Variation of telomeric DNA content in gingiva and dental pulp
Yasuhiro Kumei1, Hideo Akiyama, Takuo Onizuka
1Graduate School of Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo 113-8549, Japan. kumei.bch@tmd.ac.jp
Objective:
The purpose of the present study was to examine the age- and tissue-related variations of the telomere length in gingiva and dental pulp of donor patients.
Design:
We quantified the relative telomeric DNA content corresponding to the telomere length in gingiva or dental pulp from donor patients (male and female, aged at 19-68) by using genomic DNA of oral tissues in dot-blot hybridization with telomere-specific probe.
Results:
Telomeric DNA content in the dental pulp showed a negative correlation with the age of donor patients, with smaller telomeric DNA content observed in the elders (p<0.05). In age-matched gingival samples, the average telomeric DNA content was not significantly different between male and female donors. In the age- and gender-matched samples, telomeric DNA content was significantly greater (p<0.001) in dental pulp than in gingiva.
Conclusion:
The telomere length is greater in the dental pulp than in the gingiva. In the dental pulp, but not in the gingiva, telomere length shortens with age.
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