Increased expression of telomere-regulating genes in endurance athletes with long leukocyte telomeres

Denham, Joshua; O'Brien, Brendan J; Prestes, Priscilla R; Brown, Nicholas J; Charchar, Fadi J

doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00587.2015

Author(s)

Denham, Joshua

O'Brien, Brendan J

Prestes, Priscilla R

Brown, Nicholas J

Charchar, Fadi J

Publication Date

2016

Abstract

Leukocyte telomeres shorten with age, and excessive shortening is associated with age-related cardiometabolic diseases. Exercise training may prevent disease through telomere length maintenance although the optimal amount of exercise that attenuates telomere attrition is unknown. Furthermore, the underlying molecular mechanisms responsible for the enhanced telomere maintenance observed in endurance athletes is poorly understood. We quantified the leukocyte telomere length and analyzed the expression of telomere-regulating genes in endurance athletes and healthy controls (both n = 61), using quantitative PCR. We found endurance athletes have significantly longer (7.1%, 208-416 nt) leukocyte telomeres and upregulated TERT (2.0-fold) and TPP1 (1.3-fold) mRNA expression compared with controls in age-adjusted analysis. The telomere length and telomere-regulating gene expression differences were no longer statistically significant after adjustment for resting heart rate and relative Vᴏ₂max (all P ˃ 0.05). Resting heart rate emerged as an independent predictor of leukocyte telomere length and TERT and TPP1 mRNA expression in stepwise regression models. To gauge whether volume of exercise was associated with leukocyte telomere length, we divided subjects into running and cycling tertiles (distance covered per week) and found individuals in the middle and highest tertiles had longer telomeres than individuals in the lowest tertile. These data emphasize the importance of cardiorespiratory fitness and exercise training in the prevention of biological aging. They also support the concept that moderate amounts of exercise training protects against biological aging, while higher amounts may not elicit additional benefits.

Citation

Journal of Applied Physiology, 120(2), p. 148-158

ISSN

1522-1601

8750-7587

Link

https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/18586

Language

en

Publisher

American Physiological Society

Title

Increased expression of telomere-regulating genes in endurance athletes with long leukocyte telomeres

Type of document

Journal Article

Entity Type

Publication

Author(s)	Denham, Joshua O'Brien, Brendan J Prestes, Priscilla R Brown, Nicholas J Charchar, Fadi J
Publication Date	2016
Abstract	Leukocyte telomeres shorten with age, and excessive shortening is associated with age-related cardiometabolic diseases. Exercise training may prevent disease through telomere length maintenance although the optimal amount of exercise that attenuates telomere attrition is unknown. Furthermore, the underlying molecular mechanisms responsible for the enhanced telomere maintenance observed in endurance athletes is poorly understood. We quantified the leukocyte telomere length and analyzed the expression of telomere-regulating genes in endurance athletes and healthy controls (both n = 61), using quantitative PCR. We found endurance athletes have significantly longer (7.1%, 208-416 nt) leukocyte telomeres and upregulated TERT (2.0-fold) and TPP1 (1.3-fold) mRNA expression compared with controls in age-adjusted analysis. The telomere length and telomere-regulating gene expression differences were no longer statistically significant after adjustment for resting heart rate and relative Vᴏ₂max (all P ˃ 0.05). Resting heart rate emerged as an independent predictor of leukocyte telomere length and TERT and TPP1 mRNA expression in stepwise regression models. To gauge whether volume of exercise was associated with leukocyte telomere length, we divided subjects into running and cycling tertiles (distance covered per week) and found individuals in the middle and highest tertiles had longer telomeres than individuals in the lowest tertile. These data emphasize the importance of cardiorespiratory fitness and exercise training in the prevention of biological aging. They also support the concept that moderate amounts of exercise training protects against biological aging, while higher amounts may not elicit additional benefits.
Citation	Journal of Applied Physiology, 120(2), p. 148-158
ISSN	1522-1601 8750-7587
Link	https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/18586
Language	en
Publisher	American Physiological Society
Title	Increased expression of telomere-regulating genes in endurance athletes with long leukocyte telomeres
Type of document	Journal Article
Entity Type	Publication

Increased expression of telomere-regulating genes in endurance athletes with long leukocyte telomeres

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