title: The role of IL-1 gene cluster in longevity: a study in Italian population.
abstract: In this study, we analysed the polymorphic variants of IL-1alpha (C-T transition at position -889), IL-1beta (C-T transition at position -511) and IL-1 receptor antagonist (Ra) (86-bp repeated sequence in intron 2) in 1131 subjects (453 females and 678 males) from Northern and Central Italy, including 134 centenarians, to evaluate whether IL-1 cluster alleles might be differently represented in people selected for longevity. In addition, IL-1Ra and IL-1beta plasma levels were quantified by ELISA in 130 randomly selected subjects. No significant differences in the genotype and allele frequency distributions were observed between young, elderly and centenarian subjects. IL-1Ra plasma levels showed an age-related increase, whereas IL-1beta plasma levels did not show any detectable age-related trend. Neither IL-1Ra nor IL-1beta plasma levels showed any relationship with genotypes of the three IL-1 genes. These results suggest that no one particular polymorphism in the IL-1 gene cluster yields an advantage for survival in the last decades of life, and that the age-related increase in plasma levels of IL-1Ra seems not to be genetically regulated but a likely safeguard mechanism to buffer the age-associated increased inflammatory state.
authors.affiliation: Direzione Scientifica, Italian National Research Center on Aging, Villa Gusso, Via S. Margherita, n. 5 60121, Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cavallone
authors.forename: Massimiliano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bonafè
authors.forename: Fabiola
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Olivieri
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cardelli
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Marchegiani
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Giovagnetti
authors.forename: Grazia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Stasio
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Giampieri
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mugianesi
authors.forename: Rosalia
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stecconi
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sciacca
authors.forename: Luigi Maria
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Grimaldi
authors.forename: Giovanna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: De Benedictis
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lio
authors.forename: Calogero
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Caruso
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Franceschi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D007558:Italy; D008136:Longevity / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D005810:Multigene Family; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011897:Random Allocation
chemical_list: D007375:Interleukin-1