Abstract
With a view to understanding the association between leukocyte telomere length and the human lifespan, we performed genome-wide telomere length analyses by the terminal restriction fragment length (TRFL) and single molecule telomere length analysis (STELA) of the X and Y chromosomes in leukocytes of exceptionally old (aged 90-104 yr) and younger (aged 23-74 yr) individuals. We found that the mean TRFL of 82 exceptionally old individuals was within a range projected by age-dependent TRFL attrition of 99 younger individuals. However, compared with the younger individuals, exceptionally old persons exhibited peaking of the TRFL distribution with overrepresentation of ultra-short telomeres. These findings were confirmed by the STELA. Women had longer mean TRFL than men (6.10 vs. 5.86 kb), and exceptionally old women exhibited fewer ultra-short telomeres than exceptionally old men. Our results have implications for gerontological studies of the limitation of lifespan in humans.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | R2210-R2217 |
| Journal | American Journal of Physiology : Regulatory Integrative and Comparative Physiology |
| Volume | 293 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 2007 |
Keywords
- Aging
- Centenarians
- Lifespan
- Mortality
- Replication
- Senescence