Positive association and future perspectives of mitochondrial DNA copy number and telomere length – a pilot twin study

Melicher, Dóra; Illés, Anett; Littvay, Levente; Tárnoki, Ádám Domonkos; Tárnoki, Dávid László; Bikov, András; Kunos, László; Csabán, Dóra; Buzás, Edit I.; Molnár, Mária Judit; Falus, András

doi:10.5114/aoms.2019.83173

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 61 publications

(75 reference statements)

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“…The normal process of fertilization may be affected by alterations in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) [44][45][46][47]. Nonetheless, not much research has been conducted on potential correlations between telomeres and mitochondrial characteristics in human sperm.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association of Obesity with Telomere Length in Human Sperm

Moustakli,

Zikopoulos,

Skentou

et al. 2024

JCM

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Background: Telomere attrition and mitochondrial dysfunction are two fundamental aspects of aging. Calorie restriction (CR) is the best strategy to postpone aging since it can enhance telomere attrition, boost antioxidant capacity, and lower the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Since ROS is produced by mitochondria and can readily travel to cell nuclei, it is thought to be a crucial molecule for information transfer between mitochondria and cell nuclei. Important variables that affect the quality and functionality of sperm and may affect male reproductive health and fertility include telomere length, mitochondrial content, and the ratio of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to nuclear DNA (nDNA). Telomere damage results from mitochondrial failure, whereas nuclear DNA remains unaffected. This research aims to investigate potential associations between these three variables and how they might relate to body mass index. Methods: Data were collected from 82 men who underwent IVF/ICSI at the University Hospital of Ioannina’s IVF Unit in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department. Evaluations included sperm morphology, sperm count, sperm motility, and participant history. To address this, male participants who were categorized into three body mass index (ΒΜΙ) groups—normal, overweight, and obese—had their sperm samples tested. Results: For both the normal and overweight groups, our results show a negative connection between relative telomere length and ΒΜI. As an illustration of a potential connection between mitochondrial health and telomere maintenance, a positive correlation was found for the obese group. Only the obese group’s results were statistically significant (p < 0.05). More evidence that longer telomeres are associated with lower mitochondrial content can be found in the negative connection between telomere length and mitochondrial content in both the normal and overweight groups. However, the obese group showed a positive association. The data did not reach statistical significance for any of the three groups. These associations may affect sperm quality since telomere length and mitochondrial concentration are indicators of cellular integrity and health. Moreover, the ratio of mtDNA to nDNA was positively correlated with the relative telomere lengths of the obese group, but negatively correlated with the normal and overweight groups. In every group that was studied, the results were not statistically significant. According to this, male fertility may be negatively impacted by an imbalance in the copy number of the mitochondrial genome compared to the nuclear DNA in sperm. Conclusions: Essentially, the goal of our work is to determine whether mitochondria and telomere length in human sperm interact. Understanding these connections may aid in the explanation of some male infertility causes and possibly contribute to the creation of new treatment modalities for problems pertaining to reproductive health. The functional implications of these connections and their applications in therapeutic settings require further investigation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association of Obesity with Telomere Length in Human Sperm

Moustakli,

Zikopoulos,

Skentou

et al. 2024

JCM

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“…Among the imaging methods, twins were subjected to state-of-the-art examinations that used brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI, e.g., diffusion tensor imaging), transcranial Doppler (TCD) tests and ultrasound measurements with new software (liver and thyroid elastography, arterial analysis). Additionally, we carried out the first twin studies examining the telomere-telomerase system and involving the investigation of telomere-mitochondria interplay (Melicher et al, 2018(Melicher et al, , 2019.…”

Section: Current Voluntary Registry: Increasing Sizementioning

confidence: 99%

The Hungarian Twin Registry Update: Turning From a Voluntary to a Population-Based Registry

Tárnoki

Forgó

et al. 2019

Twin Res Hum Genet

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Since our last report on the voluntary Hungarian Twin Registry (HTR) in 2012, the number of pairs or multiplets included increased from 310 to 1044. Efforts to turn the registry into a population-based one are on the way. Nearly 128,000 twins living in Hungary (98,500 adults) will be mailed information on how to register on the new HTR website. Twins will be asked to invite their spouses and immediate family members. Meanwhile, strong cooperation through exchange programs has been developed with other foreign twin registries. Current research focuses on radiogenomics, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, gut microbiome as well as basic molecular research and yielded new awards and further publications.

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“…MtDNAcn, an indirect measurement of mitochondrial function, is also a marker of cellular senescence and can compensate for mtDNA damage [ 33 ]. A few studies have found that people with MDD have more mitochondrial DNA than healthy controls, and there is a relationship between the amount of mtDNA present and previous stress exposure [ 34 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Strong associations of telomere length and mitochondrial copy number with suicidality and abuse history in adolescent depressed individuals

Ochi,

Roy,

Prall

et al. 2023

Mol Psychiatry

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Major depressive disorder (MDD) is highly prevalent in adolescents and is a major risk factor for suicidality. Recent evidence shows that accelerated cellular senescence/aging is associated with psychiatric illness, including depression, in adults. The present study examined if the relationships of telomere length (TL) and mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn), two critical indicators of cellular senescence/aging, are altered in depressed adolescents and whether these alterations are associated with suicidality, early-life adversities, and other co-occuring factors. In genomic DNA isolated from 53 adolescents (ages 16–19, 19 MDD with suicide attempt/suicidal ideation [MDD + SI/SA], 14 MDD without SA/SI [MDD-SI/SA], and 20 healthy controls [HC]), TL and mtDNAcn were measured as the ratio between the number of telomere repeats and that of a single-copy nuclear-hemoglobin [HBG] gene or the amount of mtDNA (NADH dehydrogenase, subunit 1) relative to HBG. Our data show that TL was significantly lower, and mtDNAcn was significantly higher in the total MDD group than HC. TL was significantly lower and mtDNAcn was significantly higher in the MDD + SA/SI group than in the HC, whereas there were no differences in the MDD-SI/SA group. TL was positively correlated with mtDNAcn in both HC and MDD-SA/SI groups; however, TL was negatively correlated with mtDNAcn in MDD + SA/SI. Furthermore, TL was negatively correlated with the severity of both depression and anxiety, while mtDNAcn was positively correlated with the severity of prior emotional abuse. Our study indicates that cellular senescence is more advanced in depressed adolescents with suicidal ideation and that childhood emotional abuse may participate in such a process.

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Positive association and future perspectives of mitochondrial DNA copy number and telomere length – a pilot twin study

Cited by 5 publications

References 61 publications

Association of Obesity with Telomere Length in Human Sperm

Association of Obesity with Telomere Length in Human Sperm

The Hungarian Twin Registry Update: Turning From a Voluntary to a Population-Based Registry

Strong associations of telomere length and mitochondrial copy number with suicidality and abuse history in adolescent depressed individuals

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