Telomere length in early childhood is associated with sex and ethnicity.

Ly, K; Walker, C; Berry, S; Snell, R; Marks, E; Thayer, Z; Atatoa-Carr, P; Morton, S

Telomere length in early childhood is associated with sex and ethnicity.

Ly, K Walker, C Berry, S Snell, R Marks, E Thayer, Z Atatoa-Carr, P Morton, S

Permalink

Publisher:: NATURE PORTFOLIO
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Sci Rep, 2019, 9, (1), pp. 10359
Issue Date:: 2019-07-17

Open Access

Copyright Clearance Process

Recently Added
In Progress
Open Access

This item is open access.

Download Published versionAdobe PDF (1.29 MB)

View on publisher's site

View statistics

Full metadata record

Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Ly, K
dc.contributor.author	Walker, C
dc.contributor.author	Berry, S
dc.contributor.author	Snell, R
dc.contributor.author	Marks, E
dc.contributor.author	Thayer, Z
dc.contributor.author	Atatoa-Carr, P
dc.contributor.author	Morton, S https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2231-7020
dc.date.accessioned	2025-01-13T02:57:19Z
dc.date.available	2019-03-22
dc.date.available	2025-01-13T02:57:19Z
dc.date.issued	2019-07-17
dc.identifier.citation	Sci Rep, 2019, 9, (1), pp. 10359
dc.identifier.issn	2045-2322
dc.identifier.issn	2045-2322
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/183324
dc.description.abstract	Telomeres are repetitive DNA sequences at the end of chromosomes that function to protect chromosomes from degradation. Throughout the life course, telomere length decreases with age and is influenced by environmental factors and health conditions. This study aimed to determine the relative telomere lengths in a diverse cohort of about 4000 four-year-old children in New Zealand. Linear regression was used to investigate the relationship between telomere length, child gender, ethnicity, paternal age and deprivation. We observed substantial variation in telomere length according to sex and self-identified ethnicity. Telomere length was longer in females compared to males (coefficient of 0.042, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.024-0.060). European children had shorter telomere than both the indigenous Māori (coefficient of 0.03, CI 0.007-0.055) and Pacific children (coefficient of 0.15, CI 0.12-0.18). The data suggest that telomere lengths are highly variable and variability between individuals arise from early age, influenced partly by sex and ethnicity. Longer telomeres in indigenous Māori and Pacific children may reflect the heritability of telomere length in genetically less complex populations. This study increases our understanding of telomere dynamics in young children since the majority of telomere studies are conducted in adults.
dc.format	Electronic
dc.language	eng
dc.publisher	NATURE PORTFOLIO
dc.relation.ispartof	Sci Rep
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1038/s41598-019-46338-x
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject.mesh	Asia
dc.subject.mesh	Asian People
dc.subject.mesh	Child, Preschool
dc.subject.mesh	Ethnicity
dc.subject.mesh	Europe
dc.subject.mesh	Female
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Indigenous Peoples
dc.subject.mesh	Longitudinal Studies
dc.subject.mesh	Male
dc.subject.mesh	Maternal Age
dc.subject.mesh	New Zealand
dc.subject.mesh	Paternal Age
dc.subject.mesh	Sex Characteristics
dc.subject.mesh	Social Class
dc.subject.mesh	Telomere
dc.subject.mesh	Telomere Homeostasis
dc.subject.mesh	White People
dc.subject.mesh	Telomere
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Longitudinal Studies
dc.subject.mesh	Maternal Age
dc.subject.mesh	Paternal Age
dc.subject.mesh	Sex Characteristics
dc.subject.mesh	Social Class
dc.subject.mesh	Child, Preschool
dc.subject.mesh	Asia
dc.subject.mesh	Europe
dc.subject.mesh	New Zealand
dc.subject.mesh	Female
dc.subject.mesh	Male
dc.subject.mesh	Telomere Homeostasis
dc.subject.mesh	Indigenous Peoples
dc.subject.mesh	Ethnicity
dc.subject.mesh	Asian People
dc.subject.mesh	White People
dc.subject.mesh	Asia
dc.subject.mesh	Asian People
dc.subject.mesh	Child, Preschool
dc.subject.mesh	Ethnicity
dc.subject.mesh	Europe
dc.subject.mesh	Female
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Indigenous Peoples
dc.subject.mesh	Longitudinal Studies
dc.subject.mesh	Male
dc.subject.mesh	Maternal Age
dc.subject.mesh	New Zealand
dc.subject.mesh	Paternal Age
dc.subject.mesh	Sex Characteristics
dc.subject.mesh	Social Class
dc.subject.mesh	Telomere
dc.subject.mesh	Telomere Homeostasis
dc.subject.mesh	White People
dc.title	Telomere length in early childhood is associated with sex and ethnicity.
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	9
utslib.location.activity	England
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups/Women & Children’s Health Research Collaborative (WCHC)
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups/INSIGHT: Institute for Innovative Solutions for Well-being and Health
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.rights.license	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.date.updated	2025-01-13T02:57:16Z
pubs.issue	1
pubs.publication-status	Published online
pubs.volume	9
utslib.citation.issue	1

Abstract:

Telomeres are repetitive DNA sequences at the end of chromosomes that function to protect chromosomes from degradation. Throughout the life course, telomere length decreases with age and is influenced by environmental factors and health conditions. This study aimed to determine the relative telomere lengths in a diverse cohort of about 4000 four-year-old children in New Zealand. Linear regression was used to investigate the relationship between telomere length, child gender, ethnicity, paternal age and deprivation. We observed substantial variation in telomere length according to sex and self-identified ethnicity. Telomere length was longer in females compared to males (coefficient of 0.042, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.024-0.060). European children had shorter telomere than both the indigenous Māori (coefficient of 0.03, CI 0.007-0.055) and Pacific children (coefficient of 0.15, CI 0.12-0.18). The data suggest that telomere lengths are highly variable and variability between individuals arise from early age, influenced partly by sex and ethnicity. Longer telomeres in indigenous Māori and Pacific children may reflect the heritability of telomere length in genetically less complex populations. This study increases our understanding of telomere dynamics in young children since the majority of telomere studies are conducted in adults.

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:

http://hdl.handle.net/10453/183324