Sex-specific telomere length profiles and age-dependent erosion dynamics of individual chromosome arms in humans.
During aging, telomeres are gradually shortened, eventually leading to cellular senescence. By T/C-FISH (telomere/centromere-FISH), we investigated human telomere length differences on single chromosome arms of 205 individuals in different age groups and sexes. For all chromosome arms, we found a linear correlation between telomere length and donor age. Generally, males had shorter telomeres and higher attrition rates. Every chromosome arm had its individual age-specific telomere length and erosion pattern, resulting in an unexpected heterogeneity in chromosome-specific regression lines. This differential erosion pattern, however, does not seem to be accidental, since we found a correlation between average telomere length of single chromosome arms in newborns and their annual attrition rate. Apart from the above-mentioned sex-specific discrepancies, chromosome arm-specific telomere lengths were strikingly similar in men and women. This implies a mechanism that arm specifically regulates the telomere length independent of gender, thus leading to interchromosomal telomere variations.
Mayer
S
S
Institute of Pathology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.
Brüderlein
S
S
Perner
S
S
Waibel
I
I
Holdenried
A
A
Ciloglu
N
N
Hasel
C
C
Mattfeldt
T
T
Nielsen
K V
KV
Möller
P
P
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002877:Chromosomes, Human / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D007223:Infant; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008677:Metaphase; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D016615:Telomere / Q000648:ultrastructure*