Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Obstetrics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.
Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol. 2022 Apr 1;34(2):57-61. doi: 10.1097/GCO.0000000000000765.
Telomere biology is an emerging area of scientific interest. Telomeres are deoxynucleic acid caps at the ends of chromosomes that naturally shorten over one's lifespan; because of this, short telomeres have been studied as a marker of cellular aging. Given the association between short telomeres and genetic and environmental factors, their role in pregnancy has become an intriguing area of research.
This review describes recent data on telomeres in pregnancy. Specifically, we discuss the association between short maternal leukocyte telomeres and poor nutritional status, between short neonatal telomeres and greater maternal psychosocial stress, and between shorter fetal amniotic membrane telomeres and the spontaneous onset of parturition. We also review recent studies suggesting that events during pregnancy can impact telomeres in the offspring years into the future.
Telomere length varies in maternal, placental, and neonatal cells, but within each of these compartments telomeres may play their own distinct role during pregnancy. Whether telomeres are reflective of the cumulative impact of stressors, or part of an as-yet unknown fetal programming mechanism is an area of interest. With future research, we may work toward a better understanding of gestational biology which could have far reaching intergenerational impacts.
端粒生物学是一个新兴的科学研究领域。端粒是染色体末端的脱氧核酸帽，随着人的寿命自然缩短；正因为如此，短端粒已被研究作为细胞衰老的标志。鉴于短端粒与遗传和环境因素的关联，它们在妊娠中的作用成为一个有趣的研究领域。
本文综述了妊娠中端粒的最新数据。具体而言，我们讨论了母体白细胞端粒短与营养状况差之间的关联，新生儿端粒短与母体心理社会压力大之间的关联，以及胎儿羊膜端粒短与分娩自发性开始之间的关联。我们还回顾了最近的研究，表明妊娠期间的事件可能会影响后代未来数年的端粒。
端粒长度在母体、胎盘和新生儿细胞中有所不同，但在这些细胞中，端粒在妊娠期间可能发挥着各自独特的作用。端粒是否反映了压力源的累积影响，还是作为一个尚未被发现的胎儿编程机制的一部分，这是一个研究热点。随着未来的研究，我们可能会更好地理解妊娠生物学，这可能会产生深远的代际影响。
