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Kowalski EN, Qian G, Vanni KMM, Sparks JA. A Roadmap for Investigating Preclinical Autoimmunity Using Patient-Oriented and Epidemiologic Study Designs: Example of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Front Immunol 2022; 13:890996. [PMID: 35693829 PMCID: PMC9175569 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.890996] [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: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background & Aims Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a prototypic autoimmune disease causing inflammatory polyarthritis that affects nearly 1% of the population. RA can lead to joint destruction and disability along with increased morbidity and mortality. Similar to other autoimmune diseases, RA has distinct preclinical phases corresponding to genetic risk, lifestyle risk factors, autoantibody development, and non-specific symptoms prior to clinical diagnosis. This narrative review will detail observational studies for RA risk and clinical trials for RA prevention as a roadmap to investigating preclinical autoimmunity that could be applied to other diseases. Methods In this narrative review, we summarized previous and ongoing research studies investigating RA risk and prevention, categorizing them related to their design and preclinical phases. Results We detailed the following types of studies investigating RA risk and prevention: retrospective population-based and administrative datasets; prospective studies (case-control and cohort; some enrolling based on genetics, first-degree relative status, elevated biomarkers, or early symptoms/arthritis); and randomized clinical trials. These correspond to all preclinical RA phases (genetic, lifestyle, autoimmunity, early signs/symptoms). Previous and ongoing randomized controlled trials have enrolled individuals at very elevated risk for RA based on biomarkers, symptoms, imaging abnormalities, or early signs/symptoms. Conclusion We detailed the rich variety of study designs that is necessary to investigate distinct preclinical phases of an autoimmune disease such as RA. However, further progress is needed to fully elucidate the pathogenesis of RA that may ultimately lead to prevention or delay of disease onset.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily N Kowalski
- Division of Rheumatology, Inflammation, and Immunity, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Grace Qian
- Division of Rheumatology, Inflammation, and Immunity, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Kathleen M M Vanni
- Division of Rheumatology, Inflammation, and Immunity, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Jeffrey A Sparks
- Division of Rheumatology, Inflammation, and Immunity, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.,Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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Schneider CV, Schneider KM, Teumer A, Rudolph KL, Hartmann D, Rader DJ, Strnad P. Association of Telomere Length With Risk of Disease and Mortality. JAMA Intern Med 2022; 182:291-300. [PMID: 35040871 PMCID: PMC8767489 DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2021.7804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Telomeres protect DNA from damage. Because they shorten with each mitotic cycle, leukocyte telomere length (LTL) serves as a mitotic clock. Reduced LTL has been associated with multiple human disorders. OBJECTIVE To determine the association between LTL and overall as well as disease-specific mortality and morbidity. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This multicenter, community-based cohort study conducted from March 2006 to December 2010 included longitudinal follow-up (mean [SD], 12 [2] years) for 472 432 English participants from the United Kingdom Biobank (UK Biobank) and analyzed morbidity and mortality. The data were analyzed in 2021. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Hazard ratios (HRs) and odds ratios for mortality and morbidity associated with a standard deviation change in LTL, adjusted for age, sex, body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared), and ethnicity. RESULTS This study included a total of 472 432 English participants, of whom 54% were women (mean age, 57 years). Reduced LTL was associated with increased overall (HR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.07-1.09), cardiovascular (HR, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.06-1.12), respiratory (HR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.34-1.45), digestive (HR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.19-1.33), musculoskeletal (HR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.35-1.92), and COVID-19 (HR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.07-1.23) mortality, but not cancer-related mortality. A total of 214 disorders were significantly overrepresented and 37 underrepresented in participants with shorter LTL. Respiratory (11%), digestive/liver-related (14%), circulatory (18%), and musculoskeletal conditions (6%), together with infections (5%), accounted for most positive associations, whereas (benign) neoplasms and endocrinologic/metabolic disorders were the most underrepresented entities. Malignant tumors, esophageal cancer, and lymphoid and myeloid leukemia were significantly more common in participants with shorter LTL, whereas brain cancer and melanoma were less prevalent. While smoking and alcohol consumption were associated with shorter LTL, additional adjustment for both factors, as well as cognitive function/major comorbid conditions, did not significantly alter the results. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This cohort study found that shorter LTL was associated with a small risk increase of overall mortality, but a higher risk of mortality was associated with specific organs and diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolin V Schneider
- The Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
| | - Kai Markus Schneider
- Perelman School of Medicine, Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
| | - Alexander Teumer
- Institute for Community Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.,German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), partner site Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.,Department of Population Medicine and Lifestyle Diseases Prevention, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland
| | | | - Daniel Hartmann
- Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Daniel J Rader
- The Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
| | - Pavel Strnad
- Medical Clinic III, Gastroenterology, Metabolic diseases and Intensive Care, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
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Natalini JG, George MD, Kawut SM, Johnson CR. Association between antinuclear antibody seropositivity and telomere length: a nationwide population-based study. Clin Exp Rheumatol 2020; 38:989-992. [PMID: 32301432 PMCID: PMC7805007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Telomere shortening is a well-established marker of biological aging. Whether telomere erosion coincides with age-related increases in antinuclear antibody (ANA) seropositivity remains unknown. Our study aimed to determine the association between ANA seropositivity and shortened telomeres among 1999-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) subjects. METHODS We performed a cross-sectional analysis of 2,188 NHANES study participants with available ANA and telomere length data. ANA testing was performed using indirect immunofluorescence. Telomere lengths were measured via quantitative polymerase chain reaction methods. Applying appropriate sample weighting techniques, we used univariate and multivariate logistic regression methods to assess the association between shortened telomeres (i.e. lowest decile of the cohort) and ANA seropositivity. RESULTS ANAs were positive in 322 out of 2,188 (14.7%, 95% CI 13.3-16.3%) individuals. Subjects with shortened telomeres were more likely to be older (p<0.001), male (p=0.005), and have a cancer history (p<0.001). A higher proportion of non-Hispanic white participants (61.6% vs. 49.3%) and a lower proportion of non-Hispanic black participants (7.8% vs. 17.9%) had shortened telomeres (p<0.001). Shortened telomeres were not independently associated with ANA seropositivity (OR 1.48, 95% CI 0.87-2.52, p=0.14). However, female sex (OR 1.91, 95% CI 1.23-2.96, p=0.006), age ≥80 years (OR 2.06, 95% CI 1.08-3.92, p=0.03), and African American race (OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.00-2.51, p=0.05) were independent risk factors for ANA seropositivity. Neither sex nor race modified the relationship between ANA seropositivity and telomere length. CONCLUSIONS Telomere erosion does not appear to be responsible for age-related increases in the prevalence of ANA seropositivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jake G Natalini
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Michael D George
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Steven M Kawut
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Cheilonda R Johnson
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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Zeng Z, Zhang W, Qian Y, Huang H, Wu DJH, He Z, Ye D, Mao Y, Wen C. Association of telomere length with risk of rheumatoid arthritis: a meta-analysis and Mendelian randomization. Rheumatology (Oxford) 2020; 59:940-947. [PMID: 31697380 DOI: 10.1093/rheumatology/kez524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2019] [Revised: 09/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the telomere length (TL) in patients with RA relative to that in controls and to test whether TL is causally associated with risk of RA. METHODS Systematic review and meta-analysis of relevant literature was conducted to evaluate the association between TL and RA. Standardized mean differences with 95% CIs of TL in RA patients relative to controls were pooled using fixed or random-effects models. TL-related single-nucleotide polymorphisms were selected from a genome-wide association study of 37 684 individuals, and summary statistics of RA were obtained from a genome-wide association study meta-analysis including 14 361 RA patients and 43 923 controls. Mendelian randomization was performed using the inverse-variance weighted, weighted-median and likelihood-based methods. Sensitivity analyses were performed to test the robustness of the association. RESULTS In the meta-analysis of 911 RA patients and 2498 controls, we found that patients with RA had a significantly shorter TL compared with controls (standardized mean differences = -0.50; 95% CI -0.88, -0.11; P = 0.012). In the Mendelian randomization analysis, we found that genetically predicted longer TL was associated with a reduced risk of RA [odds ratio = 0.68; 95% CI 0.54, 0.86; P = 0.002 using the inverse-variance weighted method]. Sensitivity analyses using alternative Mendelian randomization approaches yielded similar findings, suggesting the robustness of the causal association. CONCLUSION Our study provides evidence for a negative causal association of TL with risk of RA. Further studies are warranted to elucidate the underlying mechanism for the role of telomeres in the development of RA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Zeng
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Wanting Zhang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yu Qian
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Huijun Huang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - David J H Wu
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.,University of Minnesota Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Zhixing He
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Ding Ye
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yingying Mao
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Chengping Wen
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
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Courtwright AM, Lamattina AM, Takahashi M, Trindade AJ, Hunninghake GM, Rosas IO, Agarwal S, Raby BA, Goldberg HJ, El-Chemaly S. Shorter telomere length following lung transplantation is associated with clinically significant leukopenia and decreased chronic lung allograft dysfunction-free survival. ERJ Open Res 2020; 6:00003-2020. [PMID: 32577419 PMCID: PMC7293991 DOI: 10.1183/23120541.00003-2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2020] [Accepted: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Patients with short telomeres and interstitial lung disease may have decreased chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD)-free survival following lung transplantation. The relationship between post-transplant telomere length and outcomes following lung transplantation has not been characterised among all recipients, regardless of native lung disease. This was a single-centre prospective cohort study. Consenting transplant recipients had their telomere length measured using quantitative real-time PCR assays on peripheral blood collected at the time of surveillance bronchoscopy. We assessed the association between early post-transplant telomere length (as measured in the first 100 days) and CLAD-free survival, time to clinically significant leukopenia, cytomegalovirus (CMV) viraemia, chronic kidney disease, and acute cellular rejection. We also assessed the association between rate of telomere shortening and CLAD-free survival. Telomere lengths were available for 98 out of 215 (45.6%) recipients who underwent lung transplant during the study period (median measurement per patient=2 (interquartile range, 1–3)). Shorter telomere length was associated with decreased CLAD-free survival (hazard ratio (HR)=1.24; 95% CI=1.03–1.48; p=0.02), leukopenia requiring granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (HR=1.17, 95% CI=1.01–1.35, p=0.03), and CMV viraemia among CMV-mismatch recipients (HR=4.04, 95% CI=1.05–15.5, p=0.04). Telomere length was not associated with acute cellular rejection or chronic kidney disease. Recipients with more rapid loss in telomere length (defined as the highest tertile of telomere shortening) did not have worse subsequent CLAD-free survival than those without rapid loss (HR=1.38, 95% CI=0.27–7.01, p=0.70). Shorter early post-transplant telomere length is associated with decreased CLAD-free survival and clinically significant leukopenia in lung transplant recipients, regardless of native lung disease. Shorter recipient telomere length following lung transplantation is associated with clinically significant leukopenia and decreased chronic lung allograft dysfunction-free survivalhttps://bit.ly/2ytymXc
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew M Courtwright
- Dept of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Anthony M Lamattina
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Mai Takahashi
- Harvard T.H. Chen School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Anil J Trindade
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Gary M Hunninghake
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ivan O Rosas
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Suneet Agarwal
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Dana-Farber Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Benjamin A Raby
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hilary J Goldberg
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Souheil El-Chemaly
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
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Meier HCS, Parks CG, Liu HB, Sandler DP, Simonsick EM, Deane K, Weng NP. Cellular aging over 13 years associated with incident antinuclear antibody positivity in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. J Autoimmun 2019; 105:102295. [PMID: 31303354 PMCID: PMC6878149 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaut.2019.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2019] [Revised: 06/18/2019] [Accepted: 06/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Age-associated increases in antinuclear antibodies (ANA) in the general population are commonly noted but the mechanisms underlying this observation are unclear. This study aims to evaluate whether shorter peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) telomere length, a marker of more advanced biological age, is associated with ANA positivity prevalence and incidence in middle and older aged autoimmune disease-free individuals from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA). Telomere length was measured by Southern Blot and categorized into tertiles. ANA was measured in a 1:80 and a 1:160 dilution of sera by immunofluorescence using HEp-2 cells (seropositive = 3 or 4). Multiple logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals of ANA positivity comparing the shorter tertiles of telomere length to the longest tertile for two cross-sectional points in time and then longitudinally to assess the association between shorter telomere length and incident ANA positivity. Cross-sectional analyses were adjusted for sex, race and BMI (N = 368 baseline, N = 370 follow-up) and longitudinal analyses were adjusted for sex, race, BMI and time between baseline and follow-up (N = 246). No statistically significant cross-sectional associations were observed at baseline or follow-up. Among those where ANA negative at baseline, individuals with shorter telomeres were more likely to be ANA positive at follow-up, an average 13 years later. Individuals with short telomeres at both time periods were more likely to be ANA positive. Findings suggest that ANA positivity in the general population may be indicative of immune dysfunction resulting from advanced cellular aging processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen C S Meier
- Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
| | - Christine G Parks
- Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Hans B Liu
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Dale P Sandler
- Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Eleanor M Simonsick
- Longitudinal Studies Section, Translational Gerontology Branch, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kevin Deane
- Division of Rheumatology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Nan-Ping Weng
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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The Abnormal CD4+T Lymphocyte Subset Distribution and Vbeta Repertoire in New-onset Rheumatoid Arthritis Can Be Modulated by Methotrexate Treament. Cells 2019; 8:cells8080871. [PMID: 31405169 PMCID: PMC6721760 DOI: 10.3390/cells8080871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2019] [Revised: 07/17/2019] [Accepted: 08/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Patients with long-term, treated, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) show abnormalities in their circulating CD4+ T-lymphocytes, but whether this occurs in recently diagnosed naïve patients to disease-modifying drugs (DMARDs) is under discussion. These patients show heterogeneous clinical response to methotrexate (MTX) treatment. We have examined the count of circulating CD4+ T-lymphocytes, and their naïve (TN), central memory (TCM), effector memory (TEM) and effector (TE) subsets, CD28 expression and Vβ TCR repertoire distribution by polychromatic flow cytometry in a population of 68 DMARD-naïve recently diagnosed RA patients, before and after 3 and 6 months of MTX treatment. At pre-treatment baseline, patients showed an expansion of the counts of CD4+ TN, TEM, TE and TCM lymphocyte subsets, and of total CD4+CD28− cells and of the TE subset with a different pattern of numbers in MTX responder and non-responders. The expansion of CD4+TEM lymphocytes showed a predictive value of MTX non-response. MTX treatment was associated to different modifications in the counts of the CD4+ subsets and of the Vβ TCR repertoire family distribution and in the level of CD28 expression in responders and non-responders. In conclusion, the disturbance of CD4+ lymphocytes is already found in DMARD-naïve RA patients with different patterns of alterations in MTX responders and non-responders.
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Longitudinal associations of lifetime adiposity with leukocyte telomere length and mitochondrial DNA copy number. Eur J Epidemiol 2018; 33:485-495. [PMID: 29619669 DOI: 10.1007/s10654-018-0382-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2017] [Accepted: 03/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Adiposity may cause adverse health outcomes by increasing oxidative stress and systemic inflammation, which can be reflected by altered telomere length (TL) and mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtCN) in peripheral blood leukocytes. However, little is known about the influence of lifetime adiposity on TL and mtCN in later life. This study was performed to investigate the associations of lifetime adiposity with leukocyte TL and mtCN in 9613 participants from the Nurses' Health Study. A group-based trajectory modelling approach was used to create trajectories of body shape from age 5 through 60 years, and a genetic risk score (GRS) was created based on 97 known adiposity susceptibility variants. Associations of body shape trajectories and GRS with dichotomized TL and mtCN were assessed by logistic regression models. After adjustment for lifestyle and dietary factors, compared with the lean-stable group, the lean-marked increase group had higher odds of having below-median TL (OR = 1.18, 95% CI 1.04, 1.35; P = 0.01), and the medium-marked increase group had higher odds of having below-median mtCN (OR = 1.28, 95% CI 1.00, 1.64; P = 0.047). There was a suggestive trend toward lower mtCN across the GRS quartiles (P for trend = 0.07). In conclusion, telomere attrition may be accelerated by marked weight gain in middle life, whereas mtCN is likely to be reduced persistently by adiposity over the life course. The findings indicate the importance of lifetime weight management to preserve functional telomeres and mitochondria.
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Drury SS, Howell BR, Jones C, Esteves K, Morin E, Schlesinger R, Meyer JS, Baker K, Sanchez MM. Shaping long-term primate development: Telomere length trajectory as an indicator of early maternal maltreatment and predictor of future physiologic regulation. Dev Psychopathol 2017; 29:1539-1551. [PMID: 29162166 PMCID: PMC5864972 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579417001225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The molecular, neurobiological, and physical health impacts of child maltreatment are well established, yet mechanistic pathways remain inadequately defined. Telomere length (TL) decline is an emerging molecular indicator of stress exposure with definitive links to negative health outcomes in maltreated individuals. The multiple confounders endemic to human maltreatment research impede the identification of causal pathways. This study leverages a unique randomized, cross-foster, study design in a naturalistic translational nonhuman primate model of infant maltreatment. At birth, newborn macaques were randomly assigned to either a maltreating or a competent control mother, balancing for sex, biological mother parenting history, and social rank. Offspring TL was measured longitudinally across the first 6 months of life (infancy) from peripheral blood. Hair cortisol accumulation was also determined at 6, 12, and 18 months of age. TL decline was greater in animals randomized to maltreatment, but also interacted with biological mother group. Shorter TL at 6 months was associated with higher mean cortisol levels through 18 months (juvenile period) when controlling for relevant covariates. These results suggest that even under the equivalent social, nutritional, and environmental conditions feasible in naturalistic translational nonhuman primate models, early adverse caregiving results in lasting molecular scars that foreshadow elevated health risk and physiologic dysregulation.
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