Search results for "longevity."
showing 10 items of 373 documents
Analysis of Candidate Genes in Celiac Disease: A Tool to Identify Life-Threatening Associated Genes?
2006
The authors have recently reported that celiac patients show a proinflammatory cytokine genetic profile characterized by the contemporaneous presence of both the tumour necrosis factor-alpha-308A and the interferon-gamma +874T allele-positive genotypes. The same alleles are considered risk factors for aging associated disease, whereas an anti-inflammatory cytokine genotype profile might be associated with an extended life expectancy. This paper reports data on the 1249-1250InsACAA/Non-Ins transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta2, a multifunctional anti-inflammatory cytokine, polymorphism distribution in 88 celiac disease (CD) patients, 99 age- and sex-matched controls, and 2895-year-old healt…
The role of IL-1 gene cluster in longevity: a study in Italian population.
2003
In this study, we analysed the polymorphic variants of IL-1alpha (C-T transition at position -889), IL-1beta (C-T transition at position -511) and IL-1 receptor antagonist (Ra) (86-bp repeated sequence in intron 2) in 1131 subjects (453 females and 678 males) from Northern and Central Italy, including 134 centenarians, to evaluate whether IL-1 cluster alleles might be differently represented in people selected for longevity. In addition, IL-1Ra and IL-1beta plasma levels were quantified by ELISA in 130 randomly selected subjects. No significant differences in the genotype and allele frequency distributions were observed between young, elderly and centenarian subjects. IL-1Ra plasma levels s…
Evidence for Less Marked Potential Signs of T-Cell Immunosenescence in Centenarian Offspring Than in the General Age-Matched Population
2014
People may reach the upper limits of the human life span at least partly because they have maintained more appropriate immune function, avoiding changes to immunity termed "immunosenescence." Exceptionally long-lived people may be enriched for genes that contribute to their longevity, some of which may bear on immune function. Centenarian offspring would be expected to inherit some of these, which might be reflected in their resistance to immunosenescence, and contribute to their potential longevity. We have tested this hypothesis by comparing centenarian offspring with age-matched controls. We report differences in the numbers and proportions of both CD4(+) and CD8(+) early- and late-diffe…
Comparison of telomere length between population-specific mitochondrial haplogroups among different age groups in a Latvian population
2014
Population studies have demonstrated that telomere length (TL) displays great diversity among different populations. Previously described controversial findings associated longevity with specific mitochondrial DNA haplogroups (hgs) (e.g., J and U). These observations may be influenced by population diversity, geographic location, and/or specific historic background. The aims of this study were to identify a specific hg which correlates with aging in a Latvian populating and to evaluate the possible association of TL variability with specific mitochondrial hgs. The results show no significant correlation between TL, mitochondrial DNA hgs and longevity. A slight increase in frequency was obse…
Allele frequencies of +874T→A single nucleotide polymorphism at the first intron of interferon-γ gene in a group of Italian centenarians
2002
Ageing is characterized by a pro-inflammatory status which could contribute to the onset of major age-related diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, neurodegeneration, osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, and diabetes. Thus, it can be hypothesized that genetic variations in pro- or anti-inflammatory cytokines might influence successful ageing and longevity. We have studied the distribution of +874T--A interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) polymorphisms in a large number of Italian centenarians to evaluate if the two alleles might be differently represented in people selected for longevity. DNA samples were obtained from 174 Italian centenarians (99 years old, 142 women and 32 men) and from 24860-year…
PTK2 rs7460 and rs7843014 polymorphisms and exceptional longevity: a functional replication study
2014
Focal adhesion is critical for cell survival. The focal adhesion kinase (FAK, or PTK2) is an important component of the human interactome and thus is a potential longevity-related protein. Here we studied the association between two PTK2 gene single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs7843014, rs7460) and exceptional longevity (EL). In addition to gaining insight into their functionality by determining luciferase gene reporter activity, we studied the genotype/allele frequency of these two SNPs among three different cohorts: (1) Spanish centenarians (n=175, 100–111 years, 144 women) and healthy controls (n=355, 20–50 years, 284 women); (2) Italian centenarians (n=79, 100–104 years, 40 women)…
Opposite effects of interleukin 10 common gene polymorphisms in cardiovascular diseases and in successful ageing: genetic background of male centenar…
2004
Many aspects of ageing involve inflammatory processes. We evaluated the association with longevity of alleles of IL10 and TNFa, known to have opposite functions in inflammatory reactions, IL-10 acting predominantly as an anti-inflammatory and TNF-a as a proinflammatory factor. The number of male centenarians homozygous for the –1082G genotype, suggested to be associated with high IL-10 production, was significantly increased in comparison with younger control subjects. No significant differences were observed between women and controls. The genotypic frequencies of the TNFa promoter SNPs 308G and 308A, suggested to be associated with low and high TNF-a production respectively, were not sign…
Role of the pyrin M694V (A2080G) allele in acute myocardial infarction and longevity: a study in the Sicilian population
2006
Abstract A proinflammatory genotype seems to contribute significantly to the risk of developing coronary heart disease (CHD). Conversely, the susceptibility alleles to inflammatory disease should be infrequent in the genetic background favoring longevity. In fact, in a modern environment, attainment of longevity is facilitated by an anti-inflammatory status. To evaluate whether inflammatory alleles of pyrin, the gene responsible for familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) may play an opposite role in CHD and in longevity, we examined three FMF-associated mutations, M694V (A2080G), M694I (G2082A), and V726A (T2177C), encoded by the FMF gene (MEFV) in 121 patients affected by acute myocardial infa…
A novel B cell population revealed by a CD38/CD24 gating strategy: CD38−CD24− B cells in centenarian offspring and elderly people
2012
The B cell arm of adaptive immunity undergoes significant modifications with age. Elderly people are characterized by impaired B cell responses reflected in a reduced ability to effectively respond against viruses and bacteria. Alterations of immunity with advancing age (immunosenescence) have been widely studied in centenarians who are considered a good example of successful aging. In recent years, attention has shifted to centenarian offspring (CO) as a model of people genetically advantaged for healthy aging and longevity. Here, we describe the preliminary characterization of a proposed new population of memory B cells, defined as CD19(+)CD38(-)CD24(-), which we find at higher frequencie…
Pro-inflammatory gene variants in myocardial infarction and longevity: implications for pharmacogenomics.
2008
Inflammation and genetics play an important role in the pathogenesis of coronary heart disease (CHD). However, despite the increasing appreciation of the role of genetics in CHD and myocardial infarction (MI) pathogenesis, pharmacogenomic approaches to uncover drug target have not been extensively explored. Cyclo-oxygenases (COXs) and 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) are the key enzymes in the conversion of arachidonic acid to prostaglandins (PG) and leukotrienes (LT) and are implicated in a wide variety of inflammatory disorders, including atherosclerosis. In fact, PGE2 activates Matrix Metallo-proteinases whereas LTB4 is a chemoactractant for monocytes and activates gene expression in inflammatory c…