Association of Leukocyte Telomere Length and Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number in Children from Salamanca, Mexico.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a correlation between telomere length (TL) and mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn) in children.


METHODS
Leukocyte TL and mtDNAcn were measured by real-time PCR in 98 Mexican children 6-12 years of age from Salamanca, México.


RESULTS
A positive association was found between TL and mtDNAcn after a natural log transformation (Pearson correlation r = 0.72; p < 0.0001). No correlation between age and body mass index (BMI) biomarkers was found, and no differences according to sex were observed. After adjustment for these variables, a linear regression model showed an association between TL and mtDNAcn (β = 0.739, 95% confidence interval 0.594; 0.885, p < 0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
A strong positive correlation between TL and mtDNAcn was found in the study population; age, sex, and BMI seemed to have no effect on this correlation.
1 División de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Departamento de Farmacia, Campus Guanajuato, Universidad de Guanajuato , Guanajuato, México .|2 Laboratorio de Investigación Molecular en Nutrición, LIMON, Universidad del Centro de México UCEM , San Luis Potosí, México .
Jorge Alejandro
JA
Alegría-Torres
1 División de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Departamento de Farmacia, Campus Guanajuato, Universidad de Guanajuato , Guanajuato, México .
Marion
M
Velázquez-Villafaña
3 División de Ciencias de la Vida, Departamento de Ciencias Ambientales, Universidad de Guanajuato , Guanajuato, México .
Juan Manuel
JM
López-Gutiérrez
4 Unidad Interdisciplinaria de Ingeniería, Campus Guanajuato, Instituto Politécnico Nacional , Silao, Guanajuato, México .
Marcela M
MM
Chagoyán-Martínez
1 División de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Departamento de Farmacia, Campus Guanajuato, Universidad de Guanajuato , Guanajuato, México .
Diana O
DO
Rocha-Amador
3 División de Ciencias de la Vida, Departamento de Ciencias Ambientales, Universidad de Guanajuato , Guanajuato, México .
Rogelio
R
Costilla-Salazar
2 Laboratorio de Investigación Molecular en Nutrición, LIMON, Universidad del Centro de México UCEM , San Luis Potosí, México .
Lizeth
L
García-Torres
D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D002648:Child; D056915:DNA Copy Number Variations; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D018628:Gene Dosage; D006801:Humans; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000235:genetics; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016615:Telomere / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D059506:Telomere Shortening / Q000235:genetics
D015415:Biomarkers; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial
Mexican children; mitochondrial DNA copy number; telomere length