Telomere length of peripheral blood leukocytes among persons living in Bama county of Guangxi

Objective To examine differences in telomere terminal restriction fragment(TRF)length of leukocytes among persons living in Bama county and general district in Guangxi,and to study there lationship between the longevity and telomere length.Methods Forty-nine healthy individuals from longevity family of Bama county were selected as the case group,while 51 healthy individuals from general family were selected as control group.The telomere terminal restriction fragment length of peripheral blood leukocytes were measured with Southern blot with digoxigenin-labeled probe.Data on the TRF mea surement were analyzed using covariance analysis.Results The TRF length of the case group was significantly longer than that of control group(P<0.01).TRF length declined with age in the case and control groups.Conclusion TRF length is longer in individuals from longevity family of Bama county than in those from general family,suggesting that the longevity phenomenon in Bama county of Guangxi might be associated with longer TRF length.