Telomere length in human white blood cells remains constant with age and is shorter in breast cancer patients

Tally Levy; Irina Agoulnik; E. Neely Atkinson; Xiao Wen Tong; Heike M. Gause; Annette Hasenburg; Ingo B. Runnebaum; Elmar Stickeler; Volker J. Möbus; Alan L. Kaplan; Dirk G. Kieback

Telomere length in human white blood cells remains constant with age and is shorter in breast cancer patients

Tally Levy, Irina Agoulnik, E. Neely Atkinson, Xiao Wen Tong, Heike M. Gause, Annette Hasenburg, Ingo B. Runnebaum, Elmar Stickeler, Volker J. Möbus, Alan L. Kaplan, Dirk G. Kieback^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Obstetrics & Gynecology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

16 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Telomeres, which are TTAGGG repeats at the end of the eukaryotic chromosome, are essential for complete DNA replication. Telomere length has been reported to decrease in peripheral WBC, unlike the telomerase activity found in these cells. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether telomere length in WBC is indeed age dependent and could serve as a genetic marker in breast or ovarian cancer. Methods: Five age groups: 20-29; 30-39; 4049; 50-59 and ≤ 60 years were examined. The cancer patients were 18 women with ovarian cancer and 18 women with breast cancer. Southern blot analysis of the DNA from peripheral white blood cells (WBC) was performed using ³²P-labeled (TTAGGG)₃ probe. Blots were scanned in a phosphoimager and analyzed by computer-assisted image analysis. Results: No statistically significant correlation was observed between telomere length and age in either healthy females or cancer patients. However, significantly shorter median telomere length was found in WBC obtained from breast cancer patients as compared to healthy individuals and ovarian cancer patients. Conclusions: It is concluded that telomere length in WBC is not age dependen, but is significantly shorter in breast cancer patients.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1345-1349
Number of pages	5
Journal	Anticancer Research
Volume	18
Issue number	3 A
State	Published - May 1998

Keywords

Breast cancer
Ovarian cancer
Telomere length

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@article{e821d5ce4d194df9bf4318fa5aa42ace,

title = "Telomere length in human white blood cells remains constant with age and is shorter in breast cancer patients",

abstract = "Background: Telomeres, which are TTAGGG repeats at the end of the eukaryotic chromosome, are essential for complete DNA replication. Telomere length has been reported to decrease in peripheral WBC, unlike the telomerase activity found in these cells. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether telomere length in WBC is indeed age dependent and could serve as a genetic marker in breast or ovarian cancer. Methods: Five age groups: 20-29; 30-39; 4049; 50-59 and ≤ 60 years were examined. The cancer patients were 18 women with ovarian cancer and 18 women with breast cancer. Southern blot analysis of the DNA from peripheral white blood cells (WBC) was performed using 32P-labeled (TTAGGG)3 probe. Blots were scanned in a phosphoimager and analyzed by computer-assisted image analysis. Results: No statistically significant correlation was observed between telomere length and age in either healthy females or cancer patients. However, significantly shorter median telomere length was found in WBC obtained from breast cancer patients as compared to healthy individuals and ovarian cancer patients. Conclusions: It is concluded that telomere length in WBC is not age dependen, but is significantly shorter in breast cancer patients.",

keywords = "Breast cancer, Ovarian cancer, Telomere length",

author = "Tally Levy and Irina Agoulnik and Atkinson, {E. Neely} and Tong, {Xiao Wen} and Gause, {Heike M.} and Annette Hasenburg and Runnebaum, {Ingo B.} and Elmar Stickeler and M{\"o}bus, {Volker J.} and Kaplan, {Alan L.} and Kieback, {Dirk G.}",

year = "1998",

month = may,

language = "אנגלית",

volume = "18",

pages = "1345--1349",

journal = "Anticancer Research",

issn = "0250-7005",

publisher = "International Institute of Anticancer Research",

number = "3 A",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Telomere length in human white blood cells remains constant with age and is shorter in breast cancer patients

AU - Levy, Tally

AU - Agoulnik, Irina

AU - Atkinson, E. Neely

AU - Tong, Xiao Wen

AU - Gause, Heike M.

AU - Hasenburg, Annette

AU - Runnebaum, Ingo B.

AU - Stickeler, Elmar

AU - Möbus, Volker J.

AU - Kaplan, Alan L.

AU - Kieback, Dirk G.

PY - 1998/5

Y1 - 1998/5

N2 - Background: Telomeres, which are TTAGGG repeats at the end of the eukaryotic chromosome, are essential for complete DNA replication. Telomere length has been reported to decrease in peripheral WBC, unlike the telomerase activity found in these cells. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether telomere length in WBC is indeed age dependent and could serve as a genetic marker in breast or ovarian cancer. Methods: Five age groups: 20-29; 30-39; 4049; 50-59 and ≤ 60 years were examined. The cancer patients were 18 women with ovarian cancer and 18 women with breast cancer. Southern blot analysis of the DNA from peripheral white blood cells (WBC) was performed using 32P-labeled (TTAGGG)3 probe. Blots were scanned in a phosphoimager and analyzed by computer-assisted image analysis. Results: No statistically significant correlation was observed between telomere length and age in either healthy females or cancer patients. However, significantly shorter median telomere length was found in WBC obtained from breast cancer patients as compared to healthy individuals and ovarian cancer patients. Conclusions: It is concluded that telomere length in WBC is not age dependen, but is significantly shorter in breast cancer patients.

AB - Background: Telomeres, which are TTAGGG repeats at the end of the eukaryotic chromosome, are essential for complete DNA replication. Telomere length has been reported to decrease in peripheral WBC, unlike the telomerase activity found in these cells. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether telomere length in WBC is indeed age dependent and could serve as a genetic marker in breast or ovarian cancer. Methods: Five age groups: 20-29; 30-39; 4049; 50-59 and ≤ 60 years were examined. The cancer patients were 18 women with ovarian cancer and 18 women with breast cancer. Southern blot analysis of the DNA from peripheral white blood cells (WBC) was performed using 32P-labeled (TTAGGG)3 probe. Blots were scanned in a phosphoimager and analyzed by computer-assisted image analysis. Results: No statistically significant correlation was observed between telomere length and age in either healthy females or cancer patients. However, significantly shorter median telomere length was found in WBC obtained from breast cancer patients as compared to healthy individuals and ovarian cancer patients. Conclusions: It is concluded that telomere length in WBC is not age dependen, but is significantly shorter in breast cancer patients.

KW - Breast cancer

KW - Ovarian cancer

KW - Telomere length

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AN - SCOPUS:14444284601

SN - 0250-7005

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SP - 1345

EP - 1349

JO - Anticancer Research

JF - Anticancer Research

IS - 3 A

ER -

Telomere length in human white blood cells remains constant with age and is shorter in breast cancer patients

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

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