying directions of disease risk have long begged the question: when it comes to telomeres, is it better to be long or short? We propose to operationalize and answer this question by considering the relative impact of long gTL vs. short gTL on disease incidence and burden in a population. Methods and findings We used odds ratios (OR) of disease associated with gTL from a recently published MR meta-analysis to approximate the relative contributions of gTL to the incidence and burden of neoplastic and non-neoplastic disease in a European population. We obtained incidence data of the 9 cancers associated with long gTL and 4 non-neoplastic diseases associated with short gTL from the Institute of Health Metrics (IHME). Incidence rates of individual cancers from SEER, a database of United States cancer records, were used to weight the ORs in order to align with the available IHME data. These data were used to estimate the excess incidences due to long vs. short gTL, expressed as per 100,000 persons per standard deviation (SD) change in gTL. To estimate the population disease burden, we used the Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALY) metric from the IHME, a measure of overall disease burden that accounts for both mortality and morbidity, and similarly calculated the excess DALY associated with long vs. short gTL. Results Our analysis shows that, despite the markedly larger ORs of neoplastic disease, the large incidence of degenerative diseases causes the excess incidence attributable to gTL to balance that of neoplastic diseases. Long gTL is associated with an excess incidence of 94.04 cases/100,000 persons/SD (45.49–168.84, 95%CI) from the 9 cancer, while short gTL is associated with an excess incidence of 121.49 cases/100,000 persons/SD (48.40–228.58, 95%CI) from the 4 non-neoplastic diseases. When considering disease burden using the DALY metric, long gTL is associated with an excess 1255.25 DALYs/100,000 persons/SD (662.71–2163.83, 95%CI) due to the 9 cancers, while short gTL is associated with an excess 1007.75 DALYs/100,000 persons/SD (411.63–1847.34, 95%CI) due to 4 non-neoplastic diseases. Conclusions Our results show that genetically determined long and short telomere length are associated with disease risk and burden of approximately equal magnitude. These results provide quantitative estimates of the relative impact of genetically-predicted short vs. long TL in a human population, and provide evidence in support of the cancer-aging paradox, wherein human telomere length is balanced by opposing evolutionary forces acting to minimize both neoplastic and non-neoplastic diseases. Importantly, our results indicate that odds ratios alone can be misleading in different clinical scenarios, and disease risk should be assessed from both an individual and population level in order to draw appropriate conclusions about the risk factor’s role in human health.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - David Rehkopf
- Stanford Department of Primary Care and Population Health, Stanford, CA, United States of America
| | - Aric A. Prather
- UCSF Department of Psychiatry, San Francisco, CA, United States of America
| | - Elissa Epel
- UCSF Department of Psychiatry, San Francisco, CA, United States of America
| | - Jue Lin
- UCSF Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, San Francisco, CA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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9
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Ilska-Warner JJ, Psifidi A, Seeker LA, Wilbourn RV, Underwood SL, Fairlie J, Whitelaw B, Nussey DH, Coffey MP, Banos G. The Genetic Architecture of Bovine Telomere Length in Early Life and Association With Animal Fitness. Front Genet 2019; 10:1048. [PMID: 31749836 PMCID: PMC6843005 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2019.01048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2019] [Accepted: 09/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Health and survival are key goals for selective breeding in farm animals. Progress, however, is often limited by the low heritability of these animal fitness traits in addition to measurement difficulties. In this respect, relevant early-life biomarkers may be useful for breeding purposes. Telomere length (TL), measured in leukocytes, is a good candidate biomarker since TL has been associated with health, ageing, and stress in humans and other species. However, telomere studies are very limited in farm animals. Here, we examined the genetic background, genomic architecture, and factors affecting bovine TL measurements in early life, and the association of the latter with animal fitness traits expressed later in life associated with survival, longevity, health, and reproduction. We studied two TL measurements, one at birth (TLB) and another during the first lactation (TLFL) of a cow. We performed a genome-wide association study of dairy cattle TL, the first in a non-human species, and found that TLB and TLFL are complex, polygenic, moderately heritable, and highly correlated traits. However, genomic associations with distinct chromosomal regions were identified for the two traits suggesting that their genomic architecture is not identical. This is reflected in changes in TL throughout an individual’s life. TLB had a significant association with survival, length of productive life and future health status of the animal, and could be potentially used as an early-life biomarker for disease predisposition and longevity in dairy cattle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna J Ilska-Warner
- Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Scotland's Rural College, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.,The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Androniki Psifidi
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.,Royal Veterinary College, University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Luise A Seeker
- Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Scotland's Rural College, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.,MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Rachael V Wilbourn
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah L Underwood
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Jennifer Fairlie
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Bruce Whitelaw
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel H Nussey
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Mike P Coffey
- Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Scotland's Rural College, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Georgios Banos
- Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Scotland's Rural College, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.,The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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10
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Willis M, Staudinger UM, Factor-Litvak P, Calvo E. Stress and Salivary Telomere Length in the Second Half of Life: A Comparison of Life-course Models. ADVANCES IN LIFE COURSE RESEARCH 2019; 39:34-41. [PMID: 31186623 PMCID: PMC6557584 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcr.2019.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Background Previous research has explored the relationship between childhood and adulthood stressful life events (SLEs) and adult salivary telomere length (TL), but no research to date has tested different life-course models in which stress in adulthood may fully, partly, or not mediate the relationship between childhood stress and adult TL. Methods To fill this gap, we elaborate over previous work by Puterman et al. (2016) and other standard models that do not account for the temporal order of stressors in childhood and adulthood, by using structural equation modeling (SEM) for a sample of 5,754 Health and Retirement Study (HRS) participants to compare the fit of three nested life-course models-social trajectory, early critical period, and cumulative risk. Results Results indicated that the social trajectory model, in which the association between childhood SLEs and TL in later adulthood is fully mediated by adulthood SLEs, fit the data better than the early critical period (no mediation) and cumulative risk (partial mediation) models. Conclusion In the social trajectory model, childhood SLEs are related to TL in later life only through adulthood SLEs. The direct physiological effect of childhood SLEs on TL in later life would be overestimated if adulthood SLEs are overlooked.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret Willis
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University
| | - Ursula M. Staudinger
- Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center, Columbia University
- Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University
| | - Pam Factor-Litvak
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University
| | - Esteban Calvo
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University
- Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center, Columbia University
- Society and Health Research Center, Facultad de Humanidades, Universidad Mayor
- Laboratory on Aging and Social Epidemiology, Universidad Mayor
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11
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Dugdale HL, Richardson DS. Heritability of telomere variation: it is all about the environment! Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 373:rstb.2016.0450. [PMID: 29335377 PMCID: PMC5784070 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Individual differences in telomere length have been linked to survival and senescence. Understanding the heritability of telomere length can provide important insight into individual differences and facilitate our understanding of the evolution of telomeres. However, to gain accurate and meaningful estimates of telomere heritability it is vital that the impact of the environment, and how this may vary, is understood and accounted for. The aim of this review is to raise awareness of this important, but much under-appreciated point. We outline the factors known to impact telomere length and discuss the fact that telomere length is a trait that changes with age. We highlight statistical methods that can separate genetic from environmental effects and control for confounding variables. We then review how well previous studies in vertebrate populations including humans have taken these factors into account. We argue that studies to date either use methodological techniques that confound environmental and genetic effects, or use appropriate methods but lack sufficient power to fully separate these components. We discuss potential solutions. We conclude that we need larger studies, which also span longer time periods, to account for changing environmental effects, if we are to determine meaningful estimates of the genetic component of telomere length. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Understanding diversity in telomere dynamics'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah L Dugdale
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - David S Richardson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, Norfolk NR4 7TJ, UK
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12
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Delgado DA, Zhang C, Gleason K, Demanelis K, Chen LS, Gao J, Roy S, Shinkle J, Sabarinathan M, Argos M, Tong L, Ahmed A, Islam T, Rakibuz-Zaman M, Sarwar G, Shahriar H, Rahman M, Yunus M, Doherty JA, Jasmine F, Kibriya MG, Ahsan H, Pierce BL. The contribution of parent-to-offspring transmission of telomeres to the heritability of telomere length in humans. Hum Genet 2018; 138:49-60. [PMID: 30536049 DOI: 10.1007/s00439-018-1964-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2018] [Accepted: 11/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is a heritable trait with two potential sources of heritability (h2): inherited variation in non-telomeric regions (e.g., SNPs that influence telomere maintenance) and variability in the lengths of telomeres in gametes that produce offspring zygotes (i.e., "direct" inheritance). Prior studies of LTL h2 have not attempted to disentangle these two sources. Here, we use a novel approach for detecting the direct inheritance of telomeres by studying the association between identity-by-descent (IBD) sharing at chromosome ends and phenotypic similarity in LTL. We measured genome-wide SNPs and LTL for a sample of 5069 Bangladeshi adults with substantial relatedness. For each of the 6318 relative pairs identified, we used SNPs near the telomeres to estimate the number of chromosome ends shared IBD, a proxy for the number of telomeres shared IBD (Tshared). We then estimated the association between Tshared and the squared pairwise difference in LTL ((ΔLTL)2) within various classes of relatives (siblings, avuncular, cousins, and distant), adjusting for overall genetic relatedness (ϕ). The association between Tshared and (ΔLTL)2 was inverse among all relative pair types. In a meta-analysis including all relative pairs (ϕ > 0.05), the association between Tshared and (ΔLTL)2 (P = 0.01) was stronger than the association between ϕ and (ΔLTL)2 (P = 0.43). Our results provide strong evidence that telomere length (TL) in parental germ cells impacts TL in offspring cells and contributes to LTL h2 despite telomere "reprogramming" during embryonic development. Applying our method to larger studies will enable robust estimation of LTL h2 attributable to direct transmission of telomeres.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dayana A Delgado
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA
| | - Chenan Zhang
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA.,Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Kevin Gleason
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA
| | - Kathryn Demanelis
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA
| | - Lin S Chen
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA
| | - Jianjun Gao
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Shantanu Roy
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA.,Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases, Center for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA, 30333, USA
| | - Justin Shinkle
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA
| | - Mekala Sabarinathan
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA
| | - Maria Argos
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Lin Tong
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Muhammad Yunus
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Jennifer A Doherty
- Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
| | - Farzana Jasmine
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA
| | - Muhammad G Kibriya
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA
| | - Habibul Ahsan
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA.,Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA.,Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA.,Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA
| | - Brandon L Pierce
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA. .,Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA. .,Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA.
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13
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Fletcher JM. Spousal concordance in telomere length: New evidence from older adults in the US. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0202388. [PMID: 30383762 PMCID: PMC6211628 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0202388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2018] [Accepted: 08/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomere length (TL) has been associated with a range of aging outcomes as well as mortality. Recent research has shown both high heritability (~70%) of TL as well as moderate spousal similarity (r~0.3) using European datasets. This paper explores the level of spousal concordance in telomere length in the Health and Retirement Study, a national sample of adults in the US. The results show that the spousal correlations are lower (r~0.11). Regression-based associations in TL in the US are low (beta~0.08) and also vary by the number of times respondents have been married, where spouses married a single time have higher associations in TL (beta~.12) than spouses married more once (beta~0.03). I also find variation in spousal TL association levels based on husband’s education level. These findings suggest the possibility of both assortative mating patterns related to telomere length as well as likelihood of shared environmental factors that cause TL similarity in people who are socially connected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason M. Fletcher
- University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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14
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Willis M, Reid SN, Calvo E, Staudinger UM, Factor-Litvak P. A scoping systematic review of social stressors and various measures of telomere length across the life course. Ageing Res Rev 2018; 47:89-104. [PMID: 30048807 PMCID: PMC6195444 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2018.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2018] [Revised: 07/10/2018] [Accepted: 07/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Numerous studies examine the relationship between social stressors and telomere length (TL). Beyond considering methods and major findings, this scoping systematic review takes a novel approach as it groups studies according to the types of social stressor considered and by age groups. Following PRISMA guidelines, we searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Scopus. We included all English-language human subject research articles that modeled any measure of TL as a dependent variable and exposure to a social stressor as an independent variable. For the sample of 105 articles, we summarized methods and findings by type of social stressor (socioeconomic stressors, stressful life events, work-related stressors, and neighborhood stressors) and by age of the study population (infants/children, middle-aged adults, older adults, and mixed samples of middle-aged and older adults). We found more variation in TL measurement methodology in studies of infants/children and older adults than in studies focusing on middle-aged adults. The most consistent finding was a relationship between early-life stressors and shorter TL. Work and neighborhood stressors, and older populations, are currently understudied. Across all stressors, limited evidence suggests that the stress-TL relationship may be moderated by characteristics such as age, sex, and race/ethnicity. We conclude with specific suggestions for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret Willis
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, United States.
| | - Shaina N Reid
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, United States
| | - Esteban Calvo
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, United States; Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center, Columbia University, United States; Society and Health Research Center, Facultad de Humanidades, Universidad Mayor, Chile; Laboratory on Aging and Social Epidemiology, Universidad Mayor, Chile
| | - Ursula M Staudinger
- Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center, Columbia University, United States; Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, United States
| | - Pam Factor-Litvak
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, United States
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15
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Seeker LA, Ilska JJ, Psifidi A, Wilbourn RV, Underwood SL, Fairlie J, Holland R, Froy H, Salvo-Chirnside E, Bagnall A, Whitelaw B, Coffey MP, Nussey DH, Banos G. Bovine telomere dynamics and the association between telomere length and productive lifespan. Sci Rep 2018; 8:12748. [PMID: 30143784 PMCID: PMC6109064 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-31185-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2017] [Accepted: 08/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Average telomere length (TL) in blood cells has been shown to decline with age in a range of vertebrate species, and there is evidence that TL is a heritable trait associated with late-life health and mortality in humans. In non-human mammals, few studies to date have examined lifelong telomere dynamics and no study has estimated the heritability of TL, despite these being important steps towards assessing the potential of TL as a biomarker of productive lifespan and health in livestock species. Here we measured relative leukocyte TL (RLTL) in 1,328 samples from 308 Holstein Friesian dairy cows and in 284 samples from 38 female calves. We found that RLTL declines after birth but remains relatively stable in adult life. We also calculated the first heritability estimates of RLTL in a livestock species which were 0.38 (SE = 0.03) and 0.32 (SE = 0.08) for the cow and the calf dataset, respectively. RLTL measured at the ages of one and five years were positively correlated with productive lifespan (p < 0.05). We conclude that bovine RLTL is a heritable trait, and its association with productive lifespan may be used in breeding programmes aiming to enhance cow longevity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luise A Seeker
- Animal & Veterinary Sciences Group, SRUC, Roslin Institute Building, Easter Bush, Midlothian, UK.
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, UK.
| | - Joanna J Ilska
- Animal & Veterinary Sciences Group, SRUC, Roslin Institute Building, Easter Bush, Midlothian, UK
| | - Androniki Psifidi
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, UK
- Queen Mother Hospital for Animals, Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hatfield, UK
| | - Rachael V Wilbourn
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK
| | - Sarah L Underwood
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK
| | - Jennifer Fairlie
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK
| | - Rebecca Holland
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK
| | - Hannah Froy
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK
| | | | | | - Bruce Whitelaw
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, UK
| | - Mike P Coffey
- Animal & Veterinary Sciences Group, SRUC, Roslin Institute Building, Easter Bush, Midlothian, UK
| | - Daniel H Nussey
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK
| | - Georgios Banos
- Animal & Veterinary Sciences Group, SRUC, Roslin Institute Building, Easter Bush, Midlothian, UK
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, UK
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16
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Delgado DA, Zhang C, Chen LS, Gao J, Roy S, Shinkle J, Sabarinathan M, Argos M, Tong L, Ahmed A, Islam T, Rakibuz-Zaman M, Sarwar G, Shahriar H, Rahman M, Yunus M, Jasmine F, Kibriya MG, Ahsan H, Pierce BL. Genome-wide association study of telomere length among South Asians identifies a second RTEL1 association signal. J Med Genet 2017; 55:64-71. [PMID: 29151059 PMCID: PMC5749304 DOI: 10.1136/jmedgenet-2017-104922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2017] [Revised: 09/13/2017] [Accepted: 09/26/2017] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Background Leucocyte telomere length (TL) is a potential biomarker of ageing and risk for age-related disease. Leucocyte TL is heritable and shows substantial differences by race/ethnicity. Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) report ~10 loci harbouring SNPs associated with leucocyte TL, but these studies focus primarily on populations of European ancestry. Objective This study aims to enhance our understanding of genetic determinants of TL across populations. Methods We performed a GWAS of TL using data on 5075 Bangladeshi adults. We measured TL using one of two technologies (qPCR or a Luminex-based method) and used standardised variables as TL phenotypes. Results Our results replicate previously reported associations in the TERC and TERT regions (P=2.2×10−8 and P=6.4×10−6, respectively). We observed a novel association signal in the RTEL1 gene (intronic SNP rs2297439; P=2.82×10−7) that is independent of previously reported TL-associated SNPs in this region. The minor allele for rs2297439 is common in South Asian populations (≥0.25) but at lower frequencies in other populations (eg, 0.07 in Northern Europeans). Among the eight other previously reported association signals, all were directionally consistent with our study, but only rs8105767 (ZNF208) was nominally significant (P=0.003). SNP-based heritability estimates were as high as 44% when analysing close relatives but much lower when analysing distant relatives only. Conclusions In this first GWAS of TL in a South Asian population, we replicate some, but not all, of the loci reported in prior GWAS of individuals of European ancestry, and we identify a novel second association signal at the RTEL1 locus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dayana A Delgado
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Chenan Zhang
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.,Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Lin S Chen
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Jianjun Gao
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Shantanu Roy
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.,Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases, Center for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Justin Shinkle
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Mekala Sabarinathan
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Maria Argos
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Lin Tong
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Mohammad Yunus
- Health Systems and Population Studies Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Farzana Jasmine
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Muhammad G Kibriya
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Habibul Ahsan
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.,Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.,Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.,Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Brandon L Pierce
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.,Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.,Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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17
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Hill TD, Vaghela P, Ellison CG, Rote S. Processes Linking Religious Involvement and Telomere Length. BIODEMOGRAPHY AND SOCIAL BIOLOGY 2017; 63:167-188. [PMID: 28521619 DOI: 10.1080/19485565.2017.1311204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Although numerous studies suggest that religious involvement is associated with better health and longer life expectancies, it is unclear whether these general patterns extend to cellular aging. The mechanisms linking indicators of religious involvement with indicators of cellular aging are also undefined. We employed longitudinal data from the 2004 and 2008 Health and Retirement Study, a national probability sample of Americans aged 50 and older, to test whether average telomere length varied according to level of religious attendance. We also tested several potential mechanisms. Our results showed that respondents who attended religious services more frequently in 2004 also exhibited fewer stressful events, lower rates of smoking, fewer symptoms of depression, and lower levels of C-reactive protein in 2008. Respondents who increased their level of attendance from 2004 to 2008 also exhibited lower rates of smoking in 2008. Although religious attendance was not directly associated with telomere length, our mediation analyses revealed significant indirect effects through depression and smoking, but not stressful events or C-reactive protein. We conclude that religious attendance may promote telomere length indirectly by reducing symptoms of depression and the risk of smoking. There was no evidence to support stressful events or C-reactive protein as mechanisms of religious attendance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terrence D Hill
- a School of Sociology , The University of Arizona , Tucson , Arizona , USA
| | - Preeti Vaghela
- b Department of Sociology , Florida State University , Tallahassee , Florida , USA
| | - Christopher G Ellison
- c Department of Sociology , University of Texas at San Antonio , San Antonio , Texas , USA
| | - Sunshine Rote
- d Kent School of Social Work , University of Louisville , Louisville , Kentucky , USA
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