@article{e4e3d403d2b6494d95ce384b28235708,
title = "A method for measuring the distribution of the shortest telomeres in cells and tissues",
abstract = "Improved methods to measure the shortest (not just average) telomere lengths (TLs) are needed. We developed Telomere Shortest Length Assay (TeSLA), a technique that detects telomeres from all chromosome ends from <1 kb to 18 kb using small amounts of input DNA. TeSLA improves the specificity and efficiency of TL measurements that is facilitated by user friendly image-processing software to automatically detect and annotate band sizes, calculate average TL, as well as the percent of the shortest telomeres. Compared with other TL measurement methods, TeSLA provides more information about the shortest telomeres. The length of telomeres was measured longitudinally in peripheral blood mononuclear cells during human aging, in tissues during colon cancer progression, in telomere-related diseases such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, as well as in mice and other organisms. The results indicate that TeSLA is a robust method that provides a better understanding of the shortest length of telomeres.",
author = "Lai, {Tsung Po} and Ning Zhang and Jungsik Noh and Ilgen Mender and Enzo Tedone and Ejun Huang and Wright, {Woodring E.} and Gaudenz Danuser and Shay, {Jerry W.}",
note = "Funding Information: We thank Dr. Lea Harrington from Universit{\'e} de Montr{\'e}al for providing the mTERT knockout mice. We also thank Dr. Christine K. Garcia from University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center for the gift of DNA samples from a kindred with familial pulmonary fibrosis and Dr. Lisa Boardman from the Mayo Clinic for the colon tumor samples. The longitudinal DNA samples from healthy volunteers were provided by TA Sciences, Inc and some human cell lines were provided by Life Length, Inc. We also thank John Wise for providing the bowhead whale lung cells with permission from the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. This work was supported by AG01228 from the National Institute on Aging (W.E.W. and J.W.S.), NCI SPORE P50CA70907 (J.W.S.) and the Cancer Prevention Institute of Texas (CPRIT) grants RP1225 (G.D.) and RP160180 (J.W.S.). We also acknowledge the Harold Simmons NCI Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center Support Grant (CA142543), the CPRIT Training Grant RP140110 (T.P.L. and I.M.), and the Southland Financial Corporation Distinguished Chair in Geriatric Research (J.W.S. and W.E.W.). This work was performed in laboratories constructed with support from NIH grant C06 RR30414. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2017 The Author(s).",
year = "2017",
month = dec,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1038/s41467-017-01291-z",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "8",
journal = "Nature communications",
issn = "2041-1723",
publisher = "Nature Publishing Group",
number = "1",
}