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Circulating leukocyte telomere length is highly heritable among families of Arab descent
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Al-Attas, Omar S., Al-Daghri, Nasser M., Alokail, Majed S., Alkharfy, Khalid M., Alfadda, Assim, McTernan, P. G. (Philip G.), Gibson, Greg, Sabico, Shaun and Chrousos, George P. (2012) Circulating leukocyte telomere length is highly heritable among families of Arab descent. BMC Medical Genetics, Vol.13 (No.1). p. 38. doi:10.1186/1471-2350-13-38 ISSN 1471-2350.
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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-2350-13-38
Abstract
Background
Telomere length, an indicator of ageing and longevity, has been correlated with several biomarkers of cardiometabolic disease in both Arab children and adults. It is not known, however, whether or not telomere length is a highly conserved inheritable trait in this homogeneous cohort, where age-related diseases are highly prevalent. As such, the aim of this study was to address the inheritability of telomere length in Saudi families and the impact of cardiometabolic disease biomarkers on telomere length.
Methods
A total of 119 randomly selected Saudi families (123 adults and 131 children) were included in this cross-sectional study. Anthropometrics were obtained and fasting blood samples were taken for routine analyses of fasting glucose and lipid profile. Leukocyte telomere length was determined using quantitative real time PCR.
Results
Telomere length was highly heritable as assessed by a parent-offspring regression [h2 = 0.64 (p = 0.0006)]. Telomere length was modestly associated with BMI (R2 0.07; p-value 0.0087), total cholesterol (R2 0.08; p-value 0.0033), and LDL-cholesterol (R2 0.15; p-value 3 x 10-5) after adjustments for gender, age and age within generation.
Conclusion
The high heritability of telomere length in Arab families, and the associations of telomere length with various cardiometabolic parameters suggest heritable genetic fetal and/or epigenetic influences on the early predisposition of Arab children to age-related diseases and accelerated ageing.
Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||
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Subjects: | Q Science > QP Physiology | ||||
Divisions: | Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Medicine > Warwick Medical School > Biomedical Sciences > Translational & Experimental Medicine > Metabolic and Vascular Health (- until July 2016) Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Medicine > Warwick Medical School |
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Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Telomere, Heredity -- Saudi Arabia, Metabolism -- Disorders -- Susceptibility, Aging -- Saudi Arabia | ||||
Journal or Publication Title: | BMC Medical Genetics | ||||
Publisher: | BioMed Central Ltd. | ||||
ISSN: | 1471-2350 | ||||
Official Date: | 2012 | ||||
Dates: |
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Volume: | Vol.13 | ||||
Number: | No.1 | ||||
Page Range: | p. 38 | ||||
DOI: | 10.1186/1471-2350-13-38 | ||||
Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||
Publication Status: | Published | ||||
Access rights to Published version: | Open Access (Creative Commons) | ||||
Date of first compliant deposit: | 23 December 2015 | ||||
Date of first compliant Open Access: | 23 December 2015 | ||||
Funder: | Madīnat al-Malik ʻAbd al-ʻAzīz lil-ʻUlūm wa-al-Tiqnīyah [King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology] (KACST) | ||||
Grant number: | APR-26-046 (KACST) |
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