Project description:We examined differential expression of genes within 10MBs of telomeres in myoblasts with long or short telomeres We offer telomere looping with telomere length as a partial mechanistic explanation for the changes gene expression that is observed. Compare expression of genes within 10MB of the telomere in normal myoblasts with long (15 kb) and short (6 kb) telomeres.
Project description:We examined differential expression of genes within 10MBs of telomeres in myoblasts with long or short telomeres We offer telomere looping with telomere length as a partial mechanistic explanation for the changes gene expression that is observed.
Project description:Telomere length heterogeneity in various cell types including stem cells and cancer cells has been recognized. Cell heterogeneity also is found in pluripotent stem cells such as embryonic stem cells (ESCs). The implication and mechanisms underlying the heterogeneity remain to be defined. We have optimized a robust method that can simultaneously measure telomere length coupled with RNA-sequencing analysis (scT&R-seq) in the same human ES cell. Using this method, we show that telomere length varies with pluripotency state. Long telomere hESCs highly express TERF1/TRF1 as well as ZFP42/REX1, PRDM14 and NANOG for naïve pluripotency, in contrast to short telomere hESCs. hESCs express high telomerase activity as expected, and ubiquitously express NOP10 and DKC1, stabilizing components of telomerase complexes, regardless of telomere lengths. Moreover, new candidate genes such as MELK, MSH6 and UBQLN1 cluster with long telomeres and pluripotency network. Notably, short telomere hESCs exhibit higher oxidative phosphorylation primed for lineage differentiation, whereas long telomere hESCs show elevated glycolysis, another key feature for naïve pluripotency. Our data further suggest that telomere length is implicated in metabolism activity and pluripotency state of hESCs. Single cell analysis of telomere and RNA-sequencing can be exploited to further understand the molecular mechanisms of telomere heterogeneity.
Project description:Reporter genes inserted immediately adjacent to telomeres are frequently repressed in cells of model organisms as well as human cells, a phenomena referred to as telomere position effect (TPE). TPE has been proposed to be involved in regulation of cellular senescence, cancer and aging. However, the identification of endogenous genes in human cells regulated by natural telomeres has not been reported. Here we show that the expression of interferon simulated gene 15 (ISG15, located on 1p36.33, G1P2) varies with telomere length. ISG15 expression (RNA and protein) increases in human cells with short telomeres, and decreases with the elongation of telomeres by human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT). The up-regulation of ISG15 is independent of p53 and type I interferon, and is not due to replicative senescence and DNA damage. In human skin specimens obtained from various aged individuals, ISG15 was up-regulated in a subset of cells in older individuals. Our results demonstrate that endogenous human genes can be regulated by the length of telomeres prior to the onset of DNA damage signals, and it suggests that telomeres may be involved in the regulation of human physiology that contributes to the process of aging. Keywords: cell type comparison
Project description:This pilot research trial studies telomere length in predicting toxicity in older patients with stage III-IV colorectal cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Studying samples of blood from patients with cancer in the laboratory may help doctors learn more about changes that occur in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and predict how well patients will respond to treatment.
Project description:Vaccination with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) induces long-term innate immune memory, also called trained immunity, characterized by metabolic and epigenetic changes leading to enhanced responsiveness upon exposure to heterologous pathogens. BCG vaccination was also shown to reduce systemic inflammation. Thus, BCG counteracts two significant immunological changes associated with aging: impaired responsiveness and elevated systemic inflammation. However, if and how BCG impacts other aging-related processes in immune cells, such as telomere shortening, remains unexplored. In this study, we investigated the transcriptional impact of BCG training on telomere maintenance-related genes through RNA sequencing and determined average telomere length from whole blood via RT-qPCR before and three months after BCG vaccination in two independent human cohorts. Trained immunity response was measured by ex-vivo cytokine production induced by a heterologous stimulus three months after vaccination compared to baseline. In addition, we examined the effects of BCG on telomerase activation using an in vitro trained immunity model. In vitro BCG training upregulated processes related to telomere maintenance and telomerase localization. In vivo, we observed shorter telomeres three months after BCG vaccination in both studies. Interestingly, the induction of a trained immunity response by BCG was correlated to the change in telomere length: more telomere shortening was observed in trained immunity non-responder individuals, particularly in males. Higher testosterone concentrations before vaccination were linked to more telomere loss. In vitro, BCG training of human monocytes activated the telomerase enzyme, predominantly in females, an effect that was blocked by exogenous testosterone treatment. Overall, this study reports sex-specific long-term impacts of BCG vaccination on telomerase activity and telomere maintenance. These data add to the arguments that BCG vaccination impacts aging mechanisms, which warrants more investigation.
Project description:Diseases caused by gene haploinsufficiency in humans commonly lack a phenotype in mice heterozygous for the orthologous factor, although the source of this discrepancy is unknown. The inability to accurately model human disease in mice impedes the study of complex phenotypes and critically limits the discovery and testing of potential therapeutics. Laboratory mice have longer telomeres (>40 kilobases (kb)) compared to humans (~5-15 kb), potentially protecting them from age-related disease caused by haploinsufficiency. In humans, heterozygous non-sense mutations in the transcription factor, NOTCH1 (N1), lead to severe age-dependent aortic valve (AV) calcification. However, mice heterozygous for N1 do not develop calcific AV disease (CAVD)5. Here, we show that telomere shortening is sufficient to elicit age-dependent cardiac valve disease in N1+/- mice that closely mimics the human disease and that progressive shortening correlates with severity of disease, extending to AV thickening in the neonate. N1 haploinsufficiency led to increased proliferation in valves that further reduced telomere length. Calcified AVs exhibited downregulation of osteoclast factors and upregulation of pro-calcific regulatory nodes concordant with gene network alterations in human N1 heterozygous endothelial cells. Dysregulated genes in valves were enriched for those that have promoters normally contacted by telomere looping. These findings reveal a critical role for telomere length in a mouse model of age-dependent human disease that may have broader implications and provides an in vivo model in which to test therapeutic candidates to prevent or delay the progression of CAVD.
Project description:Telomeres are specialized nucleoprotein structures at the ends of linear chromosomes that are essential for the stability as well as the complete replication of the human genome. The progressive shortening of steady-state telomere length in normal human somatic cells is a promising biomarker for age-associated diseases. However, there remain substantial challenges in quantifying telomere length in clinics and research laboratories due to the lack of accurate and high-throughput telomere length measurement method. Here, we describe a novel workflow to capture and analyze telomeres accurately at the single-nucleotide resolution. By using newly designed telobaits that are complementary to the single-stranded G-rich 3’ telomeric overhangs, we can specifically and efficiently capture full-length telomeres and subject them to single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing. We show that the telomere length can be measured at nucleotide resolution using the PacBio high fidelity (HiFi) sequencing platform, which provides the necessary accuracy and throughput to uncover the steady-state telomere length distribution in human culture cell lines as well as clinical patient samples. This new method is a valuable tool not only in population-wide epidemiology studies but also for the longitudinal assessment of telomere attrition in individuals. Our results also reveal the extreme heterogeneity of telomeric variant sequences (TVSs) that is dispersed throughout the telomere repeat region. Importantly, the unique distribution pattern and sequence of TVSs in individuals may be used as a fingerprint for sample identification. In addition, the presence of TVSs disrupts the continuity of the canonical (5’-TTAGGG-3’)n telomere repeats, which could affect the binding of shelterin complexes at the chromosomal ends. Therefore, TVSs may act as a form of genetic polymorphisms that impairs telomere protection. Together with the absolute telomere length in each individual, TVSs may have profound implications in human aging and diseases.