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The MNS16A polymorphism in the TERT gene in peri-centenarians from the Han Chinese population.

Authors: LiNa L. Liu, ChengYe C. Wang, Xiang X. Lu, FuHui F. Xiao, HuaWei H. Wang, LiQin L. Yang, LiangYou L. Xu, QingPeng Q. Kong
Published: 09/12/2014, Science China. Life sciences

Abstract

MNS16A, a variable number of tandem repeats polymorphism in the TERT gene, has been suggested to regulate telomerase activity. As telomerase activity has been reported to be related to life-span, we hypothesized that this polymorphism might affect human longevity by controlling the length of the telomere. To test this hypothesis, we collected 446 unrelated pericentenarian individuals (age[Symbol: see text]90, mean 94.45±3.45 years) and 332 normal controls (age 22-53, mean 35.0±12.0 years) from Dujiangyan, Sichuan, China. We typed the MNS16A polymorphism in both groups, and compared the allele and genotype frequencies between the peri-centenarian and control groups using the chi-squared test. There was no significant difference between the peri-centenarian and control groups. Thus, the MNS16A polymorphism in TERT might not influence human life-span, at least in the Han Chinese population studied here.

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