title: Telomerase, telomere length, and coronary artery calcium in black and white men in the CARDIA study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate whether telomerase activity, measured in circulating blood leukocytes, might be associated with prevalent atherosclerosis, or predict future coronary artery disease risk.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We examined associations of telomerase activity levels measured at year 15 in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study with prevalent coronary artery calcium (CAC), progressive CAC at year 20, and incident CAC between years 15 and 20, in 440 black and white men aged 33-45 years. Telomere length was also measured in a subset of participants (N=129). In multivariate-adjusted analysis, higher quartiles of telomerase were cross-sectionally associated with greater odds of prevalent CAC at year 15 (quartile 2: OR=1.32, 95% CI: 0.54-3.23; quartile 3: OR=1.40, 95% CI: 0.60-3.30; quartile 4: OR=3.27, 95% CI: 1.39-7.71 compared with quartile 1, p-continuous=0.012) and progressive CAC at year 20, but telomerase was not significantly associated with incidence of newly detectable CAC. Higher telomerase activity levels predicted greater CAC progression at year 20 among persons with short telomere length; low telomerase and short TL predicted less CAC progression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Telomerase activity in leukocytes was associated with calcified atherosclerotic plaque, and was also a predictor of advancing plaque among persons with short telomeres.
authors.affiliation: Kaiser Permanente Division of Research, 2101 Webster Street, 4th floor, Oakland, CA 94612, USA. candyce.h.kroenke@kp.org
authors.forename: Candyce H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Kroenke
authors.forename: Mark J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Pletcher
authors.forename: Jue
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Blackburn
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Adler
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matthews
authors.forename: Elissa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Epel
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000235:genetics*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000379:methods; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000201:enzymology / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000201:enzymology*; D016014:Linear Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D019098:Telomerase / Q000097:blood*; D016615:Telomere / Q000378:metabolism*; D059506:Telomere Shortening; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D015854:Up-Regulation; D061205:Vascular Calcification / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000201:enzymology / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics*; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: C509186:TERT protein, human; D019098:Telomerase