MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, blood samples (n=612) were collected from 204 families (mother-father-newborn triad) and TL was determined with the help of (T/S) ratio using qPCR. Sanger sequencing was performed to identify SNP in TERC and TERT genes and sequences were analysed with the help of Mega X software. The SHEsis software (available online) was used for the association between parents-newborn alleles. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24 was used for data analysis. The p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

The allelic distribution of TERC (rs10936599) and TERT (rs2736100) genes showed the C allele was predominant in the triad. The only C allele of the TERT gene (Odds ratio: 2.44, X²: 4.82, P=0.028) was found 2 times more odds of having an effect from mothers on newborns. The genotypic comparison among parents and newborns in both genes highlighted longer TL (2.02+0.96, P=0.00, 2.07+0.89, P=0.006, respectively) in newborns than in parents. Moreover, TT(TERC) and AA(TERT) genotypes had significantly longer TL (p=0.00, 0.006).

CONCLUSION

The study provides new insight into the association between the SNPs of the TERC (rs10936599) and TERT gene (rs2736100) and Telomere length (TL) among the mother-father-newborn triad. The newborn had longer TL compared to the parents’, highlighting the in-utero reprogramming of telomeres.

KEYWORDS: Telomere, Telomerase, TERC, TERT, Polymorphism, Gene