Stress and immunosenescence: The role of telomerase

Karin de Punder; Christine Heim; Pathik D Wadhwa; Sonja Entringer

doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.10.019

Stress and immunosenescence: The role of telomerase

Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2019 Mar:101:87-100. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.10.019. Epub 2018 Oct 23.

Authors

Karin de Punder¹, Christine Heim², Pathik D Wadhwa³, Sonja Entringer⁴

Affiliations

¹ Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Institute of Medical Psychology, Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: karin.de-punder@charite.de.
² Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Institute of Medical Psychology, Berlin, Germany; Department of Biobehavioral Health, College of Health and Human Development, Pennsylvania State University, USA.
³ Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, Irvine, CA, USA; Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, Irvine, CA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, Irvine, CA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, Irvine, CA, USA.
⁴ Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Institute of Medical Psychology, Berlin, Germany; Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, Irvine, CA, USA; Development, Health and Disease Research Program, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, Irvine, CA, USA.

Abstract

Chronic stress is associated with the accelerated aging of the immune system and represents a potent risk factor for the development and progression of a wide range of physical and mental disorders. The elucidation of molecular pathways and mechanisms underlying the link between stress and cellular aging is an area of considerable interest and investigation. In this context, telomere biology has emerged as a particularly attractive candidate mechanism. Several studies have linked immune cell telomere length with stress-related conditions and states, and also with several physical and mental disorders. Because the cellular reverse transcriptase enzyme telomerase is the primary regulator of telomere length (by adding telomeric DNA to telomeres and thereby attenuating telomere shortening), the understanding of its regulation and regulatory functions constitutes a prime target for developing strategies to prevent, attenuate or reverse the adverse consequences of immune system aging (immunosenescence). In this review we provide an overview of the mechanistic pathways linking telomerase with stress and cellular aging, with an emphasis on the immune system. We summarize and synthesize the current state of the literature on immune cell telomerase in different stress- and aging-related disease states and provide recommendations for future research directions.

Keywords: Immunosenescence; Inflammation; Oxidative stress; Stress hormones; Telomerase; hTERT.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

Age Factors
Cellular Senescence / genetics
Humans
Immunosenescence / physiology*
Stress, Psychological / immunology*
Stress, Psychological / physiopathology
Telomerase / metabolism*
Telomerase / physiology
Telomere / metabolism
Telomere Shortening

Substances

Telomerase

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

Grants and funding