A correlation study of telomere length in peripheral blood leukocytes and kidney function with age.

Author: Zhang WG1, Wang Y1, Hou K1, Jia LP2, Ma J3, Zhao L1, Zhu SY4, Bai XJ5, Cai GY1, Wang YP6, Sun XF1, Chen XM1.
Affiliation:
1Department of Nephrology, Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Chinese People's Liberation Army Institute of Nephrology, State Key Laboratory of Kidney Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Kidney Diseases, Beijing 100853, P.R. China. 2Department of Nephrology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, P.R. China. 3Department of Nephrology, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130041, P.R. China. 4Department of Nephrology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang Medical University, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330006, P.R. China. 5Department of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110022, P.R. China. 6The Medicine School of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, P.R. China. Abstract
Conference/Journal: Mol Med Rep.
Date published: 2015 Feb 2
Other: Special Notes: doi: 10.3892/mmr.2015.3292 , Word Count: 208


Abstract
The current study aimed to investigate the association between telomere length in peripheral blood leukocytes and kidney function in various age groups of a healthy population. A total of 139 healthy individuals were divided into five groups according to their age: 35‑44, 45‑54, 55‑64, 65‑74 and >75 years old. Peripheral blood leukocytes were obtained and the telomere restriction fragment (TRF) length was assayed using a digoxigenin‑labeled hybridization probe in Southern blot assays. Laboratory assays of kidney function were also performed. A correlation was observed between TRF length and age (r=‑0.314, P<0.001), with the telomere length of the individuals >75 years group being significantly shorter than the telomere length of the 35‑44, 45‑54 and 55‑64 years age groups (P<0.05). By contrast, the TRF length for males versus females did not differ for any of the age groups, while a correlation was observed between TRF length and serum levels of cystatin C (r=‑0.195, P<0.05). There was also a correlation between TRF length and glomerular filtration rate (r=‑0.184, P<0.05). The current study demonstrated that in this cohort, leukocyte telomere length reduced with age and was correlated with serum levels of cystatin C and glomerular filtration rate. Therefore, TRF length is associated with kidney function and may serve as a marker of aging.
PMID: 25646618

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