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Updated: Sep 21, 2025

Methodology for Sputum Induction and Laboratory Processing
Published on: December 17, 2017
Shortened Telomere Length in Sputum Cells of Bronchiectasis Patients is Associated with Dysfunctional Inflammatory
Hui Fang Lim1,2, Nadia Suray Tan2, Roghayeh Dehghan3,4
1Division of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, National University Hospital, National University Health System, 5 Lower Kent Ridge Road, Singapore, 119074, Singapore.
Abstract:
Telomere attrition is an established ageing biomarker and shorter peripheral blood leukocyte telomere length has been associated with increased risks of respiratory diseases. However, whether telomere length in disease-relevant sputum immune cells of chronic respiratory disease patients is shortened and which pathways are dysfunctional are not clear. Here we measured telomere length from sputum samples of bronchiectasis and asthmatic subjects and determined that telomere length in sputum of bronchiectasis subjects was significantly shorter (Beta = - 1.167, PAdj = 2.75 × 10-4). We further performed global gene expression analysis and identified genes involved in processes such as NLRP3 inflammasome activation and regulation of adaptive immune cells when bronchiectasis sputum telomere length was shortened. Our study provides insights on dysfunctions related to shortened telomere length in sputum immune cells of bronchiectasis patients.
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