Telomere length in human white blood cells remains constant with age and is shorter in breast cancer patients.
BACKGROUND
Telomeres, which are TTAGGG repeats at the end of the eukaryotic chromosome, are essential for complete DNA replication. Telomere length has been reported to decrease in peripheral WBC, unlike the telomerase activity found in these cells. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether telomere length in WBC is indeed age dependent and could serve as a genetic marker in breast or ovarian cancer.


METHODS
Five age groups: 20-29; 30-39; 4049; 50-59 and > or = 60 years were examined. The cancer patients were 18 women with ovarian cancer and 18 women with breast cancer. Southern blot analysis of the DNA from peripheral white blood cells (WBC) was performed using 32P-labeled (TTAGGG)3 probe. Blots were scanned in a phosphoimager and analyzed by computer-assisted image analysis.


RESULTS
No statistically significant correlation was observed between telomere length and age in either healthy females or cancer patients. However, significantly shorter median telomere length was found in WBC obtained from breast cancer patients as compared to healthy individuals and ovarian cancer patients.


CONCLUSIONS
It is concluded that telomere length in WBC is not age dependent, but is significantly shorter in breast cancer patients.
Rabin Medical Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tel Aviv University, Sackler School of Medicine, Petah-Tikva, Israel.
T
T
Levy
I
I
Agoulnik
E N
EN
Atkinson
X W
XW
Tong
H M
HM
Gause
A
A
Hasenburg
I B
IB
Runnebaum
E
E
Stickeler
V J
VJ
Möbus
A L
AL
Kaplan
D G
DG
Kieback
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D004247:DNA / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000737:chemistry*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D012016:Reference Values; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D016615:Telomere / Q000737:chemistry*
D004247:DNA