title: Changes of telomere status with aging: An update.
abstract: Accumulated data have shown that most human somatic cells or tissues show irreversible telomere shortening with age, and that there are strong associations between telomere attrition and aging-related diseases, including cancers, diabetes and cognitive disorders. Although it has been largely accepted that telomere attrition is one of the major causes of aging-related disorders, critical aspects of telomere biology remain unresolved, especially the lack of standardized methodology for quantification of telomere length. Another frustrating issue is that no potentially promising methods for safe prevention of telomere erosion, or for telomere elongation, have been devised. Here, we review several methods for quantification of telomere length currently utilized worldwide, considering their advantages and drawbacks. We also summarize the results of our recent studies of human cells and tissues, mainly using quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization and Southern blotting, including those derived from patients with progeria-prone Werner syndrome and trisomy 21, and several strains of induced pluripotent stem cells. We discuss the possible merits of using telomere shortness as an indicator, or a new marker, for diagnosis of precancerous states and aging-related disorders. In addition, we describe newly found factors that are thought to impact telomere dynamics, providing a new avenue for examining the unsolved issues related to telomere restoration and maintenance.
authors.affiliation: Research Team for Geriatric Pathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Naoshi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.affiliation: Research Team for Geriatric Pathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Ken-Ichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.affiliation: Research Team for Geriatric Pathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Naotaka
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Izumiyama-Shimomura
authors.affiliation: Research Team for Geriatric Pathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan.|Department of Pathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aida
authors.affiliation: Research Team for Geriatric Pathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan.|Department of Pathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsuda
authors.affiliation: Research Team for Geriatric Pathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan.|Department of Pathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Arai
authors.affiliation: Research Team for Geriatric Pathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan.|Department of Pathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Kaiyo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takubo
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics*; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D016615:Telomere / Q000502:physiology*; D059505:Telomere Homeostasis / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: precancerous states; quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization; replicative senescence; telomere; terminal restriction fragment