TY - JOUR
T1 - Telomere dynamics in macaques and humans
AU - Gardner, Jeffrey P.
AU - Kimura, Masayuki
AU - Chai, Weihang
AU - Durrani, Jameel F.
AU - Tchakmakjian, Levon
AU - Cao, Xiaojian
AU - Lu, Xiaobin
AU - Li, Guanghui
AU - Peppas, Athanasios P.
AU - Skurnick, Joan
AU - Wright, Woodring E.
AU - Shay, Jerry W.
AU - Aviv, Abraham
PY - 2007/4
Y1 - 2007/4
N2 - In humans, telomere length in proliferating tissues shortens with age - a process accelerated with age-related diseases. Thus, telomere length and attrition with age in the nonhuman primate may serve as a useful paradigm for understanding telomere biology in humans. We examined telomere parameters in tissues of young and old Macaca fascicularis and compared them with several tissues from humans. Macaque telomeres were variable in length and exhibited partial synchrony (equivalence) within animals. They were longer than humans, partially because of longer subtelomeric segments. As skeletal muscle telomere length was unchanged with age, we used it as an internal reference to offset interanimal variation in telomere length. We identified age-dependent telomere attrition in lung, pancreas, skin, and thyroid. Similar to humans, telomerase activity was detected in spleen, thymus, digestive tract, and gonads. We conclude that factors that modify telomere attrition and aging in humans may also operate in the macaque.
AB - In humans, telomere length in proliferating tissues shortens with age - a process accelerated with age-related diseases. Thus, telomere length and attrition with age in the nonhuman primate may serve as a useful paradigm for understanding telomere biology in humans. We examined telomere parameters in tissues of young and old Macaca fascicularis and compared them with several tissues from humans. Macaque telomeres were variable in length and exhibited partial synchrony (equivalence) within animals. They were longer than humans, partially because of longer subtelomeric segments. As skeletal muscle telomere length was unchanged with age, we used it as an internal reference to offset interanimal variation in telomere length. We identified age-dependent telomere attrition in lung, pancreas, skin, and thyroid. Similar to humans, telomerase activity was detected in spleen, thymus, digestive tract, and gonads. We conclude that factors that modify telomere attrition and aging in humans may also operate in the macaque.
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U2 - 10.1093/gerona/62.4.367
DO - 10.1093/gerona/62.4.367
M3 - Article
C2 - 17452729
AN - SCOPUS:34250319356
SN - 1079-5006
VL - 62
SP - 367
EP - 374
JO - Journals of Gerontology - Series A Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences
JF - Journals of Gerontology - Series A Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences
IS - 4
ER -