Telomere length dynamics differ in foetal and early post-natal human leukocytes in a longitudinal study
- Resource Type
- Authors
- Steve Walkinshaw; Rachel Chittick; Robert Wynn; Nimish V. Subhedar; Zarko Alfirevic; Ilaria Bellantuono; Denise K. Holmes; Tracey A. Johnston; Richard Swindell
- Source
- Biogerontology. 10(3)
- Subject
- Senescence
Aging
Gestational Age
Biology
Andrology
Blood cell
Colony-Forming Units Assay
medicine
Leukocytes
Humans
Longitudinal Studies
Progenitor cell
Cells, Cultured
Cellular Senescence
Cell Proliferation
Fetal Stem Cells
Age Factors
Infant, Newborn
Telomere
Fetal Blood
Hematopoietic Stem Cells
Haematopoiesis
medicine.anatomical_structure
Ageing
Immunology
Geriatrics and Gerontology
Stem cell
Gerontology
Developmental biology
Infant, Premature
- Language
- ISSN
- 1389-5729
Haemopoietic stem cells (HSC) undergo a process of self renewal to constantly maintain blood cell turnover. However, it has become apparent that adult HSC lose their self-renewal ability with age. Telomere shortening in peripheral blood leukocytes has been seen to occur with age and it has been associated with loss of HSC proliferative capacity and cellular ageing. In contrast foetal HSC are known to have greater proliferative capacity than post-natal stem cells. However it is unknown whether they undergo a similar process of telomere shortening. In this study we show a more accentuated rate of telomere loss in leukocytes from pre term infants compared to human foetuses of comparable age followed longitudinally for 8-12 weeks in a longitudinal study. Our results point to a difference in HSC behaviour between foetal and early postnatal life which is independent of age but may be influenced by events at birth itself.