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. 2022 Feb;2(2):170-179.
doi: 10.1038/s43587-021-00166-9. Epub 2022 Feb 17.

Measurement and initial characterization of leukocyte telomere length in 474,074 participants in UK Biobank

V Codd  1   2 , M Denniff  3 , C Swinfield  3 , S C Warner  3 , M Papakonstantinou  3 , S Sheth  3 , D E Nanus  3 , C A Budgeon  3   4   5 , C Musicha  3   4 , V Bountziouka  3   4 , Q Wang  3   4 , R Bramley  3   4 , E Allara  6   7 , S Kaptoge  6   7   8 , S Stoma  3 , T Jiang  6 , A S Butterworth  6   7   8   9 , A M Wood  6   7   8   9   10   11 , E Di Angelantonio  6   7   8   9   12 , J R Thompson  13 , J N Danesh  6   7   8   9   14 , C P Nelson  3   4 , N J Samani  15   16
Affiliations

Measurement and initial characterization of leukocyte telomere length in 474,074 participants in UK Biobank

V Codd et al. Nat Aging. 2022 Feb.

Abstract

Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is a proposed marker of biological age. Here we report the measurement and initial characterization of LTL in 474,074 participants in UK Biobank. We confirm that older age and male sex associate with shorter LTL, with women on average ~7 years younger in 'biological age' than men. Compared to white Europeans, LTL is markedly longer in African and Chinese ancestries. Older paternal age at birth is associated with longer individual LTL. Higher white cell count is associated with shorter LTL, but proportions of white cell subtypes show weaker associations. Age, ethnicity, sex and white cell count explain ~5.5% of LTL variance. Using paired samples from 1,351 participants taken ~5 years apart, we estimate the within-individual variability in LTL and provide a correction factor for this. This resource provides opportunities to investigate determinants and biomedical consequences of variation in LTL.

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References

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