Impact of Mothers' Age on Telomere Length and Human Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase Expression in Human Fetal Membrane-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Authors: Hassan S Abduljabbar
Saleh A Alkarim
Ghadeer I Alrefaei
Journal: Stem Cells and Development (2019)
Discipline: CLINICAL MEDICINE
Keywords: age; human fetal membranes; mesenchymal stem cells; telomerase; telomeres.
Affiliations: Biology Department, Faculty of Sciences, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia., Biology Department, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia., Embryonic and Cancer Stem Cell Research Group, King Fahad Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia., Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia., Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract:  Age-related cellular changes and limited replicative capacity of adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are few of the challenges confronting stem cell research. MSCs from human fetal membranes (hFM-MSCs), including placental, umbilical cord, and amniotic membrane, are considered an alternative to adult MSCs. However, the effect of mothers' age on hFM-MSC cellular properties is still not clearly established. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of mothers' age on hFM-MSC telomere length, telomerase activity, and proliferation ability in three different age groups: GI (20-29 years), GII (30-39 years), and GIII (‚â?0 years). hFM samples were collected from pregnant women ‚â?7 weeks after obtaining consent. hFM-MSCs were isolated and cultured to characterize them by flow cytometry and assess proliferation by MTT assay and doubling time. Telomere length and expression levels of human telomerase reverse transcriptase were assessed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-RCR). hFM-MSCs in the three age groups were spindle-shaped, plastic-adherent, and exhibited high proliferation rates and strong expression of hMSC markers. GI showed the longest telomere length in hMSCs in various FM regions, whereas GIII showed the highest level of telomerase expression. There was no difference in telomere length between GII and GIII, and both groups showed the same hMSC characteristics. In conclusion, although the hFM-MSCs derived from different fetal membranes maintained the MSC characteristics in all study groups, the hFM-MSCs of older mothers had shorter telomeres and higher telomerase activity and proliferation rate than did those derived from younger mothers. Thus, the hFM-MSCs of older mothers could be unsuitable for expansion in vitro or stem cell therapy. Determination of telomere length and telomerase expression level of hFM might help characterizing and understanding the biological differences of hFM-MSCs in different age groups. 

Retracted: No

PubPeer comments:
 In Figure 1, repetition occurred in day 9, where the hDB-MSCs - GiII (u226540 years) was the same as hAM-MSCs - GII (30u201339 years) and hCP-MSCs - GI (20u201329 years) was the same as hUCWj - MSCs - GI (20u201329 years). The original figure is on the left. The authors have revised Figure 1 as shown on the right. In Table 3, the column hMSCs u226540 (nu2009=u200916), u201c4Pu201d has been added to all groups. The original Table 3 is on top and the revised Table 3 is shown on the bottom. The online version of this article has been revised to reflect these corrections. The authors sincerely regret these errors. For additional information, please contact: Dr. Ghadeer I. Alrefaei, Biology Department, Faculty of Sciences, University of Jeddah, Jeddah 22264, Saudi Arabia. E-mail: galrefaei@uj.edu.sa ,