Maximal telomerase activity capacity (mTAC) underlies the link between the cortisol response to stress and telomere length

Karin de Punder; Christine Heim; Dries S Martens; Pathik D Wadhwa; Sonja Entringer

doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2023.106120

Maximal telomerase activity capacity (mTAC) underlies the link between the cortisol response to stress and telomere length

Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2023 Jul:153:106120. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2023.106120. Epub 2023 Apr 20.

Authors

Karin de Punder¹, Christine Heim², Dries S Martens³, Pathik D Wadhwa⁴, Sonja Entringer⁵

Affiliations

¹ Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Medical Psychology, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology-II, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria. Electronic address: Karin.De-Punder@uibk.ac.at.
² Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Medical Psychology, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Center for Safe and Healthy Children, College of Health and Human Development, Pennsylvania State University, PA, USA.
³ Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium.
⁴ Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA; Development, Health and Disease Research Program, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA.
⁵ Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Medical Psychology, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA; Development, Health and Disease Research Program, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA.

PMID: 37104965
PMCID: PMC10428177 (available on 2024-07-01)
DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2023.106120

Abstract

Exposure to various forms of stress has been associated with shorter telomere length (TL). However, the molecular underpinnings of this effect are poorly understood. Based on an understanding of the key role of the reverse transcriptase enzyme telomerase in regulating TL, and building upon our previous work in developing and validating a biomarker of the capacity of cells to express telomerase (maximal telomerase activity capacity (mTAC)), we examine here the hypotheses that mTAC is positively associated with TL and that the effect of stress on TL is mediated by individual differences in mTAC. In a proof-of-principle study of 28 healthy women and men we quantified the cortisol response to a standardized stress challenge, the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), and we concurrently assessed peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) mTAC and TL. Our results indicated that higher mTAC levels were associated with longer TL (r = 0.50, p = .01). Moreover, mediational analysis suggested that the effect of the cortisol stress response on TL was mediated by mTAC (completely standardized β = -0.17, bootstrap CI95 %: -0.44 to -0.01). Thus, our findings support the premise that individual differences in the capacity of cells to up-regulate telomerase may represent a key mediator in the link between stress and TL.

Keywords: Cortisol; Peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC); Stress; Telomerase activity; Telomere length.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Female
Humans
Hydrocortisone
Leukocytes, Mononuclear / metabolism
Male
Telomerase* / metabolism
Telomere / metabolism

Substances

Telomerase
Hydrocortisone

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

Grants and funding