099 - Telomeres and Cardiovascular Disease
Autor(s): R. Testa, L. La Sala, F. Olivieri
Issue: RIMeL - IJLaM, Vol. 6, N. 3-S1, 2010 (MAF Servizi srl ed.)
Page(s): 99-101
In recent years, the role of telomere length in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular and diabetic diseases has attracted a continuously growing research interest. Telomeres, the tandem repeats of TTAGGG DNA sequence extending at the end of the eukaryotic chromosomes, undergo attrition during every cell division and their length is the best indicator of the replication potential of somatic cells. Cells are able to prevent this shortening by the activity of the ribonucleoprotein enzyme telomerase. Several lines of evidence support the hypothesis that gradual telomere attrition, which appears to be a normal part of aging, is accelerated in cells that are exposed to internal or external stressors, known to provoke increased cellular proliferation and high oxidative stress. Many epidemiological and clinical studies have found that a large host of human age-related diseases and related risk factors are associated with telomere attrition such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus.