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Martens DS, Lammertyn EJ, Goeminne PC, Colpaert K, Proesmans M, Vanaudenaerde BM, Nawrot TS, Dupont LJ. Leukocyte telomere length and attrition in association with disease severity in cystic fibrosis patients. Aging (Albany NY) 2024; 16:11809-11823. [PMID: 39213174 PMCID: PMC11386922 DOI: 10.18632/aging.206093] [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: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is characterized by chronic airway inflammation and premature aging. The link with leukocyte telomere length (LTL) as a marker of biological aging is unclear. We studied disease severity and LTL in 168 CF patients of which 85 patients had a second retrospective LTL assessment. A higher FEV1 was associated with longer LTL, with a stronger effect in men (5.08% longer LTL) compared to women (0.41% longer LTL). A higher FEV1/FVC ratio was associated with 7.05% (P=0.017) longer LTL in men. CF asthma, as defined by the treatment with inhaled corticosteroids, was associated with -6.65% shorter LTL (P=0.028). Men homozygous for the ΔF508 genotype showed a -10.48% (P=0.026) shorter LTL compared to heterozygotes. A genotype-specific non-linear association between LTL shortening and chronological age was observed. Stronger age-related LTL shortening was observed in patients homozygous for the ΔF508 genotype (P-interaction= 0.044). This work showed that disease severity in CF patients negatively influences LTL, with slightly more pronounced effects in men. The homozygous genotype for ΔF508 may play a role in LTL attrition in CF patients. Understanding factors in CF patients that accelerate biological aging provides insights into mechanisms that can extend the overall life quality in CF-diseased.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dries S Martens
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Elise J Lammertyn
- Department of Chronic Diseases and Metabolism (CHROMETA), Laboratory of Respiratory Diseases and Thoracic Surgery (BREATHE), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Kristine Colpaert
- Department of Respiratory Diseases, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Marijke Proesmans
- Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Pulmonology, University Hospital of Leuven, Leuven, Flanders, Belgium
| | - Bart M Vanaudenaerde
- Department of Chronic Diseases and Metabolism (CHROMETA), Laboratory of Respiratory Diseases and Thoracic Surgery (BREATHE), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Tim S Nawrot
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lieven J Dupont
- Department of Chronic Diseases and Metabolism (CHROMETA), Laboratory of Respiratory Diseases and Thoracic Surgery (BREATHE), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Respiratory Diseases, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Levstek T, Breznik N, Vujkovac B, Nowak A, Trebušak Podkrajšek K. Dynamics of Leukocyte Telomere Length in Patients with Fabry Disease. Biomedicines 2024; 12:1724. [PMID: 39200189 PMCID: PMC11351930 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12081724] [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: 07/01/2024] [Revised: 07/26/2024] [Accepted: 08/01/2024] [Indexed: 09/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Fabry disease (FD) leads to significant morbidity and mortality, which may indicate accelerated ageing. However, it is still unclear whether there is a relationship between telomere length (TL), a marker of biological ageing, and disease outcome. We aimed to examine the relationship between leukocyte TL (LTL) dynamics and the presence of advanced disease stages and/or late complications of FD, including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, nephropathy and stroke, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. DNA was extracted from peripheral blood leukocytes and quantitative PCR was utilized to determine relative LTL in 99 Fabry patients. In the longitudinal analysis, we included 50 patients in whom at least three measurements were performed over a period of 5-10 years. The results showed a significant inverse correlation between LTL and age (ρ = -0.20, p = 0.05). No significant differences in LTL were found between females and males (p = 0.79) or between patients receiving disease-specific therapy and those without (p = 0.34). In a cross-sectional analysis, no association was found between the presence (p = 0.15) or number (p = 0.28) of advanced stages of the disease and/or late complications and LTL. Similarly, in a longitudinal analysis, no difference in LTL dynamics was found regarding the presence (p = 0.16) of advanced stage organ involvement and/or late complications or their number. These findings indicate that LTL dynamics in adulthood may not be a reliable indicator of disease outcomes in Fabry patients. Therefore, LTL may more accurately reflect the disease burden in early life, when TL is primarily determined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tina Levstek
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Clinical Institute for Special Laboratory Diagnostics, University Children’s Hospital, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Nika Breznik
- Clinical Institute for Special Laboratory Diagnostics, University Children’s Hospital, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Bojan Vujkovac
- Centre for Fabry Disease, General Hospital Slovenj Gradec, 2380 Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia
| | - Albina Nowak
- Department of Endocrinology and Clinical Nutrition, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Internal Medicine, Psychiatry University Clinic Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Katarina Trebušak Podkrajšek
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Clinical Institute for Special Laboratory Diagnostics, University Children’s Hospital, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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3
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Lee Y, Jugessur A, Gjessing HK, Harris JR, Susser E, Magnus P, Aviv A. Effect of polygenic scores of telomere length alleles on telomere length in newborns and parents. Aging Cell 2024:e14241. [PMID: 38943263 DOI: 10.1111/acel.14241] [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: 12/07/2023] [Revised: 05/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 07/01/2024] Open
Abstract
In adults, polygenic scores (PGSs) of telomere length (TL) alleles explain about 4.5% of the variance in TL, as measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Yet, these PGSs strongly infer a causal role of telomeres in aging-related diseases. To better understand the determinants of TL through the lifespan, it is essential to examine to what extent these PGSs explain TL in newborns. This study investigates the effect of PGSs on TL in both newborns and their parents, with TL measured by Southern blotting and expressed in base-pairs (bp). Additionally, the study explores the impact of PGSs related to transmitted or non-transmitted alleles on TL in newborns. For parents and newborns, the PGS effects on TL were 172 bp (p = 2.03 × 10-15) and 161 bp (p = 3.06 × 10-8), explaining 6.6% and 5.2% of the TL variance, respectively. The strongest PGS effect was shown for maternally transmitted alleles in newborn girls, amounting to 214 bp (p = 3.77 × 10-6) and explaining 7.8% of the TL variance. The PGS effect of non-transmitted alleles was 56 bp (p = 0.0593) and explained 0.6% of the TL variance. Our findings highlight the importance of TL genetics in understanding early-life determinants of TL. They point to the potential utility of PGSs composed of TL alleles in identifying susceptibility to aging-related diseases from birth and reveal the presence of sexual dimorphism in the effect of TL alleles on TL in newborns. Finally, we attribute the higher TL variance explained by PGSs in our study to TL measurement by Southern blotting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunsung Lee
- Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Astanand Jugessur
- Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Håkon K Gjessing
- Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Jennifer R Harris
- Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ezra Susser
- Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA
| | - Per Magnus
- Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Abraham Aviv
- Center of Human Development and Aging, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey, USA
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4
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Pili MP, Cagliero L, Panichi V, Bordoni M, Pansarasa O, Cremaschi G, Tonga EB, Cappelletti F, Provenzi L. Exposure to pollution during the first thousand days and telomere length regulation: A literature review. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 249:118323. [PMID: 38336161 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118323] [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: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Telomere length (TL) is a biomarker for cellular senescence and TL erosion is predictive of the risk for age-related diseases. Despite being genetically determined at birth, TL may be susceptible to modifications through epigenetic mechanisms. Pollutant agents are considered one of the major threats to both human and planetary health. Their ability to cross the placental barrier and induce oxidative stress in fetal cells is particularly concerning and it may be associated with early TL erosion. In consideration of the timely relevance of this topic, we conducted a literature review on the impact of prenatal exposure to pollutant agents on newborn TL. The search yielded a total of 1099 records, of which only 32 met the inclusion criteria for the review. These criteria included the participation of human subjects, a longitudinal design or collection of longitudinal data, reporting of original TL data, and a focus on exposure to pollutant agents. The majority of the studies reported a significant inverse association between prenatal exposure to pollutant agents and TL. Furthermore, the second trimester of pregnancy emerged as a special sensitive period for the occurrence of pollutant agent-driven TL modifications. Sex differences were inconsistently reported across studies. This review contributes to highlighting biochemical pathways for the threats of environmental pollution to human health. Future research is warranted to further highlight potential buffering mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Paola Pili
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Strada Nuova 65, 27100, Pavia, Italy.
| | - Lucia Cagliero
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Strada Nuova 65, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Virginia Panichi
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Strada Nuova 65, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Matteo Bordoni
- Cellular Models and Neuroepigenetics Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, via Mondino 2, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Orietta Pansarasa
- Cellular Models and Neuroepigenetics Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, via Mondino 2, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Giacomo Cremaschi
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Strada Nuova 65, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Elgin Bilge Tonga
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Strada Nuova 65, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | | | - Livio Provenzi
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Strada Nuova 65, 27100, Pavia, Italy; Developmental Psychobiology Lab, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, via Mondino 2, 27100, Pavia, Italy
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Frydrychová RČ, Konopová B, Peska V, Brejcha M, Sábová M. Telomeres and telomerase: active but complex players in life-history decisions. Biogerontology 2024; 25:205-226. [PMID: 37610666 DOI: 10.1007/s10522-023-10060-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: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
Studies on human telomeres have established that telomeres exert a significant influence on lifespan and health of organisms. However, recent research has indicated that the original idea that telomeres affect lifespan in a universal and central manner across all eukaryotic species is an oversimplification. Indeed, findings from a variety of animal species revealed that the role of telomere biology in aging is more subtle and intricate than previously recognized. Here, we show how telomere biology varies depending on the taxon. We also show how telomere biology corresponds to basic life history traits and affects the life table of a species and investments in growth, body size, reproduction, and lifespan; telomeres are hypothesized to shape evolutionary perspectives for species in an active but complex manner. Our evaluation is based on telomere biology data from many examples from throughout the animal kingdom that vary according to the degree of organismal complexity and life history strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Radmila Čapková Frydrychová
- Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, 370 05, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 1760, 370 05, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.
| | - Barbora Konopová
- Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, 370 05, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Vratislav Peska
- Department of Cell Biology and Radiobiology, Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Královopolská 135, 612 00, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Miloslav Brejcha
- Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, 370 05, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 1760, 370 05, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Michala Sábová
- Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, 370 05, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
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6
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Wai KM, Swe T, Su Hninn TS, Paing AM, Naing YL, Htay ZW, Ihara K. Prenatal exposure to environmental heavy metals and newborn telomere length: A systematic review and meta-analysis. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2024; 343:123192. [PMID: 38135140 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.123192] [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: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to environmental heavy metals is associated with telomere length (TL) alteration. Available information regarding the effect of prenatal exposure to environmental pollutants on newborn TL is controversial. The aim of this study is to systematically review and conduct a meta-analysis of the existing epidemiological studies on the associations between prenatal metal exposure and newborn TL. A comprehensive literature search was performed using the online databases of PubMed, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect from their inception to December 1, 2023. Thirteen eligible studies were included from the overall initial identification of 3559 records. The effect size was expressed as standardized beta coefficients with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) by the restricted maximum-likelihood approach with a weighted random-effects model. Prenatal exposure to environmental heavy metals was associated with a shorter newborn TL (standardized beta = -0.04; 95% CI: -0.08, 0.00; p = 0.05). Subgroup analysis showed that prenatal exposure to cadmium was significantly, negatively associated with TL in newborns (standardized beta = -0.05; 95% CI: -0.10, -0.01; p = 0.021). Heavy metal exposure during the third trimester was significantly associated with a shorter TL in newborns (standardized beta = -0.05; 95% CI: -0.11, -0.01; p = 0.045). No significant association was found between the newborn's sex and exposure sample type. This study provides evidence for the negative effect of prenatal exposure to heavy metals on newborn TL. In particular, cadmium exposure and exposure during the third trimester of pregnancy are critical factors associated with heavy metal-induced TL shortening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyi Mar Wai
- Department of Social Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki University, Japan; Department of Human Ecology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Thinzar Swe
- Preclinical Department, University of Medicine (2), Myanmar
| | - Thae Su Su Hninn
- International Program in Hazardous Substance and Environmental Management, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
| | | | - Yoon Lei Naing
- Department of Human Resource for Health, University of Medicine (1), Myanmar
| | - Zin Wai Htay
- Department of Global Health Policy, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazushige Ihara
- Department of Social Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki University, Japan
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7
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Ahlers NE, Lin J, Weiss SJ. WITHDRAWN: Exposure to Ambient Particulate Matter during Pregnancy: Implications for Infant Telomere Length. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2024:2023.09.17.23295692. [PMID: 37790308 PMCID: PMC10543047 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.17.23295692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
This manuscript has been withdrawn by the authors as it was submitted and made public without the full consent of all the authors. Therefore, the authors do not wish this work to be cited as reference for the project. If you have any questions, please contact the corresponding author. The authors have an approved version for citation that is peer reviewed. Ahlers, N.E.; Lin, J.; Weiss, S.J. Exposure to Ambient Particulate Matter during Pregnancy: Implications for Infant Telomere Length. Air 2024, 2, 24-37. https://doi.org/10.3390/air2010002.
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Aviv A. The "telomereless" erythrocytes and telomere-length dependent erythropoiesis. Aging Cell 2023; 22:e13997. [PMID: 37824094 PMCID: PMC10726845 DOI: 10.1111/acel.13997] [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: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Approximately 25 trillion erythrocytes (red blood cells) circulate in the bloodstream of an adult human, surpassing the number of circulating leukocytes (white blood cells) by a factor of about 1000. Moreover, the erythrocyte turnover rate accounts for approximately 76% of the turnover rate of all circulating blood cells. This simple math shows that the hematopoietic system principally spends its telomere length-dependent replicative capacity on building and maintaining the erythrocyte blood pool. Erythropoiesis (red blood cell production) is thus the principal cause of telomere shortening with age in hematopoietic cells (HCs), a conclusion that holds significant implications for linking telomere length dynamics in HCs to health and lifespan of modern humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abraham Aviv
- Center of Human Development and AgingNew Jersey Medical School, RutgersThe State University of New JerseyNewarkNew JerseyUSA
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Lis N, Lamnisos D, Bograkou-Tzanetakou A, Hadjimbei E, Tzanetakou IP. Preterm Birth and Its Association with Maternal Diet, and Placental and Neonatal Telomere Length. Nutrients 2023; 15:4975. [PMID: 38068836 PMCID: PMC10708229 DOI: 10.3390/nu15234975] [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: 11/06/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Preterm birth (PTB), a multi-causal syndrome, is one of the global epidemics. Maternal nutrition, but also neonatal and placental telomere length (TL), are among the factors affecting PTB risk. However, the exact relationship between these factors and the PTB outcome, remains obscure. The aim of this review was to investigate the association between PTB, maternal nutrition, and placental-infant TL. Observational studies were sought with the keywords: maternal nutrition, placental TL, newborn, TL, and PTB. No studies were found that included all of the keywords simultaneously, and thus, the keywords were searched in dyads, to reach assumptive conclusions. The findings show that maternal nutrition affects PTB risk, through its influence on maternal TL. On the other hand, maternal TL independently affects PTB risk, and at the same time PTB is a major determinant of offspring TL regulation. The strength of the associations, and the extent of the influence from covariates, remains to be elucidated in future research. Furthermore, the question of whether maternal TL is simply a biomarker of maternal nutritional status and PTB risk, or a causative factor of PTB, to date, remains to be answered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikoletta Lis
- Department of Health Sciences, European University Cyprus, Nicosia 2404, Cyprus; (N.L.); (D.L.)
- Maternity Clinic, Cork University Maternity Hospital, T12 YE02 Cork, Ireland
| | - Demetris Lamnisos
- Department of Health Sciences, European University Cyprus, Nicosia 2404, Cyprus; (N.L.); (D.L.)
| | | | - Elena Hadjimbei
- Department of Life Sciences, European University Cyprus, Nicosia 2404, Cyprus;
| | - Irene P. Tzanetakou
- Department of Life Sciences, European University Cyprus, Nicosia 2404, Cyprus;
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Fan G, Liu Q, Bi J, Qin X, Fang Q, Wang Y, Song L. Association between female-specific reproductive factors and leukocyte telomere length. Hum Reprod 2023; 38:2239-2246. [PMID: 37671590 DOI: 10.1093/humrep/dead176] [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: 05/17/2023] [Revised: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023] Open
Abstract
STUDY QUESTION What are the associations between female-specific reproductive factors and leukocyte telomere length (LTL)? SUMMARY ANSWER Early menarche, early menopause, short reproductive lifespan, early age at first birth, multiparity, and use of oral contraceptives (OCs) and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) were associated with shorter LTL. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Reproductive factors have been associated with age-related diseases, but their associations with cellular aging, as indicated by LTL, are unclear. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION This population-based study included 224 965 women aged 40-69 years from the UK Biobank between 2006 and 2010. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Women aged 40-69 were included. Female-specific reproductive factors, including age at menarche, age at natural menopause, reproductive lifespan, number of live births, age at first live birth, history of stillbirth, history of miscarriage, and use of OCs and HRT were self-reported. LTL was measured using a validated polymerase chain reaction method. Multiple linear regression and restricted cubic spline models were applied to explore the association between each reproductive factor and LTL. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE After adjustment for potential confounders, early menarche (<12 years; percent change, per unit change in LTL Z score: -1.29%, 95% CI: -2.32%, -0.26%), early menopause (<45 years; percent change: -7.18%, 95% CI: -8.87%, -5.45%), short reproductive lifespan (<30 years; percent change: -6.10%, 95% CI: -8.14%, -4.01%), multiparity (percent change: -3.38%, 95% CI: -4.38%, -2.37%), early age at first live birth (<20 years; percent change: -4.46%, 95% CI: -6.00%, -2.90%), and use of OCs (percent change: -1.10%, 95% CI: -2.18%, -0.02%) and HRT (percent change: -3.72%, 95% CI: -4.63%, -2.80%) were all significantly associated with shorter LTL. However, no significant association was found for history of miscarriage and stillbirth. We observed nonlinear relationships of age at menarche, age at natural menopause, reproductive lifespan, and age at first live birth with LTL (Pnonlinear < 0.05). LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Considering that the participants were predominantly of European ethnicity, the findings may not be generalizable to women of other ethnic backgrounds. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Our findings suggest that early menarche, early menopause, short reproductive lifespan, early age at first birth, multiparity, and use of OCs and HRT were associated with shorter LTL, which has been linked to various chronic diseases. The accelerated shortening of telomeres may potentially contribute to the development of chronic diseases related to reproductive factors. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82003479, 82073660), Hubei Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (2023AFB663), and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2019M662646, 2020T130220). The authors have no competing interests to disclose. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaojie Fan
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Qing Liu
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Jianing Bi
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Xiya Qin
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Qing Fang
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Youjie Wang
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Lulu Song
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
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11
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Houminer-Klepar N, Bord S, Epel E, Baron-Epel O. Are pregnancy and parity associated with telomere length? A systematic review. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2023; 23:733. [PMID: 37848852 PMCID: PMC10583451 DOI: 10.1186/s12884-023-06011-8] [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: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Women's reproduction requires increased energy demands, which consequently may lead to cellular damage and aging. Hence, Telomere Length (TL), a biomarker of biological aging and health status may possibly serve as a biomarker of reproductive effort. The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate telomere dynamics throughout pregnancy and the association between parity and TL. METHODS A systematic search was conducted across seven databases including CINAHL, Cochrane, PsycINFO, Proquest, PubMed; Scopus; and Web of Science, using keywords and MeSH descriptors of parity and TL. Predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria were used to screen abstracts and titles. After the removal of duplicates, 3431 articles were included in the primary screening, narrowed to 194 articles included in the full-text screening. Consensus was reached for the 14 studies that were included in the final review, and the Newcastle-Ottawa scale (NOS) was utilized to assess the quality of the selected studies. A mini meta-analysis utilized JASP 0.17.3 software and included 4 applicable studies, comprising a total of 2564 participants to quantitatively assess the estimated effect size of parity on TL. RESULTS Of the 11 studies reviewed on parity and TL, four demonstrated a negative correlation; one - a positive correlation and six -found no correlation. Studies demonstrating a negative correlation encompassed rigorous methodological practices possibly suggesting having more children is associated with enhanced telomere attrition. Of the four longitudinal studies assessing telomere dynamics throughout pregnancy, most found no change in TL from early pregnancy to postpartum suggesting pregnancy does not affect TL from early pregnancy to early postpartum. The meta-analysis revealed a negative, yet, non-significant effect, of the estimated effect size of parity on TL(ES = -0.009, p = 0.126, CI -0.021, 0.03). CONCLUSIONS Studies assessing pregnancy, parity and TL yielded mixed results, most likely due to the different research methods utilized in each study. Improvements in study design to better understand the short-term effects of pregnancy on TL and the effect of parity on TL over time, include precise definitions of parity, comparisons of different age groups, inclusion of reproductive lifespan and statistically adjusting for potential confounders in the parity and TL relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nourit Houminer-Klepar
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, 31905, Haifa, Israel.
| | - Shiran Bord
- Health Systems Management Department, The Max Stern Yezreel Valley College, 1930600, Yezreel Valley, Israel
| | - Elissa Epel
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, 675 18th St, San Francisco, CA, 94107, USA
| | - Orna Baron-Epel
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, 31905, Haifa, Israel
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12
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Petermann-Rocha F, Valera-Gran D, Prieto-Botella D, Martens DS, Gonzalez-Palacios S, Riaño-Galán I, Murcia M, Irizar A, Julvez J, Santa-Marina L, Tardón A, Sunyer J, Vioque J, Nawrot T, Navarrete-Muñoz EM. Folic Acid Supplementation during Pregnancy and Its Association with Telomere Length in Children at Four Years: Results from the INMA Birth Cohort Study. Nutrients 2023; 15:4303. [PMID: 37836587 PMCID: PMC10574547 DOI: 10.3390/nu15194303] [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: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 09/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
This study examined the association between folic acid supplements (FAs) during different periods of pregnancy and offspring telomere length (TL) at age four in 666 children from the INMA study. FAs were self-reported using food-structured questionnaires during three periods of pregnancy (the first three months of pregnancy, from month fourth onward, and the whole pregnancy). For each period, the average daily dosage of FAs was categorised into (i) <400 μg/d, (ii) ≥400 to 999 μg/d, (iii) ≥1000 to 4999 μg/d, and (iv) ≥5000 μg/d. Leucocyte TL at age four was measured using quantitative PCR methods. Multiple robust linear log-level regression models were used to report the % difference among FA categories. During the first period, and compared with children whose mothers were classified in the reference group (<400 μg/d), children whose mothers took higher dosages of FAs showed shorter TL at age four (≥5000 μg/d). When the first and the second periods were mutually adjusted, children whose mothers self-reported ≥5000 μg/d during the first period of pregnancy had a statistically significant shorter TL than their counterparts (% difference: -7.28% [95% CI: -14.42 to -0.13]). Similar trends were observed for the whole period of pregnancy. When the analysis was stratified by sex, the association was more evident in boys (% difference: -13.5% [95% CI: -23.0 to -4.04]), whereas no association was observed in girls. This study suggests that high dosages of FAs in the first pregnancy period may be associated with a shorter TL in children at age four, particularly among boys. Further studies should confirm these results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fanny Petermann-Rocha
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Diego Portales, Santiago 8370109, Chile;
| | - Desirée Valera-Gran
- Department of Surgery and Pathology, Miguel Hernandez University, 03550 Alicante, Spain; (D.P.-B.); (E.-M.N.-M.)
- Grupo de Investigación en Terapia Ocupacional (InTeO), Miguel Hernandez University, 03550 Alicante, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de Alicante, Universidad Miguel Hernández (ISABIAL-UMH), 03010 Alicante, Spain; (S.G.-P.); (J.V.)
| | - Daniel Prieto-Botella
- Department of Surgery and Pathology, Miguel Hernandez University, 03550 Alicante, Spain; (D.P.-B.); (E.-M.N.-M.)
- Grupo de Investigación en Terapia Ocupacional (InTeO), Miguel Hernandez University, 03550 Alicante, Spain
| | - Dries S Martens
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, 3590 Hasselt, Belgium; (D.S.M.)
| | - Sandra Gonzalez-Palacios
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de Alicante, Universidad Miguel Hernández (ISABIAL-UMH), 03010 Alicante, Spain; (S.G.-P.); (J.V.)
- CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28029 Madrid, Spain; (I.R.-G.); (M.M.); (A.I.); (J.J.); (L.S.-M.); (A.T.); (J.S.)
- Unidad de Epidemiología de la Nutrición (EPINUT), Departamento de Salud Pública, Historia de la Ciencia y Ginecología, Universidad Miguel Hernández (UMH), 03550 Alicante, Spain
| | - Isolina Riaño-Galán
- CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28029 Madrid, Spain; (I.R.-G.); (M.M.); (A.I.); (J.J.); (L.S.-M.); (A.T.); (J.S.)
- Instituto de Investigacion Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), University of Oviedo, 33003 Oviedo, Spain
- Pediatrics Unit, Central University Hospital of Asturias, 33011 Oviedo, Spain
| | - Mario Murcia
- CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28029 Madrid, Spain; (I.R.-G.); (M.M.); (A.I.); (J.J.); (L.S.-M.); (A.T.); (J.S.)
- Epidemiology and Environmental Health Joint Research Unit, FISABIO-Universitat Jaume I-Universitat de València, 46020 Valencia, Spain
- Servicio de Análisis de Sistemas de Información Sanitaria, Conselleria de Sanitat, Generalitat Valenciana, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Amaia Irizar
- CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28029 Madrid, Spain; (I.R.-G.); (M.M.); (A.I.); (J.J.); (L.S.-M.); (A.T.); (J.S.)
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of the Basque Country, 48940 Leioa, Spain
- Group of Environmental Epidemiology and Child Development, Biodonostia Health Institute, 20014 San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Jordi Julvez
- CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28029 Madrid, Spain; (I.R.-G.); (M.M.); (A.I.); (J.J.); (L.S.-M.); (A.T.); (J.S.)
- Clinical and Epidemiological Neuroscience Group (NeuroÈpia), Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili (IISPV), 43204 Reus, Spain
- Instituto de Salud Global (ISGlobal) de Barcelona Campus MAR, Parc de Recerca Biomèdica de Barcelona (PRBB), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Loreto Santa-Marina
- CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28029 Madrid, Spain; (I.R.-G.); (M.M.); (A.I.); (J.J.); (L.S.-M.); (A.T.); (J.S.)
- Group of Environmental Epidemiology and Child Development, Biodonostia Health Institute, 20014 San Sebastian, Spain
- Health Department of Basque Government, Sub-Directorate of Public Health of Gipuzkoa, 20013 San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Adonina Tardón
- CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28029 Madrid, Spain; (I.R.-G.); (M.M.); (A.I.); (J.J.); (L.S.-M.); (A.T.); (J.S.)
- Instituto de Investigacion Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), University of Oviedo, 33003 Oviedo, Spain
- Instituto Universitario de Oncología Del Principado de Asturias (IUOPA), Departamento de Medicina, University of Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain
| | - Jordi Sunyer
- CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28029 Madrid, Spain; (I.R.-G.); (M.M.); (A.I.); (J.J.); (L.S.-M.); (A.T.); (J.S.)
- Instituto de Salud Global (ISGlobal) de Barcelona Campus MAR, Parc de Recerca Biomèdica de Barcelona (PRBB), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
- Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08002 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jesús Vioque
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de Alicante, Universidad Miguel Hernández (ISABIAL-UMH), 03010 Alicante, Spain; (S.G.-P.); (J.V.)
- CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28029 Madrid, Spain; (I.R.-G.); (M.M.); (A.I.); (J.J.); (L.S.-M.); (A.T.); (J.S.)
- Unidad de Epidemiología de la Nutrición (EPINUT), Departamento de Salud Pública, Historia de la Ciencia y Ginecología, Universidad Miguel Hernández (UMH), 03550 Alicante, Spain
| | - Tim Nawrot
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, 3590 Hasselt, Belgium; (D.S.M.)
| | - Eva-María Navarrete-Muñoz
- Department of Surgery and Pathology, Miguel Hernandez University, 03550 Alicante, Spain; (D.P.-B.); (E.-M.N.-M.)
- Grupo de Investigación en Terapia Ocupacional (InTeO), Miguel Hernandez University, 03550 Alicante, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de Alicante, Universidad Miguel Hernández (ISABIAL-UMH), 03010 Alicante, Spain; (S.G.-P.); (J.V.)
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13
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Wolf SE, Shalev I. The shelterin protein expansion of telomere dynamics: Linking early life adversity, life history, and the hallmarks of aging. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 152:105261. [PMID: 37268182 PMCID: PMC10527177 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Revised: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Aging is characterized by functional decline occurring alongside changes to several hallmarks of aging. One of the hallmarks includes attrition of repeated DNA sequences found at the ends of chromosomes called telomeres. While telomere attrition is linked to morbidity and mortality, whether and how it causally contributes to lifelong rates of functional decline is unclear. In this review, we propose the shelterin-telomere hypothesis of life history, in which telomere-binding shelterin proteins translate telomere attrition into a range of physiological outcomes, the extent of which may be modulated by currently understudied variation in shelterin protein levels. Shelterin proteins may expand the breadth and timing of consequences of telomere attrition, e.g., by translating early life adversity into acceleration of the aging process. We consider how the pleiotropic roles of shelterin proteins provide novel insights into natural variation in physiology, life history, and lifespan. We highlight key open questions that encourage the integrative, organismal study of shelterin proteins that enhances our understanding of the contribution of the telomere system to aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Wolf
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
| | - Idan Shalev
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
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14
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Gurvich C, Thomas N, Hudaib AR, Van Rheenen TE, Thomas EHX, Tan EJ, Neill E, Carruthers SP, Sumner PJ, Romano-Silva M, Bozaoglu K, Kulkarni J, Rossell SL. The relationship between cognitive clusters and telomere length in bipolar-schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Psychol Med 2023; 53:5119-5126. [PMID: 35920237 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291722002148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are complex mental illnesses that are associated with cognitive deficits. There is considerable cognitive heterogeneity that exists within both disorders. Studies that cluster schizophrenia and bipolar patients into subgroups based on their cognitive profile increasingly demonstrate that, relative to healthy controls, there is a severely compromised subgroup and a relatively intact subgroup. There is emerging evidence that telomere shortening, a marker of cellular senescence, may be associated with cognitive impairments. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between cognitive subgroups in bipolar-schizophrenia spectrum disorders and telomere length against a healthy control sample. METHODS Participants included a transdiagnostic group diagnosed with bipolar, schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (n = 73) and healthy controls (n = 113). Cognitive clusters within the transdiagnostic patient group, were determined using K-means cluster analysis based on current cognitive functioning (MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery scores). Telomere length was determined using quantitative PCRs genomic DNA extracted from whole blood. Emergent clusters were then compared to the healthy control group on telomere length. RESULTS Two clusters emerged within the patient group that were deemed to reflect a relatively intact cognitive group and a cognitively impaired subgroup. Telomere length was significantly shorter in the severely impaired cognitive subgroup compared to the healthy control group. CONCLUSIONS This study replicates previous findings of transdiagnostic cognitive subgroups and associates shorter telomere length with the severely impaired cognitive subgroup. These findings support emerging literature associating cognitive impairments in psychiatric disorders to accelerated cellular aging as indexed by telomere length.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Gurvich
- Department of Psychiatry, Central Clinical School, Monash University and the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Natalie Thomas
- Department of Biochemistry & Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne VIC, Australia
| | - Abdul-Rahman Hudaib
- Department of Psychiatry, Central Clinical School, Monash University and the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Tamsyn E Van Rheenen
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Centre for Mental Health, Faculty of Health, Arts and Design, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Elizabeth H X Thomas
- Department of Psychiatry, Central Clinical School, Monash University and the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Eric J Tan
- Centre for Mental Health, Faculty of Health, Arts and Design, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Mental Health, St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Erica Neill
- Centre for Mental Health, Faculty of Health, Arts and Design, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Mental Health, St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Sean P Carruthers
- Centre for Mental Health, Faculty of Health, Arts and Design, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Philip J Sumner
- Centre for Mental Health, Faculty of Health, Arts and Design, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Marco Romano-Silva
- Department Saude Mental, Faculdade de Medicina, UFMG, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Kiymet Bozaoglu
- Bruce Lefroy Centre for Genetic Health Research, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jayashri Kulkarni
- Department of Psychiatry, Central Clinical School, Monash University and the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Susan L Rossell
- Centre for Mental Health, Faculty of Health, Arts and Design, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Mental Health, St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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15
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Montoya M, Uchino BN. Social support and telomere length: a meta-analysis. J Behav Med 2023; 46:556-565. [PMID: 36617609 PMCID: PMC11424215 DOI: 10.1007/s10865-022-00389-0] [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: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies have shown that lower social support is associated with higher all-cause mortality (Holt-Lunstad et al. in PLoS ONE Medicine 7:e1000316, 2010). While social support has been associated with system-specific biological measures (e.g., cardiovascular), there is the need to elucidate more general biological mechanisms linking social support to health risk across a number of diseases. In this meta-analytic review, the link between social support and telomere length (Cawthon et al. in Lancet 361:393-395, 2003) was conducted based on the updated PRISMA guidelines (Page et al., 2021). Across 17 studies, higher social support was not significantly related to longer telomere length (Zr = 0.010, 95% CI [- 0.028, 0.047], p > 0.05). The confidence interval indicated that the bulk of plausible values were small to null associations. Little evidence for bias was found as shown by funnel plots and Kendall's Tau. Moderator analyses focusing on the measure of support, health of sample, age, type of assay specimen, and gender were not significant. In conclusion, this review showed no significant relationship between social support and telomere length and highlights important future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariah Montoya
- Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA
| | - Bert N Uchino
- Department of Psychology and Health Psychology Program, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA.
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16
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Sulyok E, Farkas B, Bodis J. Pathomechanisms of Prenatally Programmed Adult Diseases. Antioxidants (Basel) 2023; 12:1354. [PMID: 37507894 PMCID: PMC10376205 DOI: 10.3390/antiox12071354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Revised: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/25/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Based on epidemiological observations Barker et al. put forward the hypothesis/concept that an adverse intrauterine environment (involving an insufficient nutrient supply, chronic hypoxia, stress, and toxic substances) is an important risk factor for the development of chronic diseases later in life. The fetus responds to the unfavorable environment with adaptive reactions, which ensure survival in the short run, but at the expense of initiating pathological processes leading to adult diseases. In this review, the major mechanisms (including telomere dysfunction, epigenetic modifications, and cardiovascular-renal-endocrine-metabolic reactions) will be outlined, with a particular emphasis on the role of oxidative stress in the fetal origin of adult diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Endre Sulyok
- National Laboratory on Human Reproduction, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Doctoral School of Health Sciences, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary
- MTA-PTE Human Reproduction Scientific Research Group, 7624 Pécs, Hungary
| | - Balint Farkas
- National Laboratory on Human Reproduction, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary
- MTA-PTE Human Reproduction Scientific Research Group, 7624 Pécs, Hungary
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary
| | - Jozsef Bodis
- National Laboratory on Human Reproduction, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Doctoral School of Health Sciences, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary
- MTA-PTE Human Reproduction Scientific Research Group, 7624 Pécs, Hungary
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary
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17
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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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18
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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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19
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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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20
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Longitudinal telomere dynamics within natural lifespans of a wild bird. Sci Rep 2023; 13:4272. [PMID: 36922555 PMCID: PMC10017829 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31435-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomeres, the nucleotide sequences that protect the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes, shorten with each cell division and telomere loss may be influenced by environmental factors. Telomere length (TL) decreases with age in several species, but little is known about the sources of genetic and environmental variation in the change in TL (∆TL) in wild animals. In this study, we tracked changes in TL throughout the natural lifespan (from a few months to almost 9 years) of free-living house sparrows (Passer domesticus) in two different island populations. TL was measured in nestlings and subsequently up to four times during their lifetime. TL generally decreased with age (senescence), but we also observed instances of telomere lengthening within individuals. We found some evidence for selective disappearance of individuals with shorter telomeres through life. Early-life TL positively predicted later-life TL, but the within-individual repeatability in TL was low (9.2%). Using genetic pedigrees, we found a moderate heritability of ∆TL (h2 = 0.21), which was higher than the heritabilities of early-life TL (h2 = 0.14) and later-life TL measurements (h2 = 0.15). Cohort effects explained considerable proportions of variation in early-life TL (60%), later-life TL (53%), and ∆TL (37%), which suggests persistent impacts of the early-life environment on lifelong telomere dynamics. Individual changes in TL were independent of early-life TL. Finally, there was weak evidence for population differences in ∆TL that may be linked to ecological differences in habitat types. Combined, our results show that individual telomere biology is highly dynamic and influenced by both genetic and environmental variation in natural conditions.
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21
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Mizuno Y, Inaba Y, Masuoka H, Kibe M, Kosaka S, Natsuhara K, Hirayama K, Inthavong N, Kounnavong S, Tomita S, Umezaki M. Impact of modernization on oxidative stress among indigenous populations in northern Laos. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2023. [PMID: 36919625 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To explore the impact of modernization on oxidative stress during a momentous health transition process, we investigated differences in oxidative stress among the indigenous populations of villages in northern Laos with different levels of modernization. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional study of 380 adults in three villages with different levels of modernization. Three biomarkers related to oxidative stress were measured: urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and 8-isoprostane concentrations (both measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry), and blood telomere length (measured with qPCR). We examined associations between village-level modernization and oxidative stress-related biomarkers in a multilevel analysis including a random effect and covariates. RESULTS The geometric means of urinary 8-OHdG and 8-isoprostane concentrations were 2.92 and 0.700 μg/g creatinine, respectively, in our study population. Higher urinary 8-OHdG concentrations and shorter telomeres were observed in participants from the more modernized villages, whereas urinary 8-isoprostane concentrations did not differ significantly among villages. CONCLUSIONS Our findings imply that modernization-induced changes in lifestyle may increase oxidative DNA damage. Baseline levels of oxidative lipid damage are expected to be high in the indigenous populations of northern Laos. Assessments of oxidative stress may provide valuable insights into the mechanisms of health transition in specific populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuki Mizuno
- Department of Human Ecology, School of International Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yohei Inaba
- Department of Environmental Health, National Institute of Public Health, Saitama, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Masuoka
- RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Mihoko Kibe
- Department of Human Ecology, School of International Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Satoko Kosaka
- Department of Public Health and Nursing, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | | | - Kazuhiro Hirayama
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Nouhak Inthavong
- Lao Tropical and Public Health Institute, Ministry of Health, Vientiane, Laos
| | | | - Shinsuke Tomita
- Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Masahiro Umezaki
- Department of Human Ecology, School of International Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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22
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Wolf SE, Zhang S, Clotfelter ED. Experimental ectoparasite removal has a sex-specific effect on nestling telomere length. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e9861. [PMID: 36911306 PMCID: PMC9992774 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9861] [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: 10/09/2022] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Parasites are a strong selective force that can influence fitness-related traits. The length of chromosome-capping telomeres can be used to assess the long-term costs of parasitism, as telomere loss accelerates in response to environmental stressors and often precedes poorer survival prospects. Here, we explored the sex-specific effects of ectoparasite removal on morphology and telomere length in nestling tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor). To do so, we experimentally removed blow fly (Protocalliphora spp.) larvae from nests using Permethrin, a broad-spectrum insecticide. Compared to water-treated controls, insecticide treatment of nests had a sex-biased effect on blood telomere length: ectoparasite removal resulted in significantly longer telomeres in males but not females. While this treatment did not influence nestling body mass, it was associated with reduced feather development regardless of sex. This may reflect a relaxed pressure to fledge quickly in the absence of parasites, or alternatively, could be a negative side effect of permethrin on morphology. Exploring robust sex-specific telomere dynamics in response to early-life environmental pressures such as parasitism will shed light on sexual dimorphism in adult life histories and aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E. Wolf
- Department of BiologyIndiana UniversityBloomingtonIndianaUSA
- Department of Biobehavioral HealthPennsylvania State UniversityState CollegePennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Samuel Zhang
- Department of BiologyAmherst CollegeAmherstMassachusettsUSA
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23
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Sabot D, Lovegrove R, Stapleton P. The association between sleep quality and telomere length: A systematic literature review. Brain Behav Immun Health 2023; 28:100577. [PMID: 36691437 PMCID: PMC9860369 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbih.2022.100577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Several sleep parameters present an elevated risk for processes that contribute to cellular aging. Short sleep duration, sleep apnoea, and insomnia are significantly associated with shorter telomeres, a biological marker of cellular aging. However, there has been no review or analysis of studies that have examined the association between the psychological construct of sleep quality and telomere length. The present study aimed to provide a systematic review of the association between sleep quality and telomere length. A systematic review of English articles was conducted using MEDLINE/PubMed, PsycINFO, Google Scholar, and Web of Science electronic databases, with the final search conducted on 3rd September 2021. Search terms included sleep quality, poor sleep, insomnia, sleep difficulties, sleep issue*, non-restorative sleep, telomere*, cellular aging, and immune cell telomere length. Study eligibility criteria included human participants aged 18 years or older and a reproducible methodology. Study appraisal and synthesis were completed using a systematic search in line with a PICOS approach (P = Patient, problem, or population; I = Intervention, prognostic factor, exposure; C = Comparison, control, or comparator; O = Outcomes; S = Study designs). Twenty-two studies met review inclusion criteria. Qualitative synthesis of the literature indicated insufficient evidence overall to support a significant association between sleep quality and telomere length. Limitations across studies were addressed, such as the assessment of examined constructs. Findings highlight important targets for future research, including the standardised operationalisation of the sleep quality construct and experimental study designs. Research in this area has clinical significance by identifying possible mechanisms that increase the risk for age-related disease and mortality. PROSPERO Registration No.: CRD 42021233139.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debbie Sabot
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Society and Design, Bond University, Australia
| | - Rhianna Lovegrove
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Society and Design, Bond University, Australia
| | - Peta Stapleton
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Society and Design, Bond University, Australia
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24
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Abstract
Cellular senescence has become a subject of great interest within the ageing research field over the last 60 years, from the first observation in vitro by Leonard Hayflick and Paul Moorhead in 1961, to novel findings of phenotypic sub-types and senescence-like phenotype in post-mitotic cells. It has essential roles in wound healing, tumour suppression and the very first stages of human development, while causing widespread damage and dysfunction with age leading to a raft of age-related diseases. This chapter discusses these roles and their interlinking pathways, and how the observed accumulation of senescent cells with age has initiated a whole new field of ageing research, covering pathologies in the heart, liver, kidneys, muscles, brain and bone. This chapter will also examine how senescent cell accumulation presents in these different tissues, along with their roles in disease development. Finally, there is much focus on developing treatments for senescent cell accumulation in advanced age as a method of alleviating age-related disease. We will discuss here the various senolytic and senostatic treatment approaches and their successes and limitations, and the innovative new strategies being developed to address the differing effects of cellular senescence in ageing and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Reed
- Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Campus for Ageing and Vitality, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Satomi Miwa
- Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Campus for Ageing and Vitality, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
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25
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Liu M, Luo P, Liu L, Wei X, Bai X, Li J, Wu L, Luo M. Immune-mediated inflammatory diseases and leukocyte telomere length: A Mendelian randomization study. Front Genet 2023; 14:1129247. [PMID: 37139230 PMCID: PMC10150136 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1129247] [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: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective: To elucidate the potential causality of leukocyte telomere length (LTL) with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs), we conducted a Mendelian randomization (MR) study. Methods: The genetically predicted causation between LTL and IMIDs was evaluated using a two-sample MR method. We analyzed 16 major IMIDs, which included systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), ulcerative colitis (UC), Crohn's disease (CD), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), sicca syndrome (SS), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), type 1 diabetes (T1D), primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), atopic dermatitis (AD), sarcoidosis, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, psoriasis, and childhood asthma. The random-effects inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method was performed as the main analytical approach in MR. Various sensitivity analyses, including MR-Egger, MR robust adjusted profile score (MR-RAPS), weighted median, MR pleiotropy residual sum and outlier (MR-PRESSO) methods, weighted mode, radial plot, and radial regression, were used to guarantee the robustness of the results and detect horizontal pleiotropy. Cochran's Q value was calculated to check for heterogeneity, and the MR Steiger approach was used to test the causal direction. Results: The MR results indicated significant inverse associations of LTL with risks of psoriasis (OR: 0.77, 95% CI: 0.66-0.89, and p = 3.66 × 10-4), SS (OR: 0.75, CI: 0.58-0.98, and p = 0.03), RA (OR: 0.77, 95% CI: 0.68-0.88, and p = 9.85 × 10-5), hypothyroidism (OR: 0.84, 95% CI: 0.78-0.91, and p = 7,08 × 10-6), hyperthyroidism (OR: 0.60, 95% CI: 0.44-0.83, and p = 1.90 × 10-3), sarcoidosis (OR: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.54-0.83, and p = 2.60 × 10-4), and IPF (OR: 0.41, 95% CI: 0.29-0.58, and p = 4.11 × 10-7) in the FinnGen study. We observed that longer LTL was associated with an increased risk of AS susceptibility (OR: 1.51, 95% CI: 1.18-1.94, and p = 9.66 × 10-4). The results of the IVW method showed no causal relationship between TL and SLE (OR: 0.92, 95% CI: 0.62-1.38, and p = 0.69) in the FinnGen study; however, a significantly positive correlation was shown between LTL and SLE in another larger GWAS (OR: 1.87, 95% CI: 1.37-2.54, and p = 8.01 × 10-5). Conclusion: Our findings reveal that abnormal LTL has the potential to increase the risk of IMIDs. Therefore, it could be treated as a predictor and may provide new potential treatment targets for IMIDs. However, the change of LTL may not be the direct cause of IMIDs. Further studies should aim at the pathogenic mechanism or potential protective effects of LTL in IMIDs.
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26
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Zheng B, Fu J. Telomere dysfunction in some pediatric congenital and growth-related diseases. Front Pediatr 2023; 11:1133102. [PMID: 37077333 PMCID: PMC10106694 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2023.1133102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomere wear and dysfunction may lead to aging-related diseases. Moreover, increasing evidence show that the occurrence, development, and prognosis of some pediatric diseases are also related to telomere dysfunction. In this review, we systematically analyzed the relationship between telomere biology and some pediatric congenital and growth-related diseases and proposed new theoretical basis and therapeutic targets for the treatment of these diseases.
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27
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Leake DW. Tracing Slow Phenoptosis to the Prenatal Stage in Social Vertebrates. BIOCHEMISTRY. BIOKHIMIIA 2022; 87:1512-1527. [PMID: 36717460 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297922120094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Vladimir Skulachev's coining of the term "phenoptosis" 25 years ago (Skulachev, V. P., Biochemistry (Moscow), 62, 1997) highlighted the theoretical possibility that aging is a programmed process to speed the exit of individuals posing some danger to their social group. While rapid "acute phenoptosis" might occur at any age (e.g., to prevent spread of deadly infections), "slow phenoptosis" is generally considered to occur later in life in the form of chronic age-related disorders. However, recent research indicates that risks for such chronic disorders can be greatly raised by early life adversity, especially during the prenatal stage. Much of this research uses indicators of biological aging, the speeding or slowing of natural physiological deterioration in response to environmental inputs, leading to divergence from chronological age. Studies using biological aging indicators commonly find it is accelerated not only in older individuals with chronic disorders, but also in very young individuals with health problems. This review will explain how accelerated biological aging equates to slow phenoptosis. Its occurrence even in the prenatal stage is theoretically supported by W. D. Hamilton's proposal that offsprings detecting they have dangerous mutations should then automatically speed their demise, in order to improve their inclusive fitness by giving their parents the chance to produce other fitter siblings.
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Affiliation(s)
- David W Leake
- University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.
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28
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Vedder O, Moiron M, Bichet C, Bauch C, Verhulst S, Becker PH, Bouwhuis S. Telomere length is heritable and genetically correlated with lifespan in a wild bird. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:6297-6307. [PMID: 33460462 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2020] [Revised: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Telomeres are protective caps at the end of eukaryotic chromosomes that shorten with age and in response to stressful or resource-demanding conditions. Their length predicts individual health and lifespan across a wide range of animals, but whether the observed positive association between telomere length and lifespan is environmentally induced, or set at conception due to a shared genetic basis, has not been tested in wild animals. We applied quantitative genetic "animal models" to longitudinal telomere measurements collected over a 10-year period from individuals of a wild seabird (common tern; Sterna hirundo) with known pedigree. We found no variation in telomere shortening with age among individuals at the phenotypic and genetic level, and only a small permanent environmental effect on adult telomere length. Instead, we found telomere length to be highly heritable and strongly positively genetically correlated with lifespan. Such heritable differences between individuals that are set at conception may present a hitherto underappreciated component of variation in somatic state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oscar Vedder
- Institute of Avian Research, Wilhelmshaven, Germany.,Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Maria Moiron
- Institute of Avian Research, Wilhelmshaven, Germany.,CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France
| | | | - Christina Bauch
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Simon Verhulst
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
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29
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Tobler M, Gómez-Blanco D, Hegemann A, Lapa M, Neto JM, Tarka M, Xiong Y, Hasselquist D. Telomeres in ecology and evolution: A review and classification of hypotheses. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:5946-5965. [PMID: 34865259 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Revised: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Research on telomeres in the fields of ecology and evolution has been rapidly expanding over the last two decades. This has resulted in the formulation of a multitude of, often name-given, hypotheses related to the associations between telomeres and life-history traits or fitness-facilitating processes (and the mechanisms underlying them). However, the differences (or similarities) between the various hypotheses, which can originate from different research fields, are often not obvious. Our aim here is therefore to give an overview of the hypotheses that are of interest in ecology and evolution and to provide two frameworks that help discriminate among them. We group the hypotheses (i) based on their association with different research questions, and (ii) using a hierarchical approach that builds on the assumptions they make, such as about causality of telomere length/shortening and/or the proposed functional consequences of telomere shortening on organism performance. Both our frameworks show that there exist parallel lines of thoughts in different research fields. Moreover, they also clearly illustrate that there are in many cases competing hypotheses within clusters, and that some of these even have contradictory assumptions and/or predictions. We also touch upon two topics in telomere research that would benefit from further conceptualization. This review should help researchers, both those familiar with and those new to the subject, to identify future avenues of research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Arne Hegemann
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Mariana Lapa
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Júlio M Neto
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Maja Tarka
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Ye Xiong
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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30
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Monaghan P, Olsson M, Richardson DS, Verhulst S, Rogers SM. Integrating telomere biology into the ecology and evolution of natural populations: Progress and prospects. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:5909-5916. [PMID: 36330668 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2022] [Revised: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pat Monaghan
- Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, Institute of Biodiversity, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Mats Olsson
- Department of BioEnv - Zoologen, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - David S Richardson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, Norfolk, UK
| | - Simon Verhulst
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Sean M Rogers
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, Bamfield, British Columbia, Canada
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31
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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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32
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Wang C, Gu Y, Zhou J, Zang J, Ling X, Li H, Hu L, Xu B, Zhang B, Qin N, Lv H, Duan W, Jiang Y, He Y, Jiang T, Chen C, Han X, Zhou K, Xu B, Liu X, Tao S, Jiang Y, Du J, Dai J, Diao F, Lu C, Guo X, Huo R, Liu J, Lin Y, Xia Y, Jin G, Ma H, Shen H, Hu Z. Leukocyte telomere length in children born following blastocyst-stage embryo transfer. Nat Med 2022; 28:2646-2653. [PMID: 36522605 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-022-02108-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Perinatal and childhood adverse outcomes associated with assisted reproductive technology (ART) has been reported, but it remains unknown whether the initial leukocyte telomere length (LTL), which is an indicator of age-related phenotypes in later life, is affected. Here, we estimated the LTLs of 1,137 individuals from 365 families, including 202 children conceived by ART and 205 children conceived spontaneously from two centers of the China National Birth Cohort, using whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data. One-year-old children conceived by ART had shorter LTLs than those conceived spontaneously (beta, -0.36; P = 1.29 × 10-3) after adjusting for plurality, sex and other potential confounding factors. In particular, blastocyst-stage embryo transfer was associated with shorter LTL (beta, -0.54, P = 2.69 × 10-3) in children conceived by ART. The association was validated in 586 children conceived by ART from five centers using different LTL quantification methods (that is, WGS or qPCR). Blastocyst-stage embryo transfer resulted in shorter telomere lengths in mice at postnatal day 1 (P = 2.10 × 10-4) and mice at 6 months (P = 0.042). In vitro culturing of mice embryos did not result in shorter telomere lengths in the late cleavage stage, but it did suppress telomerase activity in the early blastocyst stage. Our findings demonstrate the need to evaluate the long-term consequences of ART, particularly for aging-related phenotypes, in children conceived by ART.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,Department of Epidemiology, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,Department of Bioinformatics, School of Biomedical Engineering and Informatics, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yayun Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,Department of Epidemiology, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jun Zhou
- Department of Epidemiology, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jie Zang
- Department of Epidemiology, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xiufeng Ling
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,Department of Reproduction, The Affiliated Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Hong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,Reproductive Genetic Center, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Lingmin Hu
- Department of Reproduction, Changzhou Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Changzhou Medical Center, Nanjing Medical University, Changzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Bei Xu
- Reproductive Medicine Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medicine College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Bo Zhang
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, The Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Na Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,Department of Epidemiology, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Hong Lv
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine (Suzhou Centre), The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Weiwei Duan
- Department of Bioinformatics, School of Biomedical Engineering and Informatics, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yue Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,Department of Epidemiology, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yuanlin He
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,Department of Epidemiology, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Tao Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,Department of Biostatistics, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Congcong Chen
- Department of Epidemiology, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xiumei Han
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,Department of Epidemiology, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Kun Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,Department of Epidemiology, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Bo Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,Department of Epidemiology, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xiaoyu Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,Department of Epidemiology, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Shiyao Tao
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,Department of Epidemiology, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yangqian Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,Department of Epidemiology, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jiangbo Du
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,Department of Epidemiology, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Juncheng Dai
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,Department of Epidemiology, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Feiyang Diao
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,Clinical Center of Reproductive Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Chuncheng Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology of Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xuejiang Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Ran Huo
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jiayin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine (Suzhou Centre), The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China.,Clinical Center of Reproductive Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yuan Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine (Suzhou Centre), The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China.,Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yankai Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology of Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Guangfu Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,Department of Epidemiology, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine (Suzhou Centre), The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Hongxia Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,Department of Epidemiology, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine (Suzhou Centre), The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Hongbing Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,Department of Epidemiology, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine (Suzhou Centre), The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Zhibin Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China. .,Department of Epidemiology, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China. .,State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine (Suzhou Centre), The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China.
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Lai TP, Verhulst S, Dagnall CL, Hutchinson A, Spellman SR, Howard A, Katki HA, Levine JE, Saber W, Aviv A, Gadalla SM. Decoupling blood telomere length from age in recipients of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant in the BMT-CTN 1202. Front Immunol 2022; 13:966301. [PMID: 36263045 PMCID: PMC9574912 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.966301] [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: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The age of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) donors and their hematopoietic cell telomere length (TL) might affect recipients’ outcomes. Our goals were to examine the possible effect of these donors’ factors on the recipients’ hematopoietic cell TL and quantify hematopoietic cell TL shortening in the critical first three-month post-HCT. We measured hematopoietic cell TL parameters in 75 recipient-donor pairs, from the Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network (protocol#1202), by Southern blotting (SB), the Telomeres Shortest Length Assay (TeSLA), and quantitative PCR (qPCR). Recipients’ hematopoietic cell TL parameters post-HCT correlated with donors’ age (p<0.001 for all methods), but not recipients’ own age, and with donors’ pre-HCT hematopoietic cell TL (p<0.0001 for all). Multivariate analyses showed that donors’ hematopoietic cell TL pre-HCT, independent of donors’ age, explained most of the variability in recipients’ hematopoietic cell TL post-HCT (81% for SB, 56% for TeSLA, and 65% for qPCR; p>0.0001 for all). SB and TeSLA detected hematopoietic cell TL shortening in all recipients post-HCT (mean=0.52kb and 0.47kb, respectively; >15-fold the annual TL shortening in adults; p<0.00001 for both), but qPCR detected shortening only in 57.5% of recipients. TeSLA detected a buildup of post-HCT of telomeres <3 kb in 96% of recipients (p<0.0001). In conclusion, HCT decouples hematopoietic cell TL in the recipients from their own age to reflect the donors’ age. The potential donors’ age effect on outcomes of HCT might be partially mediated by short hematopoietic cell TL in older donors. qPCR-based TL measurement is suboptimal for detecting telomere shortening post-HCT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsung-Po Lai
- Center of Human Development and Aging, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, United States
| | - Simon Verhulst
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Casey L. Dagnall
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, United States
- Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, United States
| | - Amy Hutchinson
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, United States
- Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, United States
| | - Stephen R. Spellman
- Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research, National Marrow Donor Program, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Alan Howard
- Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research, National Marrow Donor Program, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Hormuzd A. Katki
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - John E. Levine
- Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Wael Saber
- Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Abraham Aviv
- Center of Human Development and Aging, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, United States
| | - Shahinaz M. Gadalla
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, United States
- *Correspondence: Shahinaz M. Gadalla,
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De Ruyter T, Martens DS, Bijnens EM, Nawrot TS, De Henauw S, Michels N. A multi-exposure approach to study telomere dynamics in childhood: A role for residential green space and waist circumference. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 213:113656. [PMID: 35691385 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.113656] [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: 02/18/2022] [Revised: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Telomeres are vulnerable to various environmental exposures and lifestyle factors, encompassed in the exposome. Recent research shows that telomere length is substantially determined early in life and that exposures in childhood may have important consequences in setting later life telomere length. OBJECTIVES We explore in a child population the associations of 17 exposures with telomere length and longitudinal telomere change. METHODS Children (2.8-10.3y at baseline, 51.3% boys) were followed-up for five to seven years. Relative telomere length was measured at baseline and follow-up using quantitative real-time PCR. Exposures and lifestyle factors included: body composition (body mass index and waist circumference), dietary habits (sugar- and fat-rich food intake, vegetables and fruit intake), psychosocial stress (events, emotions, behaviour), sleep duration, physical activity, and residential environmental quality (longterm black carbon, particulate matter exposure, and residential green space). Cross-sectional (n=182) and longitudinal (n=150) analyses were assessed using linear regression models, adjusting for age, sex, socioeconomic status and multiple testing. RESULTS Our longitudinal analyses showed that higher residential green space at baseline was associated with (β=0.261, p=0.002) lower telomere attrition and that children with a higher waist circumference at baseline showed a higher telomere attrition (β=-0.287, p=0.001). These two predictors were confirmed via LASSO variable selection and correction for multiple testing. In addition, children with more unhealthy exposures at baseline had a significantly higher telomere attrition over the follow-up period compared to children with more healthy exposures (β=-0.200, p=0.017). DISCUSSION Waist circumference and residential green space were identified as predictors associated with telomere attrition in childhood. These results further support the advantages of a healthy lifestyle from early age onwards and the importance of a green environment to promote molecular longevity from childhood onwards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thaïs De Ruyter
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium; Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium.
| | - Dries S Martens
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Esmée M Bijnens
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium; Department of Human Structure and Repair, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Tim S Nawrot
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium; Department of Public Health & Primary Care, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Stefaan De Henauw
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Nathalie Michels
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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35
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Aviv A. The bullwhip effect, T-cell telomeres, and SARS-CoV-2. THE LANCET. HEALTHY LONGEVITY 2022; 3:e715-e721. [PMID: 36202131 PMCID: PMC9529217 DOI: 10.1016/s2666-7568(22)00190-8] [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: 06/16/2022] [Revised: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Both myeloid cells, which contribute to innate immunity, and lymphoid cells, which dominate adaptive immunity, partake in defending against SARS-CoV-2. In response to the virus, the otherwise slow haematopoietic production supply chain quickly unleashes its preconfigured myeloid element, which largely resists a bullwhip-like effect. By contrast, the lymphoid element risks a bullwhip-like effect when it produces T cells and B cells that are specifically designed to clear the virus. As T-cell production is telomere-length dependent and telomeres shorten with age, older adults are at higher risk of a T-cell shortfall when contracting SARS-CoV-2 than are younger adults. A poorly calibrated adaptive immune response, stemming from a bullwhip-like effect, compounded by a T-cell deficit, might thus contribute to the propensity of people with inherently short T-cell telomeres to develop severe COVID-19. The immune systems of these individuals might also generate an inadequate T-cell response to anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abraham Aviv
- Center of Human Development and Aging, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, USA.
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36
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Valera-Gran D, Prieto-Botella D, Hurtado-Pomares M, Baladia E, Petermann-Rocha F, Sánchez-Pérez A, Navarrete-Muñoz EM. The Impact of Foods, Nutrients, or Dietary Patterns on Telomere Length in Childhood and Adolescence: A Systematic Review. Nutrients 2022; 14:nu14193885. [PMID: 36235538 PMCID: PMC9570627 DOI: 10.3390/nu14193885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Revised: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental factors such as diet can affect telomere length (TL) dynamics. However, the role that children’s and adolescents’ diets play in maintaining TL is not well understood. Thus, we conducted a systematic review to examine the association between the intake of nutrients, foods, food groups, and/or dietary patterns and TL in childhood and adolescence. Following the PRISMA guidelines, we searched MEDLINE via PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases and additional registers and methods. The five selected studies were cross-sectional and conducted in children and adolescents aged 2 to 18 years. The main results suggest that a higher consumption of fish, nuts and seeds, fruits and vegetables, green leafy and cruciferous vegetables, olives, legumes, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and an antioxidant-rich diet might positively affect TL. On the contrary, a higher intake of dairy products, simple sugar, sugar-sweetened beverages, cereals, especially white bread, and a diet high in glycaemic load were factors associated with TL shortening. To our knowledge, this is the first systematic review examining the impact of dietary intake factors on TL in childhood and adolescence. Although limited, these results are consistent with previous studies in different adult populations. Further research is needed to ascertain potential nutritional determinants of TL in childhood and adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Desirée Valera-Gran
- Grupo de Investigación en Terapia Ocupacional (InTeO), Department of Surgery and Pathology, Miguel Hernández University, 03550 Alicante, Spain
- Correspondence: (D.V.-G.); (A.S.-P.); Tel.: +34-965-233-705 (D.V.-G.)
| | - Daniel Prieto-Botella
- Grupo de Investigación en Terapia Ocupacional (InTeO), Department of Surgery and Pathology, Miguel Hernández University, 03550 Alicante, Spain
| | - Miriam Hurtado-Pomares
- Grupo de Investigación en Terapia Ocupacional (InTeO), Department of Surgery and Pathology, Miguel Hernández University, 03550 Alicante, Spain
| | - Eduard Baladia
- Centro de Análisis de la Evidencia Científica, Academia Española de Nutrición y Dietética, 08007 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Fanny Petermann-Rocha
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Diego Portales, Santiago 8370109, Chile
| | - Alicia Sánchez-Pérez
- Grupo de Investigación en Terapia Ocupacional (InTeO), Department of Surgery and Pathology, Miguel Hernández University, 03550 Alicante, Spain
- Alicante Institute for Health and Biomedical Research (ISABIAL-FISABIO Foundation), 03010 Alicante, Spain
- Correspondence: (D.V.-G.); (A.S.-P.); Tel.: +34-965-233-705 (D.V.-G.)
| | - Eva-María Navarrete-Muñoz
- Grupo de Investigación en Terapia Ocupacional (InTeO), Department of Surgery and Pathology, Miguel Hernández University, 03550 Alicante, Spain
- Alicante Institute for Health and Biomedical Research (ISABIAL-FISABIO Foundation), 03010 Alicante, Spain
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Bauch C, Gatt MC, Verhulst S, Granadeiro JP, Catry P. Higher mercury contamination is associated with shorter telomeres in a long-lived seabird - A direct effect or a consequence of among-individual variation in phenotypic quality? THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 839:156359. [PMID: 35654175 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156359] [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: 03/02/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Mercury is a heavy metal, which is pervasive and persistent in the marine environment. It bioaccumulates within organisms and biomagnifies in the marine food chain. Due to its high toxicity, mercury contamination is a major concern for wildlife and human health. Telomere length is a biomarker of aging and health, because it predicts survival, making it a potential tool to investigate sublethal effects of mercury contamination. However, the relationship between telomeres and mercury contamination is unclear. We measured feather mercury concentration in Cory's Shearwaters Calonectris borealis, long-lived seabirds and top predators, between 9 and 35 years of age and related it to telomere length in erythrocytes. Cory's Shearwaters with higher mercury concentrations had shorter telomeres and the effect was sex-dependent, reaching significance in males only. This may be explained by the fact that males have longer telomeres and higher and more variable mercury concentrations than females in this population. The mercury effect on telomere length was stronger on longer telomeres in the genome within individuals. We discuss the hypotheses that the negative correlation could either be a direct effect of mercury on telomere shortening and/or a consequence of variation in phenotypic quality among individuals that results in a covariation between mercury contamination and telomere length.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Bauch
- MARE-Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ISPA-Instituto Universitário, Rua Jardim do Tabaco 34, 1149-041 Lisbon, Portugal; Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747AG Groningen, the Netherlands.
| | - Marie Claire Gatt
- CESAM-Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Faculty of Science, University of Lisbon, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Simon Verhulst
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747AG Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - José Pedro Granadeiro
- CESAM-Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Faculty of Science, University of Lisbon, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Paulo Catry
- MARE-Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ISPA-Instituto Universitário, Rua Jardim do Tabaco 34, 1149-041 Lisbon, Portugal
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Petermann-Rocha F, Valera-Gran D, Fernández-Pires P, Martens DS, Júlvez J, Rodríguez-Dehli C, Andiarena A, Lozano M, Fernández-Somoano A, Lertxundi A, Llop S, Guxens M, Nawrot TS, Navarrete-Muñoz EM. Children who sleep more may have longer telomeres: evidence from a longitudinal population study in Spain. Pediatr Res 2022; 93:1419-1424. [PMID: 35974160 DOI: 10.1038/s41390-022-02255-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Revised: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Inadequate sleep duration has been suggested as a chronic stressor associated with changes in telomere length (TL). This study aimed to explore the association between sleep duration and TL using the INMA birth cohort study data. METHODS A total of 1014 children were included in this study (cross-sectional: 686; longitudinal: 872). Sleep duration (h/day) was reported by caregivers at 4 years and classified into tertiles (7-10 h/day; >10-11 h/day; >11-14 h/day). Leucocyte TL at 4 and 7-9 years were measured using quantitative PCR methods. Multiple robust linear regression models, through log-level regression models, were used to report the % of difference among tertiles of sleep duration. RESULTS In comparison to children who slept between >10 and 11 h/day, those in the highest category (more than 11 h/day) had 8.5% (95% CI: 3.56-13.6) longer telomeres at 4 years. Longitudinal analysis showed no significant association between sleep duration at 4 years and TL at 7-9 years. CONCLUSION Children who slept more hours per day had longer TL at 4 years independently of a wide range of confounder factors. Environmental conditions, such as sleep duration, might have a major impact on TL during the first years of life. IMPACT Telomere length was longer in children with longer sleep duration (>11 h/day) independently of a wide range of confounder factors at age 4 and remained consistent by sex. Sleep routines are encouraged to promote positive child development, like the number of hours of sleep duration. Considering the complex biology of telomere length, future studies still need to elucidate which biological pathways might explain the association between sleep duration and telomere length.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fanny Petermann-Rocha
- Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Diego Portales, Santiago, Chile.,Institute of Cardiovascular Medical Sciences and Institute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Desirée Valera-Gran
- Department of Surgery and Pathology, Miguel Hernandez University, 03550, Alicante, Spain. .,Grupo de Investigación en Terapia Ocupacional (InTeO), Miguel Hernández University, 03550, Alicante, Spain.
| | - Paula Fernández-Pires
- Department of Surgery and Pathology, Miguel Hernandez University, 03550, Alicante, Spain
| | - Dries S Martens
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Jordi Júlvez
- Institut d'Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili (IISPV), Hospital Universitari Sant Joan de Reus, Reus, Spain
| | - Cristina Rodríguez-Dehli
- Servicio de Pediatría, Hospital San Agustín, Heros Street, 4, 33410, Avilés, Asturias, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), Roma Avenue s/n, 33001, Oviedo, Spain
| | - Ainara Andiarena
- Health Research Institute BIODONOSTIA, Donostia-San Sebastian, Basque Country, Spain.,Faculty of Psychology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), San Sebastian, Basque Country, Spain
| | - Manuel Lozano
- Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Food Sciences, Toxicology and Forensic Medicine Department, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain.,Epidemiology and Environmental Health Joint Research Unit, FISABIO-Universitat Jaume I-Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain
| | - Ana Fernández-Somoano
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), Roma Avenue s/n, 33001, Oviedo, Spain.,Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.,Unidad de Epidemiología Molecular del Cáncer, Instituto Universitario de Oncología del Principado de Asturias (IUOPA)-Departamento de Medicina, Universidad de Oviedo, Julián Clavería Street, s/n 33006, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain
| | - Aitana Lertxundi
- Health Research Institute BIODONOSTIA, Donostia-San Sebastian, Basque Country, Spain.,Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.,Preventive Medicine and Public Health Department, University of Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Leioa, Basque Country, Spain
| | - Sabrina Llop
- Epidemiology and Environmental Health Joint Research Unit, FISABIO-Universitat Jaume I-Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain.,Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Mònica Guxens
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.,ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain.,Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Tim S Nawrot
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Eva-María Navarrete-Muñoz
- Department of Surgery and Pathology, Miguel Hernandez University, 03550, Alicante, Spain.,Grupo de Investigación en Terapia Ocupacional (InTeO), Miguel Hernández University, 03550, Alicante, Spain.,Department of Surgery and Pathology, Miguel Hernandez University, Alicante Institute for Health and Biomedical Research (ISABIAL), 03550, Alicante, Spain
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39
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Isaevska E, Fiano V, Asta F, Stafoggia M, Moirano G, Popovic M, Pizzi C, Trevisan M, De Marco L, Polidoro S, Gagliardi L, Rusconi F, Brescianini S, Nisticò L, Stazi MA, Ronfani L, Porta D, Richiardi L. Prenatal exposure to PM 10 and changes in DNA methylation and telomere length in cord blood. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 209:112717. [PMID: 35063426 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.112717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Air pollution exposure in pregnancy can cause molecular level alterations that might influence later disease susceptibility. OBJECTIVES We investigated DNA methylation (DNAm) and telomere length (TL) in the cord blood in relation to gestational PM10 exposure and explored potential gestational windows of susceptibility. METHODS Cord blood epigenome-wide DNAm (N = 384) and TL (N = 500) were measured in children of the Italian birth cohort Piccolipiù, using the Infinium Methylation EPIC BeadChip and qPCR, respectively. PM10 daily exposure levels, based on maternal residential address, were estimated for different gestational periods using models based on satellite data. Epigenome-wide analysis to identify differentially methylated probes (DMPs) and regions (DMRs) was conducted, followed by a pathway analysis and replication analysis in an second Piccolipiù dataset. Distributed lag models (DLMs) using weekly exposures were used to study the association of PM10 exposure across pregnancy with telomere length, as well as with the DMPs that showed robust associations. RESULTS Gestational PM10 exposure was associated with the DNA methylation of more than 250 unique DMPs, most of them identified in early gestation, and 1 DMR. Out of 151 DMPs available in the replication dataset, ten DMPs showed robust associations: eight were associated with exposure during early gestation and 2 with exposure during the whole pregnancy. These exposure windows were supported by the DLM analysis. The PM10 exposure between 15th and 20th gestational week seem to be associated with shorter telomeres at birth, while exposure between 24th and 29th was associated with longer telomeres. DISCUSSION The early pregnancy period is a potential critical window during which PM10 exposure can influence cord blood DNA methylation. The results from the TL analysis were consistent with previous findings and merit further exploration in future studies. The study underlines the importance of considering gestational windows outside of the predefined trimesters that may not always overlap with biologically relevant windows of exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Isaevska
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, CPO-Piemonte, Turin, Italy.
| | - Valentina Fiano
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, CPO-Piemonte, Turin, Italy.
| | - Federica Asta
- Department of Epidemiology, Lazio Regional Health Service, ASL Roma 1, Rome, Italy.
| | - Massimo Stafoggia
- Department of Epidemiology, Lazio Regional Health Service, ASL Roma 1, Rome, Italy.
| | - Giovenale Moirano
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, CPO-Piemonte, Turin, Italy.
| | - Maja Popovic
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, CPO-Piemonte, Turin, Italy.
| | - Costanza Pizzi
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, CPO-Piemonte, Turin, Italy.
| | - Morena Trevisan
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, CPO-Piemonte, Turin, Italy.
| | - Laura De Marco
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, CPO-Piemonte, Turin, Italy.
| | - Silvia Polidoro
- Italian Institute for Genomic Medicine (IIGM), Candiolo, Italy; 5MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College, London, UK.
| | - Luigi Gagliardi
- Division of Neonatology and Pediatrics, Ospedale Versilia, Viareggio, AUSL Toscana Nord Ovest, Pisa, Italy.
| | - Franca Rusconi
- Unit of Epidemiology, Meyer Children's University Hospital, Florence, Italy; Department of Mother and Child Health, Azienda USL Toscana Nord Ovest, Pisa, Italy.
| | - Sonia Brescianini
- Center for Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
| | - Lorenza Nisticò
- Center for Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
| | - Maria Antonietta Stazi
- Center for Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
| | - Luca Ronfani
- Clinical Epidemiology and Public Health Research Unit, Institute for Maternal and Child Health - IRCCS "Burlo Garofolo", Trieste, Italy.
| | - Daniela Porta
- Department of Epidemiology, Lazio Regional Health Service, ASL Roma 1, Rome, Italy.
| | - Lorenzo Richiardi
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, CPO-Piemonte, Turin, Italy.
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Aviv A. The telomere tumult: meaning and metrics in population studies. THE LANCET. HEALTHY LONGEVITY 2022; 3:e308-e309. [PMID: 35910300 PMCID: PMC9337717 DOI: 10.1016/s2666-7568(22)00094-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Abraham Aviv
- The Center of Human Development and Aging, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07103, USA
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41
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Howell MP, Jones CW, Herman CA, Mayne CV, Fernandez C, Theall KP, Esteves KC, Drury SS. Impact of prenatal tobacco smoking on infant telomere length trajectory and ADHD symptoms at 18 months: a longitudinal cohort study. BMC Med 2022; 20:153. [PMID: 35477473 PMCID: PMC9047258 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-022-02340-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prenatal maternal tobacco smoking is a predictor of child attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and is associated with offspring telomere length (TL). In this study, we examine the relationship between maternal prenatal smoking, infant TL, and maternal report of early childhood symptoms of ADHD. METHODS One-hundred and eighty-one mother-infant dyads were followed prospectively for the infant's first 18 months of life. Prenatal smoking was assessed from maternal report and medical records. TL was measured from infant buccal swab DNA obtained across the first 18 months of life. ADHD symptoms were obtained from maternal report on the Child Behavior Check List. Multiple regression models tested the relation between prenatal smoking and both ADHD symptoms and infant TL. Additional analyses tested whether the change in infant TL influenced the relation between prenatal smoking and ADHD symptoms. RESULTS Sixteen percent of mothers reported prenatal smoking. Infant TL at 4, 12, and 18 months of age were correlated. Consistent with previous cross-sectional studies linking shorter offspring TL to maternal prenatal smoking, maternal prenatal smoking predicted greater telomere shortening from four to 18 months of infant age (β = - 5.797, 95% CI [-10.207, -1.386]; p = 0.010). Maternal depression was positively associated with both prenatal smoking (odds ratio (OR): 4.614, 95% CI [1.733, 12.282]; p = 0.002) and child ADHD symptoms (β = 4.713, 95% CI [2.073, 7.354]; p = 0.0006). To prevent confounding, analyses examined the relation between TL, ADHD symptoms, and prenatal smoking only in non-depressed mothers. In non-depressed mothers, infant TL attrition across the first 18 months moderated the relation between smoking and child ADHD. CONCLUSIONS The findings extend previous studies linking prenatal smoking to shorter infant TL by providing data demonstrating the effect on TL trajectory. The relation between prenatal smoking and early infant ADHD symptoms was moderated by the change in TL. The findings provide novel initial evidence suggesting that TL dynamics are one mechanistic pathway influencing the relation between maternal prenatal smoking and ADHD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghan P Howell
- Department of Pediatrics, Tulane University School of Medicine, 1430 Tulane Avenue, #8526, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70112, USA
| | - Christopher W Jones
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Cade A Herman
- Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Celia V Mayne
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Tulane University School of Medicine, 1430 Tulane Avenue, #8526, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70112, USA
| | - Camilo Fernandez
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Tulane University School of Medicine, 1430 Tulane Avenue, #8526, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70112, USA.,Department of Epidemiology, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Katherine P Theall
- Global Community Health and Behavioral Sciences, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1430 Tulane Avenue, #8526, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70112, USA
| | - Kyle C Esteves
- Clinical Neuroscience Research Center, Tulane University School of Medicine, 1430 Tulane Avenue, #8526, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70112, USA
| | - Stacy S Drury
- Department of Pediatrics, Tulane University School of Medicine, 1430 Tulane Avenue, #8526, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70112, USA. .,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Tulane University School of Medicine, 1430 Tulane Avenue, #8526, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70112, USA.
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Investigation of a UK biobank cohort reveals causal associations of self-reported walking pace with telomere length. Commun Biol 2022; 5:381. [PMID: 35444173 PMCID: PMC9021230 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03323-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Walking pace is a simple and functional form of movement and a strong predictor of health status, but the nature of its association with leucocyte telomere length (LTL) is unclear. Here we investigate whether walking pace is associated with LTL, which is causally associated with several chronic diseases and has been proposed as a marker of biological age. Analyses were conducted in 405,981 UK Biobank participants. We show that steady/average and brisk walkers had significantly longer LTL compared with slow walkers, with accelerometer-assessed measures of physical activity further supporting this through an association between LTL and habitual activity intensity, but not with total amount of activity. Bi-directional mendelian randomisation analyses suggest a causal link between walking pace and LTL, but not the other way around. A faster walking pace may be causally associated with longer LTL, which could help explain some of the beneficial effects of brisk walking on health status. Given its simple measurement and low heritability, self-reported walking pace may be a pragmatic target for interventions.
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Romero-Haro AÁ, Morger J, Haussmann MF, Tschirren B. Reproductive strategies affect telomere dynamics across the life course. Am Nat 2022; 200:373-382. [DOI: 10.1086/720440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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44
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Anderson JJ, Susser E, Arbeev KG, Yashin AI, Levy D, Verhulst S, Aviv A. Telomere-length dependent T-cell clonal expansion: A model linking ageing to COVID-19 T-cell lymphopenia and mortality. EBioMedicine 2022; 78:103978. [PMID: 35367774 PMCID: PMC8970968 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2022.103978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Severe COVID-19 T-cell lymphopenia is more common among older adults and entails poor prognosis. Offsetting the decline in T-cell count during COVID-19 demands fast and massive T-cell clonal expansion, which is telomere length (TL)-dependent. METHODS We developed a model of TL-dependent T-cell clonal expansion capacity with age and virtually examined the relation of T-cell clonal expansion with COVID-19 mortality in the general population. FINDINGS The model shows that an individual with average hematopoietic cell TL (HCTL) at age twenty years maintains maximal T-cell clonal expansion capacity until the 6th decade of life when this capacity rapidly declines by more than 90% over the next ten years. The collapse in the T-cell clonal expansion capacity coincides with the steep increase in COVID-19 mortality with age. INTERPRETATION Short HCTL might increase vulnerability of many older adults, and some younger individuals with inherently short HCTL, to COVID-19 T-cell lymphopenia and severe disease. FUNDING A full list of funding bodies that contributed to this study can be found in the Acknowledgements section.
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Affiliation(s)
- James J. Anderson
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA,Corresponding author.
| | - Ezra Susser
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA,New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Konstantin G. Arbeev
- Biodemography of Aging Research Unit, Social Science Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27705, USA
| | - Anatoliy I. Yashin
- Biodemography of Aging Research Unit, Social Science Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27705, USA
| | - Daniel Levy
- Population Sciences Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 27705, USA,The Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, MA 01702, USA
| | - Simon Verhulst
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherland
| | - Abraham Aviv
- The Center of Human Development and Aging, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07103, USA
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45
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Raftopoulou C, Paltoglou G, Charmandari E. Association between Telomere Length and Pediatric Obesity: A Systematic Review. Nutrients 2022; 14:nu14061244. [PMID: 35334902 PMCID: PMC8949519 DOI: 10.3390/nu14061244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: Telomere length (TL) is a robust marker of biological aging, and increased telomere attrition is noted in adults with obesity. The primary objective of this systematic review was to summarize current knowledge on the effects of childhood obesity in TL. The secondary objective was to assess the effect of weight management interventions in TL. Methods: The following databases were searched: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Heal-link.gr from inception to September 2021. The search was performed using the following combinations of terms: “telomer*” [All Fields] AND (“length” [All Fields] OR “lengths” [All Fields]) AND “obes*” [All Fields] AND (“child*” [All Fields] OR “adolescen*” [All Fields]). Results: A total of 16 original articles were included in this systematic review. Eleven of them were cross-sectional and five were lifestyle interventions. Conclusions: There was a tendency towards a negative association between childhood obesity and TL. Life-style interventions in children have been associated with increased TL peripherally, indicating a possible association of the redistribution of younger cells in the periphery with the favorable effect of these interventions. Further prospective studies with larger sample sizes that employ other markers of cell aging would potentially elucidate this important mechanistic relation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Raftopoulou
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Center of Clinical, Experimental Surgery and Translational Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece;
| | - George Paltoglou
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, First Department of Pediatrics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, Aghia Sophia Children’s Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece;
| | - Evangelia Charmandari
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Center of Clinical, Experimental Surgery and Translational Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece;
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, First Department of Pediatrics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, Aghia Sophia Children’s Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece;
- Correspondence: ; Tel./Fax: +30-213-2013-384
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Amin V, Fletcher JM, Sun Z, Lu Q. Higher educational attainment is associated with longer telomeres in midlife: Evidence from sibling comparisons in the UK Biobank. SSM Popul Health 2022; 17:101018. [PMID: 35024423 PMCID: PMC8728101 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2021.101018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Revised: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Prior studies have established that higher educational attainment is associated with a longer telomere length (TL), a marker of cellular aging. However, it is unclear whether extant associations are causal, since they are likely confounded by unobserved genetic, early-life and family background factors that are correlated with education and TL. We leverage sibling differences in TL, education and measured genetics (polygenic scores for educational attainment and TL) to estimate associations between educational attainment and TL in midlife for European ancestry individuals in the UK Biobank, while controlling for unobserved confounders shared by siblings. After controlling for genetics and shared background between siblings, we find suggestive evidence that high school graduates have longer telomeres than high school dropouts, but we find no differences in TL between high school dropouts and college graduates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vikesh Amin
- Central Michigan University, Mt Pleasant, MI, 48859, United States
| | | | | | - Qiongshi Lu
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, United States
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47
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Semeraro MD, Almer G, Renner W, Gruber HJ, Herrmann M. Telomere length in leucocytes and solid tissues of young and aged rats. Aging (Albany NY) 2022; 14:1713-1728. [PMID: 35220278 PMCID: PMC8908913 DOI: 10.18632/aging.203922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Background: Telomeres are protective nucleoprotein structures at the end of chromosomes that shorten with age. Telomere length (TL) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) has been proposed as surrogate marker for TL in the entire organism. Solid evidence that supports this concept is lacking. Methods: Relative TL (RTL) was measured in PBMCS and multiple solid tissues from 24 young (4 months) and 24 aged (14 months) Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. The mRNA expression of telomerase (TERT) and shelterin proteins TERF-1 and TERF-2 was also measured. Results: Mean RTL in PBMCs and solid tissues of young rats ranged from 0.64 ± 0.26 in large intestine to 1.07 ± 0.22 in skeletal muscle. RTL in PBMCs correlated with that in kidney (r = 0.315, p = 0.008), skeletal muscle (r = 0.276, p = 0.022), liver (r = 0.269, p = 0.033), large intestine (r = −0.463, p = 7.035E-5) and aorta (r = −0.273, p = 0.028). A significant difference of RTL between young and aged animals was only observed in aorta (0.98 ± 0.15 vs. 0.76 ± 0.11, p = 1.987E-6), lung (0.76 ± 0.14 vs. 0.85 ± 0.14, p = 0.024) and visceral fat (0.83 ± 0.14 vs. 0.92 ± 0.15, p = 0.44). The expression of TERT significantly differed between the tested organs with highest levels in liver and kidney. Age-related differences in TERT expression were found in PBMCs, skeletal muscle, and visceral fat. mRNA expression of TERF-1 and TERF-2 was tissue-specific with the highest levels in liver. Age-related differences in TERF-1 and TERF-2 expression were inconsistent. Conclusions: The present study questions the utility of RTL in PBMCs as a biomarker for the individual assessment of aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Donatella Semeraro
- Clinical Institute of Medical and Chemical Laboratory Diagnostics (CIMCL), Medical University of Graz, Graz 8036, Austria
| | - Gunter Almer
- Clinical Institute of Medical and Chemical Laboratory Diagnostics (CIMCL), Medical University of Graz, Graz 8036, Austria
| | - Wilfried Renner
- Clinical Institute of Medical and Chemical Laboratory Diagnostics (CIMCL), Medical University of Graz, Graz 8036, Austria
| | - Hans-Jürgen Gruber
- Clinical Institute of Medical and Chemical Laboratory Diagnostics (CIMCL), Medical University of Graz, Graz 8036, Austria
| | - Markus Herrmann
- Clinical Institute of Medical and Chemical Laboratory Diagnostics (CIMCL), Medical University of Graz, Graz 8036, Austria
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48
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Codd V, Denniff M, Swinfield C, Warner SC, Papakonstantinou M, Sheth S, Nanus DE, Budgeon CA, Musicha C, Bountziouka V, Wang Q, Bramley R, Allara E, Kaptoge S, Stoma S, Jiang T, Butterworth AS, Wood AM, Di Angelantonio E, Thompson JR, Danesh JN, Nelson CP, Samani NJ. Measurement and initial characterization of leukocyte telomere length in 474,074 participants in UK Biobank. NATURE AGING 2022; 2:170-179. [PMID: 37117760 DOI: 10.1038/s43587-021-00166-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 42.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 04/30/2023]
Abstract
Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is a proposed marker of biological age. Here we report the measurement and initial characterization of LTL in 474,074 participants in UK Biobank. We confirm that older age and male sex associate with shorter LTL, with women on average ~7 years younger in 'biological age' than men. Compared to white Europeans, LTL is markedly longer in African and Chinese ancestries. Older paternal age at birth is associated with longer individual LTL. Higher white cell count is associated with shorter LTL, but proportions of white cell subtypes show weaker associations. Age, ethnicity, sex and white cell count explain ~5.5% of LTL variance. Using paired samples from 1,351 participants taken ~5 years apart, we estimate the within-individual variability in LTL and provide a correction factor for this. This resource provides opportunities to investigate determinants and biomedical consequences of variation in LTL.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Codd
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
- NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, UK.
| | - M Denniff
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - C Swinfield
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - S C Warner
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - M Papakonstantinou
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - S Sheth
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - D E Nanus
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - C A Budgeon
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
- NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, UK
- School of Population and Global Health, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - C Musicha
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
- NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, UK
| | - V Bountziouka
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
- NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, UK
| | - Q Wang
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
- NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, UK
| | - R Bramley
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
- NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, UK
| | - E Allara
- British Heart Foundation Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- National Institute for Health Research Blood and Transplant Research Unit in Donor Health and Genomics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - S Kaptoge
- British Heart Foundation Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- National Institute for Health Research Blood and Transplant Research Unit in Donor Health and Genomics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- British Heart Foundation Centre of Research Excellence, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - S Stoma
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - T Jiang
- British Heart Foundation Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - A S Butterworth
- British Heart Foundation Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- National Institute for Health Research Blood and Transplant Research Unit in Donor Health and Genomics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- British Heart Foundation Centre of Research Excellence, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Health Data Research UK Cambridge, Wellcome Genome Campus and University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - A M Wood
- British Heart Foundation Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- National Institute for Health Research Blood and Transplant Research Unit in Donor Health and Genomics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- British Heart Foundation Centre of Research Excellence, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Health Data Research UK Cambridge, Wellcome Genome Campus and University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Medical Research Council Biostatistics Unit, Cambridge Institute of Public Health, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- The Alan Turing Institute, London, UK
| | - E Di Angelantonio
- British Heart Foundation Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- National Institute for Health Research Blood and Transplant Research Unit in Donor Health and Genomics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- British Heart Foundation Centre of Research Excellence, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Health Data Research UK Cambridge, Wellcome Genome Campus and University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Health Data Science Centre, Human Technopole, Milan, Italy
| | - J R Thompson
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - J N Danesh
- British Heart Foundation Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- National Institute for Health Research Blood and Transplant Research Unit in Donor Health and Genomics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- British Heart Foundation Centre of Research Excellence, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Health Data Research UK Cambridge, Wellcome Genome Campus and University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Human Genetics, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - C P Nelson
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
- NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, UK
| | - N J Samani
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
- NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, UK.
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Hastings WJ, Etzel L, Heim CM, Noll JG, Rose EJ, Schreier HMC, Shenk CE, Tang X, Shalev I. Comparing qPCR and DNA methylation-based measurements of telomere length in a high-risk pediatric cohort. Aging (Albany NY) 2022; 14:660-677. [PMID: 35077392 PMCID: PMC8833135 DOI: 10.18632/aging.203849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Various approaches exist to assess population differences in biological aging. Telomere length (TL) is one such measure, and is associated with disease, disability and early mortality. Yet, issues surrounding precision and reproducibility are a concern for TL measurement. An alternative method to estimate TL using DNA methylation (DNAmTL) was recently developed. Although DNAmTL has been characterized in adult and elderly cohorts, its utility in pediatric populations remains unknown. We examined the comparability of leukocyte TL measurements generated using qPCR (absolute TL; aTL) to those estimated using DNAmTL in a high-risk pediatric cohort (N = 269; age: 8–13 years, 83% investigated for maltreatment). aTL and DNAmTL measurements were correlated with one another (r = 0.20, p = 0.001), but exhibited poor measurement agreement and were significantly different in paired-sample t-tests (Cohen’s d = 0.77, p < 0.001). Shorter DNAmTL was associated with older age (r = −0.25, p < 0.001), male sex (β = −0.27, p = 0.029), and White race (β = −0.74, p = 0.008). By contrast, aTL was less strongly associated with age (r = −0.13, p = 0.040), was longer in males (β = 0.31, p = 0.012), and was not associated with race (p = 0.820). These findings highlight strengths and limitations of high-throughput measures of TL; although DNAmTL replicated hypothesized associations, aTL measurements were positively skewed and did not replicate associations with external validity measures. These results also extend previous research in adults and suggest that DNAmTL is a sensitive TL measure for use in pediatric populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Waylon J Hastings
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Laura Etzel
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Christine M Heim
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.,Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Medical Psychology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jennie G Noll
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Emma J Rose
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.,The Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Hannah M C Schreier
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Chad E Shenk
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, USA
| | - Xin Tang
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Idan Shalev
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
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Stout-Oswald SA, Glynn LM, Bisoffi M, Demers CH, Davis EP. Prenatal exposure to maternal psychological distress and telomere length in childhood. Dev Psychobiol 2022; 64:e22238. [PMID: 35050506 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Revised: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 11/07/2021] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
Telomere length (TL) is a biological marker of cellular aging, and shorter TL in adulthood is associated with increased morbidity and mortality risk. It is likely that these differences in TL are established long before adulthood, and there is growing evidence that TL can reflect prenatal experiences. Although maternal prenatal distress predicts newborn TL, it is unknown whether the relation between prenatal exposure to maternal distress and child TL persists through childhood. The purpose of the current longitudinal, prospective study is to examine the relation between prenatal exposure to maternal distress (perceived stress, depressive symptoms, pregnancy-related anxiety) and TL in childhood. Participants included 102 children (54 girls) and their mothers. Mothers' distress was assessed five times during pregnancy, at 12 weeks postpartum, and at the time of child telomere measurement between 6 and 16 years of age. Maternal distress during pregnancy predicted shorter offspring TL in childhood, even after accounting for postnatal exposure to maternal distress and other covariates. These findings indicate that maternal mental health predicts offspring TL biology later in childhood than previously observed. This study bolsters claims that telomere biology is subject to fetal programming and highlights the importance of supporting maternal mental health during pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Laura M Glynn
- Department of Psychology, Chapman University, Orange, California, USA
| | - Marco Bisoffi
- Department of Psychology, Chapman University, Orange, California, USA
- Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, California, USA
- School of Pharmacy, Chapman University, Orange, California, USA
| | - Catherine H Demers
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Elysia Poggi Davis
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
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