Measuring relative telomere length: Is tissue an issue?

Measuring relative telomere length: Is tissue an issue?

the specialized structures at chromosome ends, consist of long stretches of protein-bound TTAGGG repeats [1]. In certain cell types, such as germ cells and stem cell populations, the length of telomeric DNA is maintained by the enzyme telo-merase. Most somatic cells, however, lack sufficient telomerase; consequently, telomeric DNA shortens progressively with each cell division. Upon reaching a ...

Genome-Wide Association Study of Relative Telomere Length

Telomere function is essential to maintaining the physical integrity of linear chromosomes and healthy human aging. The probability of forming proper telomere structures depends on the length of the telomeric DNA tract. We attempted to identify common genetic variants associated with log relative telomere length using genome-wide genotyping data on 3,554 individuals from the Nurses' Health Stud...

Is Leukocyte Telomere Length Related with Lung Cancer Risk?: A Meta-Analysis

Background: Epidemiological studies have probed the correlation between telomere length and the risk of lung cancer, but their findings are inconsistent in this regard.  The present meta-analysis study has been carried out to demonstrate the association between relative telomere length in peripheral blood leukocytes and the risk of lung cancer using an established Q-PCR technique. Methods:...

Pancreatic neoplasm in 2012: an update. Tissue is an issue!

Measuring telomere length and telomere dynamics in evolutionary biology and ecology

Telomeres play a fundamental role in the protection of chromosomal DNA and in the regulation of cellular senescence. Recent work in human epidemiology and evolutionary ecology suggests adult telomere length (TL) may reflect past physiological stress and predict subsequent morbidity and mortality, independent of chronological age.Several different methods have been developed to measure TL, each ...