Decreasing initial telomere length in humans intergenerationally understates age-associated telomere shortening.

ABSTRACT: Telomere length shortens with aging, and short telomeres have been linked to a wide variety of pathologies. Previous studies suggested a discrepancy in age-associated telomere shortening rate estimated by cross-sectional studies versus the rate measured in longitudinal studies, indicating a potential bias in cross-sectional estimates. Intergenerational changes in initial telomere length, such as that predicted by the previously described effect of a father's age at birth of his offspring (FAB), could explain the discrepancy in shortening rate measurements. We evaluated whether changes occur in initial telomere length over multiple generations in three large datasets and identified paternal birth year (PBY) as a variable that reconciles the difference between longitudinal and cross-sectiona

SUBMITTER: Holohan B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4531080 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature