Ageing and telomeres: a study into organ- and gender-specific XXXX .

@entity35 @entity3207
Telomeres, the non-coding sequences at the ends of chromosomes, in the absence of telomerase, progressively shorten with each cell division. Shortening of telomeres can induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. The aim of this study was to investigate age- and gender-related changes in telomere length in the @entity35 and to detect possible tissue- specific rates of @entity3207 . Changes with age in telomere lengths were assessed by Southern blotting in the kidney, pancreas, liver, lung and brain of male and female @entity35 . We determined the percentage of telomeres in various molecular size regions rather than measuring the average telomere length. The latter was unable to detect @entity3207 in the tissues. The percentage of short telomeres increased with age in the kidney, liver, pancreas and lung of both males and females, but not in the brain. Males had shorter telomeres than females in all organs analysed except the brain, where the lengths were similar. These findings indicate that telomeres shorten in the @entity35 kidney, liver, pancreas and the lung in an age-dependent manner. These data also provide a novel mechanism for the gender-related differences in lifespan and suggest a tissue-specific regulation of telomere length during development and ageing in the @entity35 .
