title: Circulating MicroRNAs and Life Expectancy Among Identical Twins.
abstract: Human life expectancy is influenced not only by longevity assurance mechanisms and disease susceptibility loci but also by the environment, gene-environment interactions, and chance. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small noncoding RNAs closely related to genes. Circulating miRNAs have been shown as promising noninvasive biomarkers in the development of many pathophysiological conditions. However, the concentration of miRNA in the circulation may also be affected by environmental factors. We used a next-generation sequencing platform to assess the association of circulating miRNA with life expectancy, for which deaths are due to all causes independent of genes. In addition, we showed that miRNAs are present in 41-year archived plasma samples, which may be useful for both life expectancy and all-cause mortality risk assessment. Plasma miRNAs from nine identical male twins were profiled using next-generation sequencing. The average absolute difference in the minimum life expectancy was 9.68 years. Intraclass correlation coefficients were above 0.4 for 50% of miRNAs. Comparing deceased twins with their alive co-twin brothers, the concentrations were increased for 34 but decreased for 30 miRNAs. Identical twins discordant in life expectancy were dissimilar in the majority of miRNAs, suggesting that environmental factors are pivotal in miRNAs related to life expectancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Laredo, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Shenghui
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Taek-Kyun
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Xiaogang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Kelsey
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Scherler
authors.affiliation: Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Baxter
authors.affiliation: Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Sciences, Biosciences Division, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Ruth E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Krasnow
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Terry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Reed
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Des Moines University, Des Moines, IA, USA.|Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt Center for Translational and Clinical Cardiovascular Research (VTRACC), Institute of Medicine and Public Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dai
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008017:Life Expectancy; D008297:Male; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality; D014430:Twins, Monozygotic / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D035683:MicroRNAs
keywords: Next-generation sequencing; all-cause mortality; life expectancy; microRNAs; twin