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Association between telomere length and Plasmodium falciparum malaria endemicity in sub-Saharan Africans

  1. Author:
    McQuillan, Michael A
    Verhulst, Simon
    Hansen, Matthew E B
    Beggs, William
    Meskel, Dawit Wolde
    Belay, Gurja
    Nyambo, Thomas
    Mpoloka, Sununguko Wata
    Mokone, Gaonyadiwe George
    Fokunang, Charles
    Njamnshi, Alfred K
    Chanock, Stephen J
    Aviv, Abraham
    Tishkoff, Sarah A

  2. Author Address

    Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA., Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands., Department of Microbial Cellular and Molecular Biology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia., Department of Biochemistry, Kampala International University in Tanzania (KIUT), Dares Salaam, Tanzania., Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana., Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana., Department of Pharmacotoxicology and Pharmacokinetics, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Yaound 233; I, Yaound 233;, Cameroon., Brain Research Africa Initiative (BRAIN), Neuroscience Lab, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Yaound 233; I, Department of Neurology, Central Hospital Yaound 233;, Yaound 233;, Cameroon., Division of Cancer Epidemiology & Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, US Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, USA; Cancer Genomics Research Laboratory, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA., The Center of Human Development and Aging, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07103, USA., Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Center for Global Genomics and Health Equity, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. Electronic address: tishkoff@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.,
    1. Year: 2024
    2. Date: May 02
  2. Journal: American Journal of Human Genetics
    1. 111
    2. 5
    3. Pages: 927-938
  4. Type of Article: Article
  1. Abstract:

    Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) varies significantly across human populations, with individuals of African ancestry having longer LTL than non-Africans. However, the genetic and environmental drivers of LTL variation in Africans remain largely unknown. We report here on the relationship between LTL, genetics, and a variety of environmental and climatic factors in ethnically diverse African adults (n = 1,818) originating from Botswana, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Cameroon. We observe significant variation in LTL among populations, finding that the San hunter-gatherers from Botswana have the longest leukocyte telomeres and that the Fulani pastoralists from Cameroon have the shortest telomeres. Genetic factors explain ~50% of LTL variation among individuals. Moreover, we observe a significant negative association between Plasmodium falciparum malaria endemicity and LTL while adjusting for age, sex, and genetics. Within Africa, adults from populations indigenous to areas with high malaria exposure have shorter LTL than those in populations indigenous to areas with low malaria exposure. Finally, we explore to what degree the genetic architecture underlying LTL in Africa covaries with malaria exposure. Copyright © 2024 American Society of Human Genetics. All rights reserved.

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External Sources

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  2. DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2024.04.003
  3. PMID: 38701745
  4. PII : S0002-9297(24)00118-6

Library Notes

  1. Fiscal Year: FY2023-2024
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