TY - JOUR
T1 - Genetics of leukocyte telomere length and its role in atherosclerosis
AU - Aviv, Abraham
N1 - Funding Information:
The author's work was supported by NIH grants AG20132 , AG21593 and AG30678 .
PY - 2012/2/1
Y1 - 2012/2/1
N2 - Humans display a large inter-individual variation in leukocyte telomere length (LTL), which is influenced by heredity, sex, race/ethnicity, paternal age at conception and environmental exposures. LTL dynamics (birth LTL and its age-dependent attrition thereafter) mirror telomere dynamics in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). LTL at birth is evidently a major determinant of LTL throughout the human lifespan, such that individuals endowed with short (or long) LTL at birth probably have short (or long) LTL later in life. Therefore, the associations of short LTL with atherosclerosis and with diminished survival in the elderly may relate to short birth LTL, accelerated age-dependent LTL attrition, or both. The mechanisms underlying these associations are still not well understood, but they stem in part from genetic factors in control of telomere maintenance and the rate of HSC replication.
AB - Humans display a large inter-individual variation in leukocyte telomere length (LTL), which is influenced by heredity, sex, race/ethnicity, paternal age at conception and environmental exposures. LTL dynamics (birth LTL and its age-dependent attrition thereafter) mirror telomere dynamics in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). LTL at birth is evidently a major determinant of LTL throughout the human lifespan, such that individuals endowed with short (or long) LTL at birth probably have short (or long) LTL later in life. Therefore, the associations of short LTL with atherosclerosis and with diminished survival in the elderly may relate to short birth LTL, accelerated age-dependent LTL attrition, or both. The mechanisms underlying these associations are still not well understood, but they stem in part from genetic factors in control of telomere maintenance and the rate of HSC replication.
KW - Aging
KW - Epigenetics
KW - Genetics
KW - Leukocytes
KW - Telomeres
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84855481090&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84855481090&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.mrfmmm.2011.05.001
DO - 10.1016/j.mrfmmm.2011.05.001
M3 - Review article
C2 - 21600224
AN - SCOPUS:84855481090
SN - 0027-5107
VL - 730
SP - 68
EP - 74
JO - Mutation Research - Fundamental and Molecular Mechanisms of Mutagenesis
JF - Mutation Research - Fundamental and Molecular Mechanisms of Mutagenesis
IS - 1-2
ER -