Telomere

[Petr75]

2019 Nov
UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco
Telomere Length Is Associated with Disability Progression in Multiple Sclerosis.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31486104

Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
To assess whether biological aging as measured by leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is associated with clinical disability and brain volume loss in multiple sclerosis (MS).
METHODS:
Adults with MS/clinically isolated syndrome in the University of California, San Francisco EPIC cohort study were included. LTL was measured on DNA samples by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and expressed as telomere to somatic DNA (T/S) ratio. Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and 3-dimensional T1-weighted brain magnetic resonance imaging were performed at baseline and follow-up. Associations of baseline LTL with cross-sectional and longitudinal outcomes were assessed using simple and mixed effects linear regression models. A subset (n = 46) had LTL measured over time, and we assessed the association of LTL change with EDSS change with mixed effects models.
RESULTS:
Included were 356 women and 160 men (mean age = 43 years, median disease duration = 6 years, median EDSS = 1.5 [range = 0-7], mean T/S ratio = 0.97 [standard deviation = 0.18]). In baseline analyses adjusted for age, disease duration, and sex, for every 0.2 lower LTL, EDSS was 0.27 higher (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.13-0.42, p < 0.001) and brain volume was 7.4mm3 lower (95% CI = 0.10-14.7, p = 0.047). In longitudinal adjusted analyses, those with lower baseline LTL had higher EDSS and lower brain volumes over time. In adjusted analysis of the subset, LTL change was associated with EDSS change over 10 years; for every 0.2 LTL decrease, EDSS was 0.34 higher (95% CI = 0.08-0.61, p = 0.012).
INTERPRETATION:
Shorter telomere length was associated with disability independent of chronological age, suggesting that biological aging may contribute to neurological injury in MS. Targeting aging-related mechanisms is a potential therapeutic strategy against MS progression. ANN NEUROL 2019;86:671-682.

[Petr75]

2020 Feb 5
Department of Human Genetics, Ruhr-University, Bochum, Germany
Association Between Shorter Leukocyte Telomeres and Multiple Sclerosis
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3205015 ... sclerosis/

Abstract

Relative telomere length (TL) is regarded as a biomarker of biological age. Accelerated immune aging, as represented by TL reduction, has been demonstrated in autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS). However, it is still unresolved whether telomere shortening is the cause or the consequence of the pathogenic events underlying autoimmunity. Assessing TL in whole blood DNA samples in 138 MS patients and 120 healthy controls showed reduced TL in patients as compared with controls. There seems to be a prelude of accelerated telomere shortening, which may increase the risk for development of MS.