ArticleMolecular human reproduction2012
Divergence of sperm and leukocyte age-dependent telomere dynamics: implications for male-driven evolution of telomere length in humans.
Article in Molecular human reproduction, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 45 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
45 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Effects of aging on the male reproductive system.Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics · 2016Pooled it
- Telomere Biology, Erosion, and Age-Related Conditions: Insights from Down Syndrome and Other Telomere-Associated Disorders.Molecular neurobiology · 2025Review
- Effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection on sperm telomere length.Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics · 2025Article
- Exploring the Mechanisms of Testicular Aging: Advances in Biomarker Research.Aging and disease · 2025Review
- Exploring the Link Between Telomeres and Mitochondria: Mechanisms and Implications in Different Cell Types.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Methods for telomere length measurement: an update on current technologies and emerging approaches.Frontiers in molecular biosciences · 2025Review
- Resveratrol intake by males increased the mitochondrial DNA copy number and telomere length of blastocysts derived from aged mice.The Journal of reproduction and development · 2024Article
- Review
- Telomere Length in Human Spermatogenic Cells as a New Potential Predictor of Clinical Outcomes in ART Treatment with Intracytoplasmic Injection of Testicular Spermatozoa.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Article
- Freezing Does Not Alter Sperm Telomere Length despite Increasing DNA Oxidation and Fragmentation.Genes · 2023Article
- Impact of Advanced Paternal Age on Fertility and Risks of Genetic Disorders in Offspring.Genes · 2023Review
- Age-associated epigenetic changes in mammalian sperm: implications for offspring health and development.Human reproduction update · 2023Review
- Functional association between telomeres, oxidation and mitochondria.Frontiers in reproductive health · 2023Review
- Genetic, parental and lifestyle factors influence telomere length.Communications biology · 2022Article
- Individual telomere dynamics and their links to life history in a viviparous lizard.Proceedings. Biological sciences · 2021Article
- Telomere Length in Metaphase Chromosomes of Human Triploid Zygotes.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Article
- Oxidative Stress Is Associated with Telomere Interaction Impairment and Chromatin Condensation Defects in Spermatozoa of Infertile Males.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Discordance between human sperm quality and telomere length following differential gradient separation/swim-up.Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics · 2020Article
- Determinants of telomere length across human tissues.Science (New York, N.Y.) · 2020Article
- In utero exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals and telomere length at birth.Environmental research · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Telomere length (TL) dynamics in vivo are defined by TL and its age-dependent change, brought about by cell replication. Leukocyte TL (LTL), which reflects TL in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), becomes shorter with age. In contrast, sperm TL, which reflects TL in the male germ cells, becomes longer with age. Moreover, offspring of older fathers display longer LTL. Thus far, no study has examined LTL and sperm TL relations with age in the same individuals, nor considered their implications for the paternal age at conception (PAC) effect on offspring LTL. We report that in 135 men (mean age: 34.4 years; range: 18-68 years) on average, LTL became shorter by 19 bp/year (r = -0.3; P = 0.0004), while sperm TL became longer by 57 bp/year (r = 0.32; P = 0.0002). Based on previously reported replication rates of HSCs and male germ cells, we estimate that HSCs lose 26 bp per replication. However, male germ cells gain only 2.48 bp per replication. As TL is inherited in an allele-specific manner, the magnitude of the PAC effect on the offspring's LTL should be approximately half of age-dependent sperm-TL elongation. When we compared the PAC effect data from previous studies with sperm-TL data from this study, the result was consistent with this prediction. As older paternal age is largely a feature of contemporary humans, we suggest that there may be progressive elongation of TL in future generations. In this sense, germ cell TL dynamics could be driving the evolution of TL in modern humans and perhaps telomere-related diseases in the general population.
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