Skip directly to search Skip directly to A to Z list Skip directly to navigation Skip directly to page options Skip directly to site content


Main|Search|PHGKB
Search PHGKB:

Last Posted: Apr 16, 2024
spot light Highlights

Association of Longer Leukocyte Telomere Length With Cardiac Size, Function, and Heart Failure
N Aung et al, JAMA Cardiology, July 26, 2023

Is leukocyte telomere length (LTL) associated with alterations in cardiovascular structure and function? In this cross-sectional study including 40 459 UK Biobank participants, longer LTL was associated with higher left ventricular mass, larger ventricular and atrial sizes, and higher stroke volumes. Mendelian randomization analysis demonstrated a potential causal genetic association between LTL and left ventricular mass, ventricular size, and left ventricular stroke volume, and longer LTL was associated with a lower risk of incident heart failure after accounting for potential confounders.

The Role of Telomeres in Human Disease.
Mary Armanios et al. Annu Rev Genomics Hum Genet 2022 5 363-381

Short telomere syndromes are the most prevalent premature aging disorders, with prominent phenotypes affecting the lung and hematopoietic system. Less understood are a newly recognized group of cancer-prone syndromes that are associated with mutations that lengthen telomeres. A large body of new data from Mendelian genetics and epidemiology now provides an opportunity to reconsider paradigms related to the role of telomeres in human aging and cancer.

Telomere Length and Clonal Hematopoiesis.
George Vassiliou et al. N Engl J Med 2023 5 (26) 2481-2484

A recent study proposes a key role for telomere maintenance in the development of clonal hematopoiesis. Some persons with clonal hematopoiesis are at increased risk for the development of myeloid cancers such as acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic syndromes, a risk that increases as the hematopoietic clone expands in size.16 Stopping this expansion may delay or avert leukemic progression, and therapeutic approaches to this end are being developed and tested.

Familial Clonal Hematopoiesis in a Long Telomere Syndrome.
Emily A DeBoy et al. N Engl J Med 2023 5 (26) 2422-2433

A total of 17 POT1 mutation carriers and 21 noncarrier relatives were initially included in the study, and a validation cohort of 6 additional mutation carriers was subsequently recruited. A majority of the POT1 mutation carriers with telomere length evaluated (9 of 13) had long telomeres (>99th percentile). POT1 mutation carriers had a range of benign and malignant neoplasms involving epithelial, mesenchymal, and neuronal tissues in addition to B- and T-cell lymphoma and myeloid cancers.

Search Result Summary


Disclaimer: Articles listed in the Public Health Genomics and Precision Health Knowledge Base are selected by the CDC Office of Public Health Genomics to provide current awareness of the literature and news. Inclusion in the update does not necessarily represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention nor does it imply endorsement of the article's methods or findings. CDC and DHHS assume no responsibility for the factual accuracy of the items presented. The selection, omission, or content of items does not imply any endorsement or other position taken by CDC or DHHS. Opinion, findings and conclusions expressed by the original authors of items included in the update, or persons quoted therein, are strictly their own and are in no way meant to represent the opinion or views of CDC or DHHS. References to publications, news sources, and non-CDC Websites are provided solely for informational purposes and do not imply endorsement by CDC or DHHS.

TOP