title: Parental care influences leukocyte telomere length with gender specificity in parents and offsprings.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There have been several reports suggesting that adverse childhood experiences such as physical maltreatment and long institutionalization influence telomere length. However, there has been no study examining the relationship of telomere length with variations in parental rearing. In the present study, we examined the relationship of leukocyte telomere length with parental rearing in healthy subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  The subjects were 581 unrelated healthy Japanese subjects. Perceived parental rearing was assessed by the Parental Bonding Instrument consisting of the care and protection factors. Leukocyte relative telomere length was determined by a quantitative real-time PCR method for a ratio of telomere/single copy gene.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the multiple regression analyses, shorter telomere length in males was related to lower scores of paternal care (β = 0.139, p < 0.05), while that in females was related to lower scores of maternal care (β = 0.195, p < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study suggests that there is linear relationship between parental care and telomere length which covers both lower and higher ends of parental care, and that the effects of parental care on telomere length are gender-specific in parents and offsprings.
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Enokido
authors.forename: Akihito
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Ryoichi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sadahiro
authors.forename: Yoshihiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Fumikazu
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kuwahata
authors.forename: Nana
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Kaoru
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Otani
mesh_terms: D044466:Asian People; D002648:Child; D002668:Child Rearing; D005260:Female; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012737:Sex Factors; D016615:Telomere / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult