title: Impact of vitamin D receptor polymorphisms in centenarians.
abstract: Vitamin D is a seco-sterol produced endogenously in the skin or obtained from certain foods. It exerts its action through binding to intracellular vitamin D receptor (VDR). Lately, the role of vitamin D has been revised regarding its potential advantage on delaying the process of aging. The aim of this study was to assess the contribution of VDR gene polymorphisms in healthy aging and longevity. We evaluated the frequency of four polymorphisms of the VDR gene (FokI, BsmI, ApaI, and TaqI) in centenarians (102 subjects, mean age: 102.3 ± 0.3 years), compared to septuagenarians (163 subjects, mean age: 73.0 ± 0.6 years) and we analyzed a variety of pathophysiologically relevant functions in centenarians. BsmI and ApaI provided a significant association with longevity: there was a highly significant difference in the frequency of BsmI genotypes (p = 0.037), ApaI genotypes (p = 0.022), and ApaI alleles (p = 0.050) in centenarians versus septuagenarians. Furthermore, we found a significant correlation of all the VDR gene polymorphisms in centenarians with some measured variables such as hand grip strength, body mass index, blood pressure, HDL cholesterol, and mini-mental state examination. We also found a correlation with the prevalence of medical history of hypertension, acute myocardial infarction, angina, venous insufficiency, dementia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and arthrosis. In conclusion, this study proposes a new scenario in which the variability of the VDR gene is relevant in the aging process and emphasizes the role of VDR genetic background in determining healthy aging.
authors.affiliation: Geriatric Unit, Department of Medical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Via Pace 9, 20122, Milan, Italy. cristina.gussago@unimi.it.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2708-3112
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gussago
authors.affiliation: Geriatric Unit, Department of Medical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Via Pace 9, 20122, Milan, Italy.|Geriatric Unit, Fondazione Ca' Granda, IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Beatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Arosio
authors.affiliation: Fondazione Don C. Gnocchi IRCCS, 20121, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Franca Rosa
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Guerini
authors.affiliation: Geriatric Unit, Department of Medical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Via Pace 9, 20122, Milan, Italy.|Nutritional Sciences, University of Milan, 20122, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Evelyn
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ferri
authors.affiliation: Fondazione Don C. Gnocchi IRCCS, 20121, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea Saul
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: Geriatric Unit, Department of Medical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Via Pace 9, 20122, Milan, Italy.|Nutritional Sciences, University of Milan, 20122, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Casati
authors.affiliation: Geriatric Unit, Department of Medical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Via Pace 9, 20122, Milan, Italy.|Geriatric Unit, Fondazione Ca' Granda, IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Elisa Mariadele
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Bollini
authors.affiliation: Geriatric Unit, Department of Medical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Via Pace 9, 20122, Milan, Italy.|Geriatric Unit, Fondazione Ca' Granda, IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ronchetti
authors.affiliation: Geriatric Unit, Department of Medical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Via Pace 9, 20122, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Colombo
authors.affiliation: Geriatric Unit, Department of Medical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Via Pace 9, 20122, Milan, Italy.|Geriatric Unit, Fondazione Ca' Granda, IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bernardelli
authors.affiliation: Geriatric Unit, Fondazione Ca' Granda, IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122, Milan, Italy.|Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, 20133, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Clerici
authors.affiliation: Geriatric Unit, Department of Medical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Via Pace 9, 20122, Milan, Italy.|Geriatric Unit, Fondazione Ca' Granda, IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mari
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics*; D000483:Alleles; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005838:Genotype; D018737:Hand Strength / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D018167:Receptors, Calcitriol / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D018167:Receptors, Calcitriol; C579457:VDR protein, human
keywords: Biology of aging; Centenarian; Co-morbidity; Longevity