Telomere Shortening Drives Atrial Fibrillation Through VCAM-1 Mediated Atrial Electrical and Structural Remodeling.

ABSTRACT: Telomere shortening is a hallmark of aging and has been implicated in cardiovascular disease, but its mechanistic link to atrial fibrillation (AF) remains elusive. Using a high-throughput, single-gene-calibrated dot blot assay, we developed to quantify leukocyte telomere length (LTL). In age-stratified analyses, shorter LTL was associated with AF predominantly in individuals younger than 70 years. In telomerase-deficient (TERT^-/-) mice with telomere dysfunction, higher AF inducibility, atrial electrical conduction slowing, and atrial fibrosis were observed. Transcriptomic profiling revealed significant alterations in extracellular matrix and cell adhesion pathways in response to telomere dysfunction. Subsequent validation identified vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) as

SUBMITTER: Wang Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12903549 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature