Abstract
BackgroundTelomeres are transcriptionally inactive genomic areas, which, if shortened, are associated with pathological processes, unsuccessful fertilization, aging, and death. Telomere dysfunction has also been linked to chromosomal rearrangements and genomic instability. The role of telomeres in postnatal life has been extensively studied and discussed both in physiological as well as in pathological processes. However, the role of telomere length in prenatal development is still poorly understood, and mainly concerns the preimplantation stage. The aim of this study was to estimate relative telomere length in spontaneously eliminated human embryos between 5th and 12th week of gestation.ResultsRelative telomere length was measured from total genomic DNA using a real-time polymerase chain reaction approach. In this study, we examined relative telomere length in 80 spontaneously eliminated embryos and in 25 embryos eliminated due to induced abortions. Relative telomere length in spontaneous abortions was significantly lower (P = 0.000001) compared to the induced abortions. Spontaneous abortions with aneuploid anomalies (monosomy X, trisomy 21, trisomy 16 and triploidy) were characterized by shorter telomeres, compared to spontaneous abortions, subgroup with euploid (46,XN) karyotype.ConclusionSpontaneously lost pregnancies are characterized by shortened telomeres, especially in embryos with aneuploidies. We hypothesize that the shortening of telomeres is involved in the processes leading to spontaneous abortions.
Highlights
Telomeres are transcriptionally inactive genomic areas, which, if shortened, are associated with pathological processes, unsuccessful fertilization, aging, and death
In this work, we have studied relative telomere lengths (RTL) in 80 chorionic villi samples (CVS) from spontaneously eliminated product of conception at 5–12 weeks of gestational age and from 25 induced abortions (IA) due to personal reasons at the same term of gestation
Statistical analysis showed that RTL were significantly lower in Spontaneous abortions (SA) group compared to IA group (SA: 0.43 ± 0.06 vs IA: 1.17 ± 0.14, P = 0.000001) (Fig. 2)
Summary
Telomeres are transcriptionally inactive genomic areas, which, if shortened, are associated with pathological processes, unsuccessful fertilization, aging, and death. The role of telomeres in postnatal life has been extensively studied and discussed both in physiological as well as in pathological processes. The aim of this study was to estimate relative telomere length in spontaneously eliminated human embryos between 5th and 12th week of gestation. Telomeres are transcriptionally inactive areas of the human genome, involved in maintenance of genomic integrity. Telomere DNA consists of 10–15 kb long hexamer iterations (TTAGGG)n [1, 2], which end with a 3′-single-helixed area, creating a D-loop [3, 4]. Telomeric DNA is shortened by 50–200 bp [6,7,8]. Telomeres are believed to be the so-called cellular clock, which controls division
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
