Human telomere length is chromosome end-specific and conserved across individuals.

Science (New York, N.Y.)
Authors
Abstract

Short telomeres cause age-related disease and long telomeres predispose to cancer; however, the mechanisms regulating telomere length are unclear. We developed a nanopore-based method, Telomere Profiling, to determine telomere length at nearly single nucleotide resolution. Mapping telomere reads to chromosome ends showed chromosome end-specific length distributions that could differ by more than six kilobases. Telomere lengths in 147 individuals showed certain chromosome ends were consistently longer or shorter. The same rank order was found in newborn cord blood, suggesting that telomere length is determined at birth and chromosome end-specific telomere length differences are maintained as telomeres shorten with age. Telomere Profiling makes precision investigation of telomere length widely accessible for laboratory, clinical, and drug discovery efforts and will allow deeper insights into telomere biology.

Year of Publication
2024
Journal
Science (New York, N.Y.)
Pages
eado0431
Date Published
04/2024
ISSN
1095-9203
DOI
10.1126/science.ado0431
PubMed ID
38603523
Links