The length of telomeres in white blood cells, known as leukocytes, varies significantly among sub-Saharan African populations, researchers report. Moreover, leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is negatively associated with malaria endemicity and only partly explained by genetic factors.
The length of telomeres in white blood cells, known as leukocytes, varies significantly among sub-Saharan African populations, researchers report. Moreover, leukocyte telomere length is negatively associated with malaria endemicity and only partly explained by genetic factors.
"We highlight the contributions of genetic and environmental factors influencing LTL, and we have uncovered a potential role of malaria in shortening LTL across sub-Saharan Africa," says Sarah Tishkoff of the University of Pennsylvania, a co-senior author on the study."This association between malaria and LTL appears larger than any other known exposure or behavior that has been investigated in large-scale studies.
In particular, little is known about the genetic, environmental, and evolutionary forces that have shaped the vast LTL variation across sub-Saharan African populations. This variation in LTL is largely explained by genetic factors, but environmental factors could also play a role. Exposure tomalaria is one environmental factor of particular interest in impacting LTL, due to recent studies demonstrating a link between malaria infection and LTL.
The results revealed significant variation in LTL among populations. The San hunter-gatherers from Botswana have the longest leukocyte telomeres, and the Fulani pastoralists from Cameroon have the shortest telomeres. Genetic factors explain roughly half of LTL variation among individuals. The authors say a longitudinal study in children and adults indigenous to regions of high and low malaria endemicity would provide more insightful information."We propose that the effect of malaria on hematopoietic cell telomere shortening with age primarily unfolds during childhood, yet our LTL data are derived from adults," Tishkoff says.
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