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Shorter Leukocyte Telomere Length Is Associated with Worse Survival of Patients with Bladder Cancer and Renal Cell Carcinoma. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13153774. [PMID: 34359672 PMCID: PMC8345040 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13153774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Revised: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Intrinsic telomere shortening promotes tumorigenesis in cells with impaired DNA damage repair mechanisms, as dysfunctional telomeres lead to chromosomal instability. More recent data show that the telomere length of peripheral blood leukocyte (PBL) cells can be a prognostic marker for survival of patients with solid tumors. However, reports on bladder cancer (BC) and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) are not consistent and partly contradictory. Our results show, first, that telomere length is shorter in patients with BC or RCC compared to patients without malignant disease. More importantly, the relative telomere length (RTL) of PBL cells is associated with survival of patients with BC and RCC. Thus, telomere length in PBL cells could be an auxiliary prognostic marker in BC and RCC. Abstract Background: Telomeres are protein–DNA complexes at the tips of linear chromosomes. They protect the DNA from end-to-end fusion and exonucleolytic degradation. Shortening of telomeric DNA during aging can generate dysfunctional telomeres, promoting tumorigenesis. More recent data indicate that both short and long telomeres of peripheral blood leukocyte (PBL) cells can serve as prognostic biomarkers for cancer risk and may be associated with survival of patients with solid cancers. Telomere length in PBL cells could also be a potential prognostic biomarker for survival in bladder cancer (BC) or renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Methods: The relative telomere length (RTL) of PBL cells was assessed in patients with BC (n = 144) and RCC (n = 144) by using qPCR. A control population of patients without malignant disease (NC, n = 73) was included for comparison. The correlation and association of RTL with histopathological parameters and overall survival (OS) were evaluated. Results: Patients with BC and RCC had significantly shorter telomeres compared to patients without malignant disease. Within the cancer cohorts, multivariate analysis revealed that short RTL is an independent predictor of worse survival in BC (p = 0.039) and RCC (p = 0.041). Conclusion: Patients with BC and RCC had significantly shorter telomeres compared to the normal population. Shorter RTL in BC and RCC was an independent predictor of reduced survival.
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Poljsak B, Dahmane R, Adamič M, Sotler R, Levec T, Pavan Jukić D, Rotim C, Jukić T, Starc A. THE (A)SYMMETRY OF THE MALE GRAYING BEARD HAIRS AS AN INDICATION OF THE PROGRAMMED AGING PROCESS. Acta Clin Croat 2020; 59:650-660. [PMID: 34456453 PMCID: PMC8253069 DOI: 10.20471/acc.2020.59.04.11] [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: 09/18/2018] [Accepted: 10/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Aging interventions will be ineffective if we do not understand the basic principles of aging. Currently, there is no consensus on the issue whether aging is programmed or not. The hypothesis presented in this article indicates that aging (at least graying of male hairs) is programmed. This hypothesis is supported by the symmetry of the graying of male beard hairs. According to stochastic theories of aging, aging is a passive non-programmed process where random dispersion of graying hairs should result. On the contrary, programmed theories of aging would predict that there should be symmetry on the left and right parts of the face showing the same proportion, pattern and time of appearance of graying hairs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Raja Dahmane
- 1Laboratory for Oxidative Stress Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia; 2Department of Biomedicine in Health Care Division, Faculty of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Anatomy, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia; 3Metka Adamič Dermatology Clinic, Ljubljana, Slovenia; 4Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Osijek, Croatia; 5Dr Andrija Štampar Teaching Institute of Public Health, Zagreb, Croatia; 6Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Family Medicine and History of Medicine, Osijek, Croatia
| | - Metka Adamič
- 1Laboratory for Oxidative Stress Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia; 2Department of Biomedicine in Health Care Division, Faculty of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Anatomy, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia; 3Metka Adamič Dermatology Clinic, Ljubljana, Slovenia; 4Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Osijek, Croatia; 5Dr Andrija Štampar Teaching Institute of Public Health, Zagreb, Croatia; 6Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Family Medicine and History of Medicine, Osijek, Croatia
| | - Robert Sotler
- 1Laboratory for Oxidative Stress Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia; 2Department of Biomedicine in Health Care Division, Faculty of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Anatomy, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia; 3Metka Adamič Dermatology Clinic, Ljubljana, Slovenia; 4Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Osijek, Croatia; 5Dr Andrija Štampar Teaching Institute of Public Health, Zagreb, Croatia; 6Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Family Medicine and History of Medicine, Osijek, Croatia
| | - Tina Levec
- 1Laboratory for Oxidative Stress Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia; 2Department of Biomedicine in Health Care Division, Faculty of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Anatomy, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia; 3Metka Adamič Dermatology Clinic, Ljubljana, Slovenia; 4Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Osijek, Croatia; 5Dr Andrija Štampar Teaching Institute of Public Health, Zagreb, Croatia; 6Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Family Medicine and History of Medicine, Osijek, Croatia
| | - Doroteja Pavan Jukić
- 1Laboratory for Oxidative Stress Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia; 2Department of Biomedicine in Health Care Division, Faculty of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Anatomy, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia; 3Metka Adamič Dermatology Clinic, Ljubljana, Slovenia; 4Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Osijek, Croatia; 5Dr Andrija Štampar Teaching Institute of Public Health, Zagreb, Croatia; 6Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Family Medicine and History of Medicine, Osijek, Croatia
| | - Cecilija Rotim
- 1Laboratory for Oxidative Stress Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia; 2Department of Biomedicine in Health Care Division, Faculty of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Anatomy, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia; 3Metka Adamič Dermatology Clinic, Ljubljana, Slovenia; 4Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Osijek, Croatia; 5Dr Andrija Štampar Teaching Institute of Public Health, Zagreb, Croatia; 6Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Family Medicine and History of Medicine, Osijek, Croatia
| | - Tomislav Jukić
- 1Laboratory for Oxidative Stress Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia; 2Department of Biomedicine in Health Care Division, Faculty of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Anatomy, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia; 3Metka Adamič Dermatology Clinic, Ljubljana, Slovenia; 4Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Osijek, Croatia; 5Dr Andrija Štampar Teaching Institute of Public Health, Zagreb, Croatia; 6Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Family Medicine and History of Medicine, Osijek, Croatia
| | - Andrej Starc
- 1Laboratory for Oxidative Stress Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia; 2Department of Biomedicine in Health Care Division, Faculty of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Anatomy, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia; 3Metka Adamič Dermatology Clinic, Ljubljana, Slovenia; 4Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Osijek, Croatia; 5Dr Andrija Štampar Teaching Institute of Public Health, Zagreb, Croatia; 6Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Family Medicine and History of Medicine, Osijek, Croatia
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Dodig S, Čepelak I, Pavić I. Hallmarks of senescence and aging. Biochem Med (Zagreb) 2019; 29:030501. [PMID: 31379458 PMCID: PMC6610675 DOI: 10.11613/bm.2019.030501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 152] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 06/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The complex process of biological aging, as an intrinsic feature of living beings, is the result of genetic and, to a greater extent, environmental factors and time. For many of the changes taking place in the body during aging, three factors are important: inflammation, immune aging and senescence (cellular aging, biological aging). Senescence is an irreversible form of long-term cell-cycle arrest, caused by excessive intracellular or extracellular stress or damage. The purpose of this cell-cycles arrest is to limit the proliferation of damaged cells, to eliminate accumulated harmful factors and to disable potential malignant cell transformation. As the biological age does not have to be in accordance with the chronological age, it is important to find specific hallmarks and biomarkers that could objectively determine the rate of age of a person. These biomarkers might be a valuable measure of physiological, i.e. biological age. Biomarkers should meet several criteria. For example, they have to predict the rate of aging, monitor a basic process that underlies the aging process, be able to be tested repeatedly without harming the person. In addition, biomarkers have to be indicators of biological processes, pathogenic processes or pharmacological responses to therapeutic intervention. It is considered that the telomere length is the weak biomarker (with poor predictive accuracy), and there is currently no reliable biomarker that meets all the necessary criteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Slavica Dodig
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Hematology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Ivana Čepelak
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Hematology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Ivan Pavić
- Department of Pulmonology, Allergology and Immunology, Children’s Hospital Zagreb; School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
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Delgado DA, Zhang C, Gleason K, Demanelis K, Chen LS, Gao J, Roy S, Shinkle J, Sabarinathan M, Argos M, Tong L, Ahmed A, Islam T, Rakibuz-Zaman M, Sarwar G, Shahriar H, Rahman M, Yunus M, Doherty JA, Jasmine F, Kibriya MG, Ahsan H, Pierce BL. The contribution of parent-to-offspring transmission of telomeres to the heritability of telomere length in humans. Hum Genet 2018; 138:49-60. [PMID: 30536049 DOI: 10.1007/s00439-018-1964-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2018] [Accepted: 11/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is a heritable trait with two potential sources of heritability (h2): inherited variation in non-telomeric regions (e.g., SNPs that influence telomere maintenance) and variability in the lengths of telomeres in gametes that produce offspring zygotes (i.e., "direct" inheritance). Prior studies of LTL h2 have not attempted to disentangle these two sources. Here, we use a novel approach for detecting the direct inheritance of telomeres by studying the association between identity-by-descent (IBD) sharing at chromosome ends and phenotypic similarity in LTL. We measured genome-wide SNPs and LTL for a sample of 5069 Bangladeshi adults with substantial relatedness. For each of the 6318 relative pairs identified, we used SNPs near the telomeres to estimate the number of chromosome ends shared IBD, a proxy for the number of telomeres shared IBD (Tshared). We then estimated the association between Tshared and the squared pairwise difference in LTL ((ΔLTL)2) within various classes of relatives (siblings, avuncular, cousins, and distant), adjusting for overall genetic relatedness (ϕ). The association between Tshared and (ΔLTL)2 was inverse among all relative pair types. In a meta-analysis including all relative pairs (ϕ > 0.05), the association between Tshared and (ΔLTL)2 (P = 0.01) was stronger than the association between ϕ and (ΔLTL)2 (P = 0.43). Our results provide strong evidence that telomere length (TL) in parental germ cells impacts TL in offspring cells and contributes to LTL h2 despite telomere "reprogramming" during embryonic development. Applying our method to larger studies will enable robust estimation of LTL h2 attributable to direct transmission of telomeres.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dayana A Delgado
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA
| | - Chenan Zhang
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA.,Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Kevin Gleason
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA
| | - Kathryn Demanelis
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA
| | - Lin S Chen
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA
| | - Jianjun Gao
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Shantanu Roy
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA.,Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases, Center for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA, 30333, USA
| | - Justin Shinkle
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA
| | - Mekala Sabarinathan
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA
| | - Maria Argos
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Lin Tong
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Muhammad Yunus
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Jennifer A Doherty
- Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
| | - Farzana Jasmine
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA
| | - Muhammad G Kibriya
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA
| | - Habibul Ahsan
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA.,Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA.,Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA.,Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA
| | - Brandon L Pierce
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA. .,Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA. .,Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA.
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5
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Delgado DA, Zhang C, Chen LS, Gao J, Roy S, Shinkle J, Sabarinathan M, Argos M, Tong L, Ahmed A, Islam T, Rakibuz-Zaman M, Sarwar G, Shahriar H, Rahman M, Yunus M, Jasmine F, Kibriya MG, Ahsan H, Pierce BL. Genome-wide association study of telomere length among South Asians identifies a second RTEL1 association signal. J Med Genet 2017; 55:64-71. [PMID: 29151059 PMCID: PMC5749304 DOI: 10.1136/jmedgenet-2017-104922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2017] [Revised: 09/13/2017] [Accepted: 09/26/2017] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Background Leucocyte telomere length (TL) is a potential biomarker of ageing and risk for age-related disease. Leucocyte TL is heritable and shows substantial differences by race/ethnicity. Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) report ~10 loci harbouring SNPs associated with leucocyte TL, but these studies focus primarily on populations of European ancestry. Objective This study aims to enhance our understanding of genetic determinants of TL across populations. Methods We performed a GWAS of TL using data on 5075 Bangladeshi adults. We measured TL using one of two technologies (qPCR or a Luminex-based method) and used standardised variables as TL phenotypes. Results Our results replicate previously reported associations in the TERC and TERT regions (P=2.2×10−8 and P=6.4×10−6, respectively). We observed a novel association signal in the RTEL1 gene (intronic SNP rs2297439; P=2.82×10−7) that is independent of previously reported TL-associated SNPs in this region. The minor allele for rs2297439 is common in South Asian populations (≥0.25) but at lower frequencies in other populations (eg, 0.07 in Northern Europeans). Among the eight other previously reported association signals, all were directionally consistent with our study, but only rs8105767 (ZNF208) was nominally significant (P=0.003). SNP-based heritability estimates were as high as 44% when analysing close relatives but much lower when analysing distant relatives only. Conclusions In this first GWAS of TL in a South Asian population, we replicate some, but not all, of the loci reported in prior GWAS of individuals of European ancestry, and we identify a novel second association signal at the RTEL1 locus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dayana A Delgado
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Chenan Zhang
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.,Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Lin S Chen
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Jianjun Gao
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Shantanu Roy
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.,Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases, Center for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Justin Shinkle
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Mekala Sabarinathan
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Maria Argos
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Lin Tong
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Mohammad Yunus
- Health Systems and Population Studies Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Farzana Jasmine
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Muhammad G Kibriya
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Habibul Ahsan
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.,Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.,Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.,Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Brandon L Pierce
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.,Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.,Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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Falandry C, Horard B, Bruyas A, Legouffe E, Cretin J, Meunier J, Alexandre J, Delecroix V, Fabbro M, Certain MN, Maraval-Gaget R, Pujade-Lauraine E, Gilson E, Freyer G. Telomere length is a prognostic biomarker in elderly advanced ovarian cancer patients: a multicenter GINECO study. Aging (Albany NY) 2016; 7:1066-76. [PMID: 26638179 PMCID: PMC4712332 DOI: 10.18632/aging.100840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Purpose Age induces a progressive decline in functional reserve and impacts cancer treatments. Telomere attrition leads to tissue senescence. We tested the hypothesis that telomere length (TL) could predict patient vulnerability and outcome with cancer treatment. Patients and methods An ancillary study in the Elderly Women GINECO Trial 3 was performed to evaluate the impact of geriatric covariates on survival in elderly advanced ovarian cancer patients receiving six cycles of carboplatin. TL was estimated from peripheral blood at inclusion using standard procedures. Results TL (in base pairs) was estimated for 109/111 patients (median 6.1 kb; range [4.5-8.3 kb]). With a cut-off of 5.77 kb, TL discriminated two patient groups, long telomere (LT) and short telomeres (ST), with significantly different treatment completion rates of 0.80 (95%CI [0.71-0.89]) and 0.59 (95%CI [0.41-0.76]), respectively (odds ratio [OR]=2.8, p=0.02). ST patients were at higher risk of serious adverse events (SAE, OR=2.7; p=0.02) and had more unplanned hospital admissions (OR=2.1; p=0.08). After adjustment on FIGO stage, TL shorter than 6 kb was a risk factor of premature death (HR=1.57; p=0.06). Conclusion This exploratory study identifies TL as predictive factor of decreased treatment completion, SAE risk, unplanned hospital admissions and OS after adjustment on FIGO stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Falandry
- Geriatrics and Oncology Unit, HCL Cancer Institute, LBMC, CarMEN Laboratory, Lyon 1 University, Lyon, France
| | - Béatrice Horard
- LBMC, ENS/Lyon, Lyon 1 University,CGphiMC Lyon 1 University, Lyon, France
| | - Amandine Bruyas
- Oncology Unit, Lyon Sud University Hospital, Lyon University, Pierre-Bénite, France
| | - Eric Legouffe
- Clinique Valdegour, Department of Medical Oncology, Nîmes, France
| | - Jacques Cretin
- Clinique Bonnefon, Oncology and Radiotherapy Department, Alès, France
| | - Jérôme Meunier
- Centre Hospitalier Régional d'Orléans, Department of Medical Oncology, Orléans, France
| | - Jérôme Alexandre
- Paris Descartes University, AP-HP, Hôpitaux Universitaires Paris Centre, Site Hôtel Dieu, Paris, France
| | - Valérie Delecroix
- Clinique Mutualiste de l'Estuaire, Cité Sanitaire, Department of Medical Oncology, Saint-Nazaire, France
| | - Michel Fabbro
- Institut du Cancer Montpellier, Medical Oncology, Montpellier, France
| | | | | | - Eric Pujade-Lauraine
- Paris Descartes University, AP-HP, Hôpitaux Universitaires Paris Centre, Site Hôtel Dieu, Paris, France
| | - Eric Gilson
- LBMC, Lyon 1 University, IRCAN, CNRS UMR 7284, INSERM U1081, Nice Sophia-Antipolis University; CHU of Nice, Nice, France
| | - Gilles Freyer
- HCL Cancer Institute, Department of Medical Oncology, Lyon 1 University, Lyon, France
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Melicher D, Buzas EI, Falus A. Genetic and epigenetic trends in telomere research: a novel way in immunoepigenetics. Cell Mol Life Sci 2015; 72:4095-109. [PMID: 26190020 PMCID: PMC11113282 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-015-1991-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2015] [Revised: 06/25/2015] [Accepted: 07/10/2015] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Telomeres are protective heterochromatic structures that cap the end of linear chromosomes and play a key role in preserving genomic stability. Telomere length represents a balance between processes that shorten telomeres during cell divisions with incomplete DNA replication and the ones that lengthen telomeres by the action of telomerase, an RNA-protein complex with reverse transcriptase activity which adds telomeric repeats to DNA molecule ends. Telomerase activity and telomere length have a crucial role in cellular ageing and in the pathobiology of several human diseases attracting intense research. The last few decades have witnessed remarkable advances in our understanding about telomeres, telomere-associated proteins, and the biogenesis and regulation of the telomerase holoenzyme complex, as well as about telomerase activation and the telomere-independent functions of telomerase. Emerging data have revealed that telomere length can be modified by genetic and epigenetic factors, sex hormones, reactive oxygen species and inflammatory reactions. It has become clear that, in order to find out more about the factors influencing the rate of telomere attrition in vivo, it is crucial to explore both genetic and epigenetic mechanisms. Since the telomere/telomerase assembly is under the control of multiple epigenetic influences, the unique design of twin studies could help disentangle genetic and environmental factors in the functioning of the telomere/telomerase system. It is surprising that the literature on twin studies investigating this topic is rather scarce. This review aims to provide an overview of some important immune response- and epigenetics-related aspects of the telomere/telomerase system demanding more research, while presenting the available twin data published in connection with telomere research so far. By emphasising what we know and what we still do not know in these areas, another purpose of this review is to urge more twin studies in telomere research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dora Melicher
- Department of Genetics, Cell and Immunobiology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Edit I Buzas
- Department of Genetics, Cell and Immunobiology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Andras Falus
- Department of Genetics, Cell and Immunobiology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
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Honig LS, Kang MS, Cheng R, Eckfeldt JH, Thyagarajan B, Leiendecker-Foster C, Province MA, Sanders JL, Perls T, Christensen K, Lee JH, Mayeux R, Schupf N. Heritability of telomere length in a study of long-lived families. Neurobiol Aging 2015; 36:2785-90. [PMID: 26239175 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2015.06.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2013] [Revised: 06/08/2015] [Accepted: 06/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Chromosomal telomere length shortens with repeated cell divisions. Human leukocyte DNA telomere length (LTL) has been shown to shorten during aging. LTL shortening has correlated with decreased longevity, dementia, and other age-associated processes. Because LTL varies widely between individuals in a given age group, it has been hypothesized to be a marker of biological aging. However, the principal basis for the variation of human LTL has not been established, although various studies have reported heritability. Here, we use a family-based study of longevity to study heritability of LTL in 3037 individuals. We show that LTL is shorter in older individuals, and in males, and has a high heritability (overall h(2) = 0.54). In the offspring generation, who are in middle-life, we find an ordinal relationship: persons more-closely-related to elderly probands have longer LTL than persons less-closely-related, who nonetheless have longer LTL than unrelated spouses of the offspring generation. These results support a prominent genetic underpinning of LTL. Elucidation of such genetic bases may provide avenues for intervening in the aging process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lawrence S Honig
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA; Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA; Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Min Suk Kang
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Rong Cheng
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - John H Eckfeldt
- Department Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Bharat Thyagarajan
- Department Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | | | - Michael A Province
- Division of Statistical Genomics, Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Jason L Sanders
- Department of Epidemiology, Center for Aging and Population Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Thomas Perls
- Section of Geriatrics, Department of Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kaare Christensen
- The Danish Aging Research Center, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Joseph H Lee
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA; Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Richard Mayeux
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA; Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA; Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Nicole Schupf
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA; Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
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9
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Telomere length is a marker of cellular aging that varies with the individual, is inherited, and is highly correlated across somatic cell types within persons. Interindividual variability of telomere length may partly explain differences in reproductive aging rates. We examined whether leukocyte telomere length was associated with menopausal age. METHODS We evaluated the relationship between leukocyte telomere length and age at natural menopause in 486 white women ≥65 years of age. We fit linear regression models adjusted for age, income, education, body mass index, physical activity, smoking, and alcohol intake. We repeated the analysis in women with surgical menopause. We also performed sensitivity analyses excluding women (1) with unilateral oophorectomy, (2) who were nulliparous, or (3) reporting menopausal age <40 years, among other exclusions. RESULTS For every 1-kb increase in leukocyte telomere length, average age at natural menopause increased by 10.2 months (95% confidence interval = 1.3 to 19.0). There was no association among 179 women reporting surgical menopause. In all but one sensitivity analysis, the association between leukocyte telomere length and age at menopause became stronger. However, when excluding women with menopausal age <40 years, the association decreased to 7.5 months (-0.4 to 15.5). CONCLUSIONS Women with the longest leukocyte telomere length underwent menopause 3 years later than those with the shortest leukocyte telomere length. If an artifact, an association would likely also have been observed in women with surgical menopause. If these results are replicated, leukocyte telomere length may prove to be a useful predictor of age at menopause.
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10
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Bendix L, Gade MM, Staun PW, Kimura M, Jeune B, Hjelmborg JVB, Aviv A, Christensen K. Leukocyte telomere length and physical ability among Danish twins age 70+. Mech Ageing Dev 2011; 132:568-72. [PMID: 22019938 DOI: 10.1016/j.mad.2011.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2011] [Revised: 09/26/2011] [Accepted: 10/07/2011] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) shortens with age and is potentially a biomarker of human aging. We examined the relation of LTL with physical ability and cognitive function in 548 same-sex twins from the Longitudinal Study of Aging Danish Twins. LTL was measured by Southern blots of the terminal restriction fragments (TRF). Physical ability was evaluated using a self reported scale of 11 questions, while cognitive function was scored by MMSE and a cognitive composite score sensitive to age-related decline. A random intercept model revealed a positive, significant association between LTL and physical ability. For every unit increase in physical ability score, LTL increased by 0.066 kb (p = 0.01), equal to approximately three years of age-dependent LTL shortening. A matched case-co-twin design showed that the group consisting of the twins from each pair with the longer LTL also displayed better physical ability (p < 0.01). Moreover, the intra-pair difference in LTL was associated with intra-pair difference in physical ability (p < 0.01), confirming the association. However, we found no association between cognitive function and LTL. The LTL-physical ability association in the elderly provides further support to the premise that LTL is an index of somatic fitness in the narrow context of human physical health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laila Bendix
- Danish Aging Research Center, University of Southern Denmark, JB Winslowsvej 9B, DK-5000 Odense C, Denmark.
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