title: Telomere length, cardiovascular risk and arteriosclerosis in human kidneys: an observational cohort study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Replicative senescence, associated with telomere shortening, plays an important role in aging and cardiovascular disease. The relation between telomere length, cardiovascular risk, and renal disease is unknown.
  
  
  METHODS
  Our study consisted of a cohort of 257 kidney donors for transplantation, divided into a test and a validation cohort. We used quantitative RT-PCR to measure relative telomere length (log T/S ratio) in peripheral blood leucocytes, and in kidney biopsies performed prior to implantation. The association between leucocyte and intrarenal telomere length, cardiovascular risk factors, and renal histology, was studied using multiple regression models, adjusted for calendar age, gender and other donor demographics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Subjects with intrarenal arteriosclerosis had significantly shorter leucocyte telomere length compared with patients without arteriosclerosis (log T/S ratio -0.3±0.4 vs. 0.1±0.2 with vs. without arteriosclerosis; p=0.0008). Intrarenal arteriosclerosis was associated with shorter telomere length, independent of gender, calendar age, history of hypertension and history of cardiovascular events. For each increase of one standard deviation of the log T/S ratio, the odds for intrarenal arteriosclerosis decreased with 64% (Odds ratio 0.36; 95% CI 0.17-0.77; p=0.02). In accordance with leucocyte telomere length, shorter intrarenal telomere length associated significantly with the presence of renal arteriosclerosis (log T/S ratio -0.04±0.06 vs. 0.08±0.01 with vs. without arteriosclerosis, p=0.007), and not with other histological lesions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We demonstrate that arteriosclerosis in smaller intrarenal arteries is associated with shorter telomere length. Our study suggests a central role of replicative senescence in the progression of renovascular disease, independent of calendar age.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.|Department of Nephrology and Renal Transplantation, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Katrien
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: De Vusser
authors.affiliation: Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium.
authors.forename: Nicky
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pieters
authors.affiliation: Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium.
authors.forename: Bram
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Janssen
authors.affiliation: Department of Imaging and Pathology, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.|Department of Pathology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Evelyne
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lerut
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.|Department of Nephrology and Renal Transplantation, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kuypers
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.|Department of Abdominal Transplantation Surgery, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Ina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Jochmans
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.|Department of Abdominal Transplantation Surgery, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Diethard
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Monbaliu
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.|Department of Abdominal Transplantation Surgery, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pirenne
authors.affiliation: Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium.|Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nawrot
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.|Department of Nephrology and Renal Transplantation, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Maarten
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Naesens
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000473:pathology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology*; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059505:Telomere Homeostasis; D014019:Tissue Donors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: arteriosclerosis; histology; kidney; replicative senescence; telomere length