Abstract
BackgroundWe aim to investigate the cross-talking of leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and DNA methylation of LINE-1 in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).ResultsLTL (ratio of the copy number of telomere [T] repeats to that of a single [S] gene) was significantly shortened in T2DM compared with controls (0.94 ± 0.41 vs. 1.14 ± 0.48, P < 0.001), and decreased steadily with age in both controls and T2DM. Conversely, significant increase of LINE-1 DNA methylation was found in T2DM compared with controls (49.60 ± 14.55 vs. 37.81 ± 9.07, P < 0.001). Moreover, age, HbA1c, and LINE-1 methylation ratio were stably negatively related with LTL after multi-adjustment. Shorter LTL was associated with an increased risk of T2DM [adjusted OR (95% CI) = 2.458 (1.192, 5.070), P = 0.015], while lower LINE-1 DNA methylation levels could reduce the risk of T2DM [adjusted OR (95% CI) = 0.189 (0.089, 0.400), P < 0.001].Materials and MethodsWe performed a hospital-based case–control study of 205 T2DM patients and 213 subjects of healthy control with sex and age matched. LTL and DNA methylation of LINE-1 was measured by quantitative PCR and quantitative methylation-specific PCR (qMSP), respectively.ConclusionsOur research demonstrates the association between shorter LTL and LINE-1 hyper-methylation in Chinese T2DM patients. These findings suggest that shorter LTL might be associated with T2DM in a manner dependent of epigenetic level.
Highlights
Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is known as an age-related disease affected by both genetic and environmental factors [1]
Shorter leukocyte telomere length (LTL) was associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) [adjusted odd ratios (ORs) = 2.458 (1.192, 5.070), P = 0.015], while lower Long interspersed element (LINE)-1 DNA methylation levels could reduce the risk of T2DM [adjusted OR = 0.189 (0.089, 0.400), P < 0.001]
These findings suggest that shorter LTL might be associated with T2DM in a manner dependent of epigenetic level
Summary
Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is known as an age-related disease affected by both genetic and environmental factors [1]. The shortening of leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and the risk of T2DM has attracted increasing interest recently, but with inconsistent results [4,5,6,7,8,9]. DNA methylation has been involved in the pathogenesis of a variety of biological processes and is affected by environmental factors as well as aging [12, 13]. Increasing evidence indicates that DNA methylation is involved in the regulation of mammalian telomeres, which could in turn control telomere length and function [14,15,16]. We aim to investigate the cross-talking of leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and DNA methylation of LINE-1 in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)
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