Maternal stress during pregnancy and small for gestational age birthweight are not associated with telomere length at 11 years of age

Slykerman, Rebecca F.; Joglekar, Mugdha V.; Hardikar, Anandwardhan A.; Satoor, Sarang N.; Thompson, John M. D.; Mitchell, Edwin A.; Murphy, Rinki

doi:10.1016/j.gene.2019.01.017

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…There was no correlation between cord blood LTL and gestational age, similar to our findings. Our findings are also in line with studies investigating LTL in healthy subjects at 11 years [40] and at adult age [11]. Shorter LTL has mainly been found in children born with very low birthweight [41] or born prematurely [18].…”

Section: Plos Onesupporting

confidence: 92%

Longitudinal telomere length and body composition in healthy term-born infants during the first two years of life

et al. 2021

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Objective Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is one of the markers of biological aging as shortening occurs over time. Shorter LTL has been associated with adiposity and a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases. The objective was to assess LTL and LTL shortening during the first 2 years of life in healthy, term-born infants and to associate LTL shortening with potential stressors and body composition. Study design In 145 healthy, term-born infants (85 boys), we measured LTL in blood, expressed as telomere to single-gene copy ratio (T/S ratio), at 3 months and 2 years by quantitative PCR technique. Fat mass (FM) was assessed longitudinally by PEAPOD, DXA, and abdominal FM by ultrasound. Results LTL decreased by 8.5% from 3 months to 2 years (T/S ratio 4.10 vs 3.75, p<0.001). LTL shortening from 3 months to 2 years associated with FM%(R = 0.254), FM index(R = 0.243) and visceral FM(R = 0.287) at 2 years. LTL shortening tended to associate with gain in FM% from 3 to 6 months (R = 0.155, p = 0.11), in the critical window for adiposity programming. There was a trend to a shorter LTL in boys at 2 years(p = 0.056). LTL shortening from 3 months to 2 years was not different between sexes. Conclusion We present longitudinal LTL values and show that LTL shortens considerably (8.5%) during the first 2 years of life. LTL shortening during first 2 years of life was associated with FM%, FMI and visceral FM at age 2 years, suggesting that adverse adiposity programming in early life could contribute to more LTL shortening.

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Section: Plos Onesupporting

confidence: 92%

Longitudinal telomere length and body composition in healthy term-born infants during the first two years of life

et al. 2021

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“…As concluded by Martin-Ruiz [22], standard control material that is available to all labs engaged in telomere measurement is necessary. We think that using a non-study sample such as a well-defined commercially available reference DNA or cell line [25] is a more appropriate control for data normalization step, especially when comparing study results in different cohorts across different laboratories worldwide.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Optimised Step-by-Step Protocol for Measuring Relative Telomere Length

Joglekar

Satoor

Wong

et al. 2020

MPs

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Telomeres represent the nucleotide repeat sequences at the ends of chromosomes and are essential for chromosome stability. They can shorten at each round of DNA replication mainly because of incomplete DNA synthesis of the lagging strand. Reduced relative telomere length is associated with aging and a range of disease states. Different methods such as terminal restriction fragment analysis, real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) and fluorescence in situ hybridization are available to measure telomere length; however, the qPCR-based method is commonly used for large population-based studies. There are multiple variations across qPCR-based methods, including the choice of the single-copy gene, primer sequences, reagents, and data analysis methods in the different reported studies so far. Here, we provide a detailed step-by-step protocol that we have optimized and successfully tested in the hands of other users. This protocol will help researchers interested in measuring relative telomere lengths in cells or across larger clinical cohort/study samples to determine associations of telomere length with health and disease.

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“…In contrast, two studies did not find associations between maternal distress during pregnancy and child TL. Specifically, prenatal depression symptoms measured once during pregnancy were not associated with TL at 4–5 years old (Wojcicki et al., 2015), and report of stress during the last month pregnancy measured after birth was not associated with child TL at 11 years old (Slykerman et al., 2019). A significant limitation of these prior studies examining prenatal maternal distress exposure and child TL is lack of consideration of potential confounding factors including exposure to trauma and other forms of adversity, postnatal maternal distress, and parental care that have been linked to TL (Drury et al., 2014; Enokido et al., 2014; Mitchell et al., 2014; Shalev et al., 2013; Theall et al., 2013; Wojcicki et al., 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prenatal exposure to maternal psychological distress and telomere length in childhood

Stout-Oswald

Glynn

Bisoffi

et al. 2022

Developmental Psychobiology

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Telomere length (TL) is a biological marker of cellular aging, and shorter TL in adulthood is associated with increased morbidity and mortality risk. It is likely that these differences in TL are established long before adulthood, and there is growing evidence that TL can reflect prenatal experiences. Although maternal prenatal distress predicts newborn TL, it is unknown whether the relation between prenatal exposure to maternal distress and child TL persists through childhood. The purpose of the current longitudinal, prospective study is to examine the relation between prenatal exposure to maternal distress (perceived stress, depressive symptoms, pregnancy‐related anxiety) and TL in childhood. Participants included 102 children (54 girls) and their mothers. Mothers’ distress was assessed five times during pregnancy, at 12 weeks postpartum, and at the time of child telomere measurement between 6 and 16 years of age. Maternal distress during pregnancy predicted shorter offspring TL in childhood, even after accounting for postnatal exposure to maternal distress and other covariates. These findings indicate that maternal mental health predicts offspring TL biology later in childhood than previously observed. This study bolsters claims that telomere biology is subject to fetal programming and highlights the importance of supporting maternal mental health during pregnancy.

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Maternal stress during pregnancy and small for gestational age birthweight are not associated with telomere length at 11 years of age

Cited by 10 publications

References 29 publications

Longitudinal telomere length and body composition in healthy term-born infants during the first two years of life

Longitudinal telomere length and body composition in healthy term-born infants during the first two years of life

An Optimised Step-by-Step Protocol for Measuring Relative Telomere Length

Prenatal exposure to maternal psychological distress and telomere length in childhood

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Maternal stress during pregnancy and small for gestational age birthweight are not associated with telomere length at 11 years of age

Cited by 10 publications

References 29 publications

Longitudinal telomere length and body composition in healthy term-born infants during the first two years of life

Longitudinal telomere length and body composition in healthy term-born infants during the first two years of life

An Optimised Step-by-Step Protocol for Measuring Relative Telomere Length

Prenatal exposure to maternal psychological distress and telomere length in childhood

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Maternal stress during pregnancy and small for gestational age birthweight are not associated with telomere length at 11 years of age