Premature telomere shortening in polymorphonuclear neutrophils from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus is related to the lupus disease activity

Wu, C-H.
Hsieh, S-C.
Li, K-J.
Lu, M-C.
Yu, C-L.

Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
Division of Immunology, Rheumatology and Allergy, Department of Internal Medicine, Buddhist Xindian Tzu Chi General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
Division of Immunology, Rheumatology and Allergy, Department of Internal Medicine, Buddhist Xindian Tzu Chi General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan, [email protected]

Lupus 16(4):p 265-272, April 2007. | DOI: 10.1177/0961203307077155

We investigated whether premature telomeric loss occurred in peripheral polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) as well as mononuclear cells (MNC) from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We measured the telomere length of MNC and PMN in 60 SLE patients and 26 sex-, race- and age-matched healthy volunteers by Southern blotting with chemiluminescence method. The possible predisposing factors associated with telomere change were also analysed. We found the telomere length of MNC and PMN shortened with age in different degrees in both SLE and control groups. Compared to the control group, the telomere length was shortened in both SLE-MNC (6.08 kb in SLE versus 6.71 kb in control, P = 0.0008) and PMN (6.24 kb in SLE versus 6.75 kb in control, P = 0.0025). The average reduction in telomere length in SLE patients was equivalent to a premature senescence of 16.5 years in MNC and 13.4 years in PMN. In addition, the accelerated telomere shortening was more prominent in SLE patients younger than 45 years old. SLE disease activity (SLEDAI) contributed remarkably to the accelerated telomere erosion, at least in PMN. Moreover, the telomere length of MNC was significantly shorter than PMN in the same SLE patients with leukopenia and lymphopenia. These data suggested that MNC and PMN from patients with SLE displayed premature and accelerated telomere shortening that SLE is an independent factor for it. Lupus (2007) 16, 265—272.