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      Is Telomere Length a Biomarker of Aging? A Review

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      Journal: The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences
      Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)

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          Abstract

          Telomeres, the DNA-protein structures located at the ends of chromosomes, have been proposed to act as a biomarker of aging. In this review, the human evidence that telomere length is a biomarker of aging is evaluated. Although telomere length is implicated in cellular aging, the evidence suggesting telomere length is a biomarker of aging in humans is equivocal. More studies examining the relationships between telomere length and mortality and with measures that decline with "normal" aging in community samples are required. These studies would benefit from longitudinal measures of both telomere length and aging-related parameters.

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          Obesity, cigarette smoking, and telomere length in women.

          A Valdes, T. Andrew, J. P. Gardner … (2005)
          Obesity and smoking are important risk factors for many age-related diseases. Both are states of heightened oxidative stress, which increases the rate of telomere erosion per replication, and inflammation, which enhances white blood cell turnover. Together, these processes might accelerate telomere erosion with age. We therefore tested the hypothesis that increased body mass and smoking are associated with shortened telomere length in white blood cells. We investigated 1122 white women aged 18-76 years and found that telomere length decreased steadily with age at a mean rate of 27 bp per year. Telomeres of obese women were 240 bp shorter than those of lean women (p=0.026). A dose-dependent relation with smoking was recorded (p=0.017), and each pack-year smoked was equivalent to an additional 5 bp of telomere length lost (18%) compared with the rate in the overall cohort. Our results emphasise the pro-ageing effects of obesity and cigarette smoking.
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            Telomeres and aging.

            Geraldine Aubert, Peter M. Lansdorp (2008)
            Telomeres play a central role in cell fate and aging by adjusting the cellular response to stress and growth stimulation on the basis of previous cell divisions and DNA damage. At least a few hundred nucleotides of telomere repeats must "cap" each chromosome end to avoid activation of DNA repair pathways. Repair of critically short or "uncapped" telomeres by telomerase or recombination is limited in most somatic cells and apoptosis or cellular senescence is triggered when too many "uncapped" telomeres accumulate. The chance of the latter increases as the average telomere length decreases. The average telomere length is set and maintained in cells of the germline which typically express high levels of telomerase. In somatic cells, telomere length is very heterogeneous but typically declines with age, posing a barrier to tumor growth but also contributing to loss of cells with age. Loss of (stem) cells via telomere attrition provides strong selection for abnormal and malignant cells, a process facilitated by the genome instability and aneuploidy triggered by dysfunctional telomeres. The crucial role of telomeres in cell turnover and aging is highlighted by patients with 50% of normal telomerase levels resulting from a mutation in one of the telomerase genes. Short telomeres in such patients are implicated in a variety of disorders including dyskeratosis congenita, aplastic anemia, pulmonary fibrosis, and cancer. Here the role of telomeres and telomerase in human aging and aging-associated diseases is reviewed.
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              The shortest telomere, not average telomere length, is critical for cell viability and chromosome stability.

              Michael Hemann, Margaret A. Strong, Ling-Yang Hao … (2001)
              Loss of telomere function can induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. To investigate the processes that trigger cellular responses to telomere dysfunction, we crossed mTR-/- G6 mice that have short telomeres with mice heterozygous for telomerase (mTR+/-) that have long telomeres. The phenotype of the telomerase null offspring was similar to that of the late generation parent, although only half of the chromosomes were short. Strikingly, spectral karyotyping (SKY) analysis revealed that loss of telomere function occurred preferentially on chromosomes with critically short telomeres. Our data indicate that, while average telomere length is measured in most studies, it is not the average but rather the shortest telomeres that constitute telomere dysfunction and limit cellular survival in the absence of telomerase.
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                Title: The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences
                Abbreviated Title: The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences
                Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
                ISSN (Print): 1079-5006
                ISSN (Electronic): 1758-535X
                Publication date Created: January 14 2011
                Publication date Created: February 01 2011
                Publication date (Electronic): October 28 2010
                Publication date (Print): February 01 2011
                Volume: 66A
                Issue: 2
                Pages: 202-213
                Article
                DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glq180
                PubMed ID: 21030466
                SO-VID: 25c26f6d-1722-436e-9f1e-89d0364649f0
                Copyright © © 2011
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