Telomere length in leukocytes correlates with bone mineral density and is shorter in women with osteoporosis

Abstract

Shortened leukocyte telomere length is independently associated with a decrease in BMD and the presence of osteoporosis in women. Our data provide evidence that leukocyte telomere length could be a marker of biological aging of bone.

Telomere Shortening in Familial and Sporadic Pulmonary Fibrosis

“…Table 1 lists demographic information for this control multiethnic group in comparison with subjects with pulmonary fibrosis. The rate of TRFL shortening in normal samples was 17 bp/year (Figure 2A), which is consistent with prior estimates that leukocyte telomere shorten by 15-40 bp/year within this age range (18)(19)(20)(21)(22). A small difference in mean TRFLs between the men (5.84 kb) and women (6.03 kb) was found (P 5 0.02), which is consistent with other studies (21,23).…”

“…To minimize the size of subtelomeric sequences, we digested the genomic DNA with six different 4-bp restriction enzymes. We observed a comparable rate of telomere length attrition with age (17 bp/yr) in normal individuals of this age range, as have other investigators who have used this same method (18)(19)(20)(21)(22). The quantitative PCR measurement of telomere length offers an independent method for estimating telomere length from genomic DNA and we found a good correlation between these two methods.…”

Telomerase-deficient mice exhibit bone loss owing to defects in osteoblasts and increased osteoclastogenesis by inflammatory microenvironment

“…(49,50) Finally, bone mass showed small but significant correlation with telomere length. (51,52) In conclusion, our findings implicate telomere shortening in the pathogenesis of age-related bone loss owing to multiple cellular and molecular mechanisms (Fig. 6).…”

Telomere Length and Its Relation to Human Health

“…Some studies suggest that baseline TL is associated with late events of hematologic relapse in aplastic anemia patients treated with immunosuppressant therapy [60]. Valdes et al [61] showed that clinical osteoporosis is related to shorter telomeres in over 2000 women, in whom leukocyte telomere length was significantly correlated with bone mineral density. This result was corroborated by Tang et al [62], who analyzed women and men regarding telomere length and bone marrow density, and a positive correlation was found for females.…”