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Microsatellite instability (MSI) increases with age in normal somatic cells

Mary I Coolbaugh-Murphy1, Jingping Xu, Louis S Ramagli

  • 1Department of Molecular Genetics, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe, Houston, TX 77030, USA.

Mechanisms of Ageing and Development
|August 16, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Microsatellite instability (MSI) increases with age in normal somatic cells. Small pool PCR (SP-PCR) effectively quantifies this age-related increase in MSI, establishing a baseline for somatic cell mutation accumulation.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics
  • Aging Research

Background:

  • Small pool PCR (SP-PCR) is a highly sensitive technique for detecting and quantifying microsatellite instability (MSI).
  • Microsatellite instability is a known biomarker in cancer, but its role in normal aging somatic cells is less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the hypothesis that mutant microsatellite fragments accumulate with age in normal somatic cells.
  • To establish whether this age-related increase in MSI can be reliably quantified using SP-PCR.
  • To determine a baseline for MSI accumulation in human somatic cells over the lifespan.

Main Methods:

  • MSI was assessed at six microsatellite loci using SP-PCR in DNA extracted from peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL).
  • The study cohort comprised 17 healthy blood bank donors aged 20 to 67 years.
  • MSI phenotypes were analyzed against age using regression analysis to identify correlations.

Main Results:

  • A significant positive correlation was observed between age and MSI phenotype (p=0.0006).
  • Mean weighted average mutant frequencies across all loci showed significant differences between age groups (20-30, 35-50, and 60-70 years; p<0.01).
  • The study demonstrated SP-PCR's effectiveness in evaluating low but significant levels of MSI.

Conclusions:

  • Mutant microsatellite fragments accumulate with age in normal human somatic cells.
  • SP-PCR is a validated method for quantifying age-related increases in MSI in somatic DNA.
  • This study provides a foundational understanding of MSI accumulation during the aging process.

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