Cord blood telomere shortening associates with increased gestational age and birth weight in preterm neonates

  • Authors:
    • Nora Tabea Sibert
    • Mónica S. Ventura Ferreira
    • Wolfgang Wagner
    • Monika Eipel
    • Stephan Dreschers
    • Tim H. Brümmendorf
    • Thorsten Orlikowsky
    • Fabian Beier
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: February 10, 2021     https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2021.9775
  • Article Number: 344
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Abstract

Preterm birth is considered to be associated with premature cellular aging. To address this question, two hallmarks of aging were analyzed in cord blood cells, namely telomere length and age‑associated DNA methylation. Cord blood samples from 35 preterm and 11 full‑term neonates were enrolled in the present study. Furthermore, quantitative telomere fluorescence in situ hybridization and flow cytometry (flow‑FISH) were applied to demonstrate that telomere shortening was strongly associated with advanced gestational age and increased birth weight (R2=0.267 for granulocytes and R2=0.307 for lymphocytes). The estimated rate of telomere attrition in newborns during gestation ranged from 126 base pairs (bp)/week and 186 bp/week for granulocytes and lymphocytes, respectively. In addition, neonates with longer telomeres at birth were characterized by increased weight gain during the first year of their life compared with that noted to neonates with shorter telomeres. By contrast, the epigenetic aging signature (EAS) revealed a negative correlation between epigenetic age and premature birth of unclear basis (R2=0.26). Pending prospective validation in a larger patient cohort, the present study suggested that telomere length may be a novel biomarker alone or in combination with traditional indicators for the prediction of weight development in preterm neonates.
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April-2021
Volume 21 Issue 4

Print ISSN: 1792-0981
Online ISSN:1792-1015

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Spandidos Publications style
Sibert NT, Ferreira MS, Wagner W, Eipel M, Dreschers S, Brümmendorf TH, Orlikowsky T and Beier F: Cord blood telomere shortening associates with increased gestational age and birth weight in preterm neonates. Exp Ther Med 21: 344, 2021
APA
Sibert, N.T., Ferreira, M.S., Wagner, W., Eipel, M., Dreschers, S., Brümmendorf, T.H. ... Beier, F. (2021). Cord blood telomere shortening associates with increased gestational age and birth weight in preterm neonates. Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, 21, 344. https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2021.9775
MLA
Sibert, N. T., Ferreira, M. S., Wagner, W., Eipel, M., Dreschers, S., Brümmendorf, T. H., Orlikowsky, T., Beier, F."Cord blood telomere shortening associates with increased gestational age and birth weight in preterm neonates". Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine 21.4 (2021): 344.
Chicago
Sibert, N. T., Ferreira, M. S., Wagner, W., Eipel, M., Dreschers, S., Brümmendorf, T. H., Orlikowsky, T., Beier, F."Cord blood telomere shortening associates with increased gestational age and birth weight in preterm neonates". Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine 21, no. 4 (2021): 344. https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2021.9775