Cytomegalovirus infection reduces telomere length of the circulating T cell pool.
Short telomeres of circulating leukocytes are a risk factor for age-related diseases, such as atherosclerosis, but the exact mechanisms generating variations in telomere length are unknown. We hypothesized that induction of differentiated T cells during chronic CMV infection would affect T cell telomere length. To test this, we measured the amount of differentiated T cells and telomere length of lymphocytes during primary CMV infection as well as CMV-seropositive and -seronegative healthy individuals. After primary CMV infection, we observed an increase in highly differentiated cells that coincided with a steep drop in telomere length. Moreover, we found in a cohort of 159 healthy individuals that telomere shortening was more rapid in CMV-seropositive individuals and correlated with the amount of differentiated T cells in both CD4(+) T cells and CD8(+) T cells. Finally, we found that telomere length measured in blood leukocytes is correlated with lymphocyte telomere length. Thus, CMV infection induces a strong decrease in T cell telomere length, which can be explained by changes in the composition of the circulating lymphocyte pool.
van de Berg
Pablo J E J
PJ
Department of Experimental Immunology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. p.j.vandeberg@amc.nl
Griffiths
Stephen J
SJ
Yong
Si-La
SL
Macaulay
Richard
R
Bemelman
Frederike J
FJ
Jackson
Sarah
S
Henson
Sian M
SM
ten Berge
Ineke J M
IJ
Akbar
Arne N
AN
van Lier
René A W
RA
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000276:immunology; D002469:Cell Separation; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D015774:Ganciclovir / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D016615:Telomere / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology; D014766:Viremia / Q000188:drug therapy; D055815:Young Adult
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D004279:DNA, Viral; D015774:Ganciclovir