Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-8bhkd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T12:42:12.509Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Telomeres and the ageing process

Part of: Bespoke shallow archive Weizmann

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 February 2010

Jean Woo ,
Eddie Suen  and
Nelson LS Tang
Jean Woo*
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine & Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, Chinese University of Hong Kong
Eddie Suen
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine & Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, Chinese University of Hong Kong
Nelson LS Tang
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Chinese University of Hong Kong
*
Address for correspondence: Professor Jean Woo, Department of Medicine & Therapeutics, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong. Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Telomere length is a reflection of cumulative oxidative and inflammatory stress throughout the life course, as well as oestrogen exposure. There is evidence that telomere length is associated with lifespan; however, it does not appear to be a better indicator of biological age than chronological age, even though it can be considered a biomarker of ageing. There are studies showing association between leukocyte telomere length and many of the common diseases of ageing, lifestyle factors and socioeconomic status. However, the associations are less marked among older people. Research in the area of manipulation of genetic control of telomerase activity controlling telomere length may have clinical applications in future.

Keywords

telomereslifespanageingfrailtychronic disease
Type
Biological gerontology
Information
Reviews in Clinical Gerontology , Volume 20 , Issue 1 , February 2010 , pp. 1 - 9
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1Blackburn, EH. Switching and signaling at the telomere. Cell 2001; 106: 661–73.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2Liu, D, O'Connor, MS, Qin, J, Songyang, Z. Telosome, a mammalian telomere-associated complex formed by multiple telomeric proteins. J Biol Chem 2004; 279: 51338–42.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3de Lange, T. Shelterin: the protein complex that shapes and safeguards human telomeres. Genes Dev 2005; 19: 2100–10.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
4Blackburn, EH, Chan, S, Chang, J et al. Molecular manifestations and molecular determinants of telomere capping. Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol 2000; 65: 253–63.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5Hayflick, L. The limited in vitro lifetime of human diploid cell strains. Exp Cell Res 1965; 37: 614–36.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6Greider, CW, Blackburn, EH. Tracking telomerase. Cell 2004; 116 (suppl): S83–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7von Zglinicki, T, Saretzki, G, Docke, W, Lotze, C. Mild hyperoxia shortens telomeres and inhibits proliferation of fibroblasts: a model for senescence? Exp Cell Res 1995; 220: 186–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8von Zglinicki, T. Oxidative stress shortens telomeres. Trends Biochem Sci 2002; 27: 339–44.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9Carrero, JJ, Stenvinkel, P, Fellstrom, B et al. Telomere attrition is associated with inflammation, low fetuin-A levels and high mortality in prevalent haemodialysis patients. J Intern Med 2008; 263: 302–12.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10Frenck, RW Jr, Blackburn, EH, Shannon, KM. The rate of telomere sequence loss in human leukocytes varies with age. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1998; 95: 5607–10.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
11Benetos, A, Okuda, K, Lajemi, M et al. Telomere length as an indicator of biological aging: the gender effect and relation with pulse pressure and pulse wave velocity. Hypertension 2001; 37: 381–85.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12Jeanclos, E, Schork, NJ, Kyvik, KO, Kimura, M, Skurnick, JH, Aviv, A. Telomere length inversely correlates with pulse pressure and is highly familial. Hypertension 2000; 36: 195–200.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
13Nawrot, TS, Staessen, JA, Gardner, JP, Aviv, A. Telomere length and possible link to X chromosome. Lancet 2004; 363: 507–10.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
14Okuda, K, Bardeguez, A, Gardner, JP et al. Telomere length in the newborn. Pediatr Res 2002; 52: 377–81.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
15Bayne, S, Liu, JP. Hormones and growth factors regulate telomerase activity in ageing and cancer. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2005; 240: 11–22.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
16Aviv, A. Telomeres and human somatic fitness. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2006; 61: 871–73.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
17Baba, T, Shimizu, T, Suzuki, Y et al. Estrogen, insulin, and dietary signals cooperatively regulate longevity signals to enhance resistance to oxidative stress in mice. J Biol Chem 2005; 280: 16417–26.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
18Pfeilschifter, J, Koditz, R, Pfohl, M, Schatz, H. Changes in proinflammatory cytokine activity after menopause. Endocr Rev 2002; 23: 90–119.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
19Vina, J, Borras, C, Gambini, J, Sastre, J, Pallardo, FV. Why females live longer than males? Importance of the upregulation of longevity-associated genes by oestrogenic compounds. FEBS Lett 2005; 579: 2541–45.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
20Monaghan, P, Haussmann, MF. Do telomere dynamics link lifestyle and lifespan? Trends Ecol Evol 2006; 21: 47–53.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
21Johnson, TE. Recent results: biomarkers of aging. Exp Gerontol 2006; 41: 1243–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
22Rufer, N, Dragowska, W, Thornbury, G, Roosnek, E, Lansdorp, PM. Telomere length dynamics in human lymphocyte subpopulations measured by flow cytometry. Nat Biotechnol 1998; 16: 743–47.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
23Fried, LP, Tangen, CM, Walston, J et al. Frailty in older adults: evidence for a phenotype. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2001; 56: M146–56.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
24Rockwood, K, Mitnitski, A. Frailty in relation to the accumulation of deficits. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2007; 62: 722–27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
25Hayflick, L. Living forever and dying in the attempt. Exp Gerontol 2003; 38: 1231–41.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
26Zeichner, SL, Palumbo, P, Feng, Y et al. Rapid telomere shortening in children. Blood 1999; 93: 2824–30.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
27Cawthon, RM, Smith, KR, O'Brien, E, Sivatchenko, A, Kerber, RA. Association between telomere length in blood and mortality in people aged 60 years or older. Lancet 2003; 361: 393–95.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
28Woo, J, Tang, N, Leung, J. No association between physical activity and telomere length in an elderly Chinese population 65 years and older. Archives of Internal Medicine 2008; 168: 2163–64.Google Scholar
29Martin-Ruiz, CM, Haroutunian, VH, Long, P et al. Dementia rating and nicotinic receptor expression in the prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia. Biol Psychiatry 2003; 54: 1222–33.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
30Bischoff, C, Petersen, HC, Graakjaer, J et al. No association between telomere length and survival among the elderly and oldest old. Epidemiology 2006; 17: 190–94.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
31Aviv, A, Valdes, AM, Spector, TD. Human telomere biology: pitfalls of moving from the laboratory to epidemiology. Int J Epidemiol 2006; 35: 1424–29.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
32Klemera, P, Doubal, S. A new approach to the concept and computation of biological age. Mech Ageing Dev 2006; 127: 240–48.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
33Demerath, EW, Cameron, N, Gillman, MW, Towne, B, Siervogel, RM. Telomeres and telomerase in the fetal origins of cardiovascular disease: a review. Hum Biol 2004; 76: 127–46.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
34Benetos, A, Gardner, JP, Zureik, M et al. Short telomeres are associated with increased carotid atherosclerosis in hypertensive subjects. Hypertension 2004; 43: 182–85.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
35Brouilette, SW, Moore, JS, McMahon, AD et al. Telomere length, risk of coronary heart disease, and statin treatment in the West of Scotland Primary Prevention Study: a nested case-control study. Lancet 2007; 369: 107–14.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
36Epel, ES, Lin, J, Wilhelm, FH et al. Cell aging in relation to stress arousal and cardiovascular disease risk factors. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2006; 31: 277–87.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
37Fitzpatrick, AL, Kronmal, RA, Gardner, JP et al. Leukocyte telomere length and cardiovascular disease in the cardiovascular health study. Am J Epidemiol 2007; 165: 14–21.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
38Samani, NJ, Boultby, R, Butler, R, Thompson, JR, Goodall, AH. Telomere shortening in atherosclerosis. Lancet 2001; 358: 472–73.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
39Starr, JM, McGurn, B, Harris, SE, Whalley, LJ, Deary, IJ, Shiels, PG. Association between telomere length and heart disease in a narrow age cohort of older people. Exp Gerontol 2007; 42: 571–73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
40van der Harst, P, van der Steege, G, de Boer, RA et al. Telomere length of circulating leukocytes is decreased in patients with chronic heart failure. J Am Coll Cardiol 2007; 49: 1459–64.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
41Kotur-Stevuljevic, J, Memon, L, Stefanovic, A et al. Correlation of oxidative stress parameters and inflammatory markers in coronary artery disease patients. Clin Biochem 2007; 40: 181–87.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
42Ross, R. Atherosclerosis – an inflammatory disease. N Engl J Med 1999; 340: 115–26.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
43Thomas, MK, Narang, D, Lakshmy, R, Gupta, R, Naik, N, Maulik, SK. Correlation between inflammation and oxidative stress in normocholesterolemic coronary artery disease patients ‘on’ and ‘off’ atorvastatin for short time intervals. Cardiovasc Drugs Ther 2006; 20: 37–44.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
44Gorenne, I, Melli, M, John, M, Mathews, C, Goddard, M, Bennett, M. Vascular smooth muscle cell senescence and telomere attrition in atheroscleroses. Abstract presented at the XIX IAGG World Congress of Gerontology and Geriatrics; July 2009, Paris, France.Google Scholar
45Woo, J, Tang, NLS, Suen, E, Leung, J. Shorter telomere length is associated with greater decrease in ankle-brachial index in elderly Chinese women but not men. J Human Hypertension (submitted) 2009.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
46Shay, JW, Wright, WE. Hallmarks of telomeres in ageing research. J Pathol 2007; 211: 114–23.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
47Gilley, D, Tanaka, H, Herbert, BS. Telomere dysfunction in aging and cancer. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2005; 37: 1000–13.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
48Campisi, J. Senescent cells, tumor suppression, and organismal aging: good citizens, bad neighbors. Cell 2005; 120: 513–22.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
49Broberg, K, Bjork, J, Paulsson, K, Hoglund, M, Albin, M. Constitutional short telomeres are strong genetic susceptibility markers for bladder cancer. Carcinogenesis 2005; 26: 1263–71.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
50Han, J, Qureshi, AA, Prescott, J et al. A prospective study of telomere length and the risk of skin cancer. J Invest Dermatol 2009; 129: 415–21.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
51Jang, JS, Choi, YY, Lee, WK et al. Telomere length and the risk of lung cancer. Cancer Sci 2008; 99: 1385–89.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
52Svenson, U, Nordfjall, K, Stegmayr, B et al. Breast cancer survival is associated with telomere length in peripheral blood cells. Cancer Res 2008; 68: 3618–23.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
53Pawelec, G, Akbar, A, Caruso, C, Solana, R, Grubeck-Loebenstein, B, Wikby, A. Human immunosenescence: is it infectious? Immunol Rev 2005; 205: 257–68.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
54Vallejo, AN, Weyand, CM, Goronzy, JJ. T-cell senescence: a culprit of immune abnormalities in chronic inflammation and persistent infection. Trends Mol Med 2004; 10: 119–24.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
55Aikata, H, Takaishi, H, Kawakami, Y et al. Telomere reduction in human liver tissues with age and chronic inflammation. Exp Cell Res 2000; 256: 578–82.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
56Sekoguchi, S, Nakajima, T, Moriguchi, M et al. Role of cell-cycle turnover and oxidative stress in telomere shortening and cellular senescence in patients with chronic hepatitis C. J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2007; 22: 182–90.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
57Wiemann, SU, Satyanarayana, A, Tsahuridu, M et al. Hepatocyte telomere shortening and senescence are general markers of human liver cirrhosis. FASEB J 2002; 16: 935–42.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
58Ilmonen, P, Kotrschal, A, Penn, DJ. Telomere attrition due to infection. PLoS One 2008; 3: e2143.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
59Bekaert, S, Van Pottelbergh, I, De Meyer, T et al. Telomere length versus hormonal and bone mineral status in healthy elderly men. Mech Ageing Dev 2005; 126: 1115–22.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
60Valdes, AM, Richards, JB, Gardner, JP et al. Telomere length in leukocytes correlates with bone mineral density and is shorter in women with osteoporosis. Osteoporos Int 2007; 18: 1203–10.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
61Tang, NL, Woo, J, Suen, EW, Liao, CD, Leung, JC, Leung, PC. The effect of telomere length, a marker of biological aging, on bone mineral density in elderly population. Osteoporos Int 2009. 2010; 21: 89–97.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
62Grodstein, F, van Oijen, M, Irizarry, MC et al. Shorter telomeres may mark early risk of dementia: preliminary analysis of 62 participants from the nurses’ health study. PLoS One 2008; 3: e1590.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
63Martin-Ruiz, C, Dickinson, HO, Keys, B, Rowan, E, Kenny, RA, Von Zglinicki, T. Telomere length predicts poststroke mortality, dementia, and cognitive decline. Ann Neurol 2006; 60: 174–80.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
64Panossian, LA, Porter, VR, Valenzuela, HF et al. Telomere shortening in T cells correlates with Alzheimer's disease status. Neurobiol Aging 2003; 24: 77–84.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
65Honig, LS, Schupf, N, Lee, JH, Tang, MX, Mayeux, R. Shorter telomeres are associated with mortality in those with APOE epsilon4 and dementia. Ann Neurol 2006; 60: 181–87.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
66Guan, JZ, Maeda, T, Sugano, M et al. A percentage analysis of the telomere length in Parkinson's disease patients. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2008; 63: 467–73.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
67Wang, H, Chen, H, Gao, X et al. Telomere length and risk of Parkinson's disease. Mov Disord 2008; 23: 302–5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
68Gao, HM, Liu, B, Zhang, W, Hong, JS. Novel anti-inflammatory therapy for Parkinson's disease. Trends Pharmacol Sci 2003; 24: 395–401.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
69Petrozzi, L, Lucetti, C, Gambaccini, G et al. Cytogenetic analysis oxidative damage in lymphocytes of Parkinson's disease patients. Neurol Sci 2001; 22: 83–84.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
70Campbell, AJ, Buchner, DM. Unstable disability and the fluctuations of frailty. Age Ageing 1997; 26: 315–18.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
71Markle-Reid, M, Browne, G. Conceptualizations of frailty in relation to older adults. J Adv Nurs 2003; 44: 58–68.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
72Rockwood, K, Fox, RA, Stolee, P, Robertson, D, Beattie, BL. Frailty in elderly people: an evolving concept. CMAJ 1994; 150: 489–95.Google ScholarPubMed
73Mitnitski, AB, Graham, JE, Mogilner, AJ, Rockwood, K. Frailty, fitness and late-life mortality in relation to chronological and biological age. BMC Geriatr 2002; 2: 1.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
74Walston, J. Frailty – the search for underlying causes. Sci Aging Knowledge Environ 2004; 4: pe4.Google Scholar
75Rodier, F, Kim, SH, Nijjar, T, Yaswen, P, Campisi, J. Cancer and aging: the importance of telomeres in genome maintenance. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2005; 37: 977–90.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
76Wu, IC, Shiesh, SC, Kuo, PH, Lin, XZ. High oxidative stress is correlated with frailty in elderly Chinese. J Am Geriatr Soc 2009; 57: 1666–71.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
77Woo, J, Tang, NL, Suen, E, Leung, JC, Leung, PC. Telomeres and frailty. Mech Ageing Dev 2008; 129: 642–48.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
78Valdes, AM, Andrew, T, Gardner, JP et al. Obesity, cigarette smoking, and telomere length in women. Lancet 2005; 366: 662–64.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
79Nettleton, JA, Diez-Roux, A, Jenny, NS, Fitzpatrick, AL, Jacobs, DR Jr. Dietary patterns, food groups, and telomere length in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Am J Clin Nutr 2008; 88: 1405–12.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
80Chan, R, Woo, J, Suen, E, Leung, J, Tang, N. Chinese tea consumption is associated with longer telomere length in elderly Chinese men. Br J Nutr 2010; 103: 107–13.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
81Cherkas, LF, Hunkin, JL, Kato, BS et al. The association between physical activity in leisure time and leukocyte telomere length. Arch Intern Med 2008; 168: 154–58.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
82Irie, M, Asami, S, Ikeda, M, Kasai, H. Depressive state relates to female oxidative DNA damage via neutrophil activation. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2003; 311: 1014–18.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
83Epel, ES, Blackburn, EH, Lin, J et al. Accelerated telomere shortening in response to life stress. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2004; 101: 17312–15.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
84Adams, JM, White, M. Biological ageing: a fundamental, biological link between socio-economic status and health? Eur J Public Health 2004; 14: 331–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
85Marmot, M. Social determinants of health inequalities. Lancet 2005; 365: 1099–104.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
86Cherkas, LF, Aviv, A, Valdes, AM et al. The effects of social status on biological aging as measured by white-blood-cell telomere length. Aging Cell 2006; 5: 361–65.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
87Woo, J, Suen, EW, Leung, JC, Tang, NL, Ebrahim, S. Older men with higher self-rated socioeconomic status have shorter telomeres. Age Ageing 2009; 38: 553–58.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
88Hartig, T. Green space, psychological restoration, and health inequality. Lancet 2008; 372: 1614–15.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
89Woo, J, Tang, N, Suen, E, Leung, J, Wong, M. Green space, psychological restoration, and telomere length. Lancet 2009; 373: 299–300.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
90Canela, A, Klatt, P, Blasco, MA. Telomere length analysis. Methods Mol Biol 2007; 371: 45–72.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
91Baird, DM. New developments in telomere length analysis. Exp Gerontol 2005; 40: 363–68.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
92Wong, JM, Collins, K. Telomere maintenance and disease. Lancet 2003; 362: 983–88.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
93Blasco, MA. Telomeres and human disease: ageing, cancer and beyond. Nat Rev Genet 2005; 6: 611–22.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
94Zhang, P, Dilley, C, Mattson, MP. DNA damage responses in neural cells: Focus on the telomere. Neuroscience 2007; 145: 1439–48.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed