BACKGROUND: The determination of telomere length is useful for the characterization of dyskeratosis congenita (DC) and of aplastic anemias (AA) as well as hematological malignancies. Short telomeres result from a specific defect of telomere maintenance in DC and likely from higher cellular turnover in AA and hematological malignancies. Data are not conclusive for Diamond-Blackfan anemia (DBA), a pure erythroid aplasia due to defects of ribosomal proteins. Our aim was to evaluate the utility of a qPCR method for telomere length assessment to evaluate the diagnostic contribution of telomere measurement in bone marrow failure syndromes (BMFS). PROCEDURE: Telomere length was evaluated by qPCR in peripheral blood cells from 95 normal individuals and 62 patients with BMFS, including 45 patients with DBA. RESULTS: Results obtained with qPCR are comparable with other quantitative methods, such as flow-FISH and Southern blotting. Our data show that only one DBA patient and a minority of other BMFS patients have very short telomeres, defined as less than the 1st percentile of controls. CONCLUSIONS: The qPCR method for telomere length evaluation is an easy alternative to other methods and may thus be valuable in a clinical hematological laboratory setting. Telomere maintenance does not seem to be involved in the pathogenesis of DBA unlike in other BMFSs. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Analysis of telomeres in peripheral blood cells from patients with bone marrow failure

QUARELLO, Paola;ROCCI, Alberto;RAMENGHI, Ugo;
2009-01-01

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The determination of telomere length is useful for the characterization of dyskeratosis congenita (DC) and of aplastic anemias (AA) as well as hematological malignancies. Short telomeres result from a specific defect of telomere maintenance in DC and likely from higher cellular turnover in AA and hematological malignancies. Data are not conclusive for Diamond-Blackfan anemia (DBA), a pure erythroid aplasia due to defects of ribosomal proteins. Our aim was to evaluate the utility of a qPCR method for telomere length assessment to evaluate the diagnostic contribution of telomere measurement in bone marrow failure syndromes (BMFS). PROCEDURE: Telomere length was evaluated by qPCR in peripheral blood cells from 95 normal individuals and 62 patients with BMFS, including 45 patients with DBA. RESULTS: Results obtained with qPCR are comparable with other quantitative methods, such as flow-FISH and Southern blotting. Our data show that only one DBA patient and a minority of other BMFS patients have very short telomeres, defined as less than the 1st percentile of controls. CONCLUSIONS: The qPCR method for telomere length evaluation is an easy alternative to other methods and may thus be valuable in a clinical hematological laboratory setting. Telomere maintenance does not seem to be involved in the pathogenesis of DBA unlike in other BMFSs. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
2009
53
3
411
416
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/106561790/home
bone marrow failure syndromes; Diamond-Blackfan anemia; telomeres
Pavesi E; Avondo F; Aspesi A; Quarello P; Rocci A; Vimercati C; Pigullo S; Dufour C; Ramenghi U; Dianzani I
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2318/71170
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