Synchrony of telomere length among hematopoietic cells

Abstract

Objective-Little is known about the relations of telomere lengths among leukocyte subsets and between leukocytes and cells up the hematopoietic hierarchy. This information is relevant, since telomere dynamics in granulocytes were postulated to mirror those of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs).Subjects and Methods-We examined in newborns' cord blood (UCB) the relationships of telomere length in hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) (CD34 + CD45 − ) with that in T lymphocytes and in granulocytes. In addition, we correlated telomere length in granulocytes with that in whole leukocyte samples of individuals with age range between birth and 100 years.Results-In the UCB, we found strong correlations of telomere length in HPCs with telomere lengths in T lymphocytes (r ranging from 0.882-0.935, p ranging from 0.0038-0.0007) and in granulocytes (r=0.930, p=0.0072). At birth, strong correlations were also observed between telomere length in granulocytes and that in all leukocytes (r=0.979, p=0.0003). Throughout the human lifespan, the relationship between telomere length in granulocytes and that in all leukocytes was r>0.980, p<0.0001.Conclusions-Robust synchrony exists among leukocyte subsets throughout the human lifespan; individuals with relatively long (or short) telomeres in one leukocyte subset have long (or short) telomeres in other leukocyte subsets. Moreover, telomere length in leukocytes reflects its length in cells up the hematopoietic hierarchy, i.e., HPCs and, by inference, HSCs. Strong links have been found by many studies between leukocyte telomere length and a host of aging-related diseases. Our findings suggest, therefore, that that these links might be traced to telomere dynamics in HSCs.

Leukocyte Telomere Length in Relation to Pancreatic Cancer Risk: A Prospective Study

“…Genetic studies have shown that the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene, an enzyme that is fundamental for the accurate de novo synthesis of telomeric ends, is one of the few identified risk loci for pancreatic cancer (8) as well as other tumor types (21). There is evidence pointing to a strong correlation in telomere length across somatic tissues and suggesting that the variability across cell and tissue types is remarkably lower than the interindividual variability of LTL (22)(23)(24), and natural rates of telomere shortening with age appear to follow a pattern of remarkable synchrony across different somatic tissue types (25). These observations identify LTL as a good proxy for overall telomere length and therefore a possibly useful marker for cancer risk.…”

Transgenerational Effects of PTSD or Traumatic Stress: Do Telomeres Reach Across the Generations?

“…Still, some cross-sectional studies report synchrony over different tissues. One study by Kimura et al [40], for example, reported significant correlations between TL of hematopoietic progenitor cells from newborn umbilical cord blood samples and TL from lymphocytes or granulocytes, with r´s ranging from r =.88 to r =.94 [40]. In a second phase of their study, they showed that correlation between granulocytes TL and leukocyte TL were high at birth (r =.98) and stayed strong different age groups (r = .98).…”

“…In a second phase of their study, they showed that correlation between granulocytes TL and leukocyte TL were high at birth (r =.98) and stayed strong different age groups (r = .98). These results derived from cross-sectional data of a cohort with 24 subjects (age 22 to 34 years) and another cohort with 400 subjects (age 0 to 100 years) [40]. Some studies implied TL synchrony between different tissue samples across different stages of an organism´s development.…”

“…So far, only few studies have compared TL concordance across different tissues [40][41][42][43][44][45], and to date no study observed TL dynamics in different tissue samples across multiple time points to compare TL dynamics between tissues over time. Still, some cross-sectional studies report synchrony over different tissues.…”

Leukocyte telomere length and age at menopause

“…Telomere length appears to be inherited [6][7][8][9] and is highly correlated across various tissues within an individual. 6,[10][11][12][13][14] By influencing the number of possible cell divisions, telomere length could partly determine the number of primordial follicles and thus a woman's overall reproductive potential.…”