The long and the short of telomeres in bone marrow recipient SCID patients.
Telomeres are noncoding DNA regions at the end of the chromosomes that are crucial for genome stability. Since telomere length decreases with cell division, they can be used as a signature of cell proliferation history. T-cell reconstitution in severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) subjects, recipients of T-cell-depleted, allogeneic-related bone marrow cells, is due to the development and maturation of donor T-cell precursors in the infant's vestigial thymus and to homeostatic proliferation of mature T cells in the peripheral organs. Since T-cell function, thymic output, and T-cell clonal diversity are maintained long term in these patients, we investigated whether donor T-cell engraftment resulted in increased telomere shortening. Our study of seven SCID patients, following successful bone marrow transplantation, demonstrates that the patients' peripheral T cells did not exhibit greater than normal telomere shortening.
Department of Immunology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA. msarzott@duke.edu
Marcella
M
Sarzotti-Kelsoe
Xiaoju G
XG
Daniell
John F
JF
Whitesides
Rebecca H
RH
Buckley
D000328:Adult; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D054504:Precursor Cells, T-Lymphoid; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics; D016511:Severe Combined Immunodeficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics* / Q000628:therapy; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000637:transplantation; D016615:Telomere / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D014180:Transplantation
D015703:Antigens, CD; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell