Telomere and Telomerase Biology in Cardiovascular Disease: A State-of-the-art Review and Outlook

Abstract

Telomeres are short repetitive hexanucleotides located at the ends of eukaryotic DNA sequences. They progressively shorten with each mitotic cycle, and telomerase counteracts the process by regulating and extending the telomeres. Ageing, oxidative stress and inflammation are predisposing factors that accelerate telomere shortening, and eventually drive cells to senescence. Recent findings have observed the associations of short telomere length with traditional cardiovascular risk factors leading to cardiovascular phenotype. However, such association remains hypothesised as a reserved causation, mainly confounded by unfathomable covariates and mixed research findings. Based on the recent literature, the present review aimed to provide a concise update and diverging view on telomere−telomerase biology in cardiovascular disease.