Telomere length and heredity: Indications of paternal inheritance

doi:10.1073/pnas.0501724102

Telomere length and heredity: Indications of paternal inheritance

Units for ^*Pathology and ^†Medical and Clinical Genetics, Department of Medical Biosciences, Umeå University, SE-90187 Umeå, Sweden

Edited by Carol W. Greider, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (received for review March 2, 2005)

Abstract

Cellular telomere length is linked to replicative life span. Telomere repeats are lost in peripheral blood cells in vivo by age, and women show less telomere attrition than men. Previous reports have indicated that telomere length and chromosome-specific telomere-length patterns partly are inherited. The mode of heredity has not been clarified, but a link to the X chromosome was recently suggested. We analyzed peripheral mononuclear cells from 49 unrelated families for telomere length using a real-time PCR method. Short-term cultured Epstein–Barr virus-transformed lymphoblasts from the same individuals (n = 130) were analyzed for ability to maintain telomere length and possible gender-linked inheritance. A statistically significant association between telomere lengths comparing father–son (P = 0.011, n = 20) and father–daughter (P = 0.005, n = 22) pairs was found. However, no correlation was observed between mother–daughter (P = 0.463, n = 23) or mother–son (P = 0.577, n = 18). The father–offspring correlation was highly significant (P < 0.0001), in contrast to mother–offspring (P = 0.361). Epstein–Barr virus cultures demonstrated in most cases telomere preservation inversely related to initial mononuclear cell telomere length with short telomeres displaying the most pronounced elongation. Telomere length is inherited, and evidence for a father-to-offspring heritage of this trait was obtained, whereas in vitro telomere length maintenance was found to be dependent on the initial telomere length.

gender

Footnotes

↵ ‡ To whom correspondence should be addressed at: By 6M, 2nd Floor, Department of Medical Biosciences, Pathology, Umeå University, SE-90187 Umeå, Sweden. E-mail: goran.roos{at}medbio.umu.se.
Author contributions: K.N., D.H., and G.R. designed research; K.N. and Å.L. performed research; K.N., P.L., D.H., and G.R. analyzed data; and K.N., P.L., D.H., and G.R. wrote the paper.
Conflict of interest statement: No conflicts declared.
This paper was submitted directly (Track II) to the PNAS office.
Abbreviations: EBV, Epstein–Barr virus; MNC, mononuclear cell; T/S, telomere/single copy gene.