Long-term effects of BCG vaccination on telomere length and telomerase activity
Summary: This study explores the effects of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination on telomere maintenance, an aging-related process, in immune cells. While BCG reduces systemic inflammation and enhances innate immune responsiveness by inducing trained immunity, its effects on other immune aging...
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| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-08-01
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| Series: | iScience |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004225014208 |
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| author | Ozlem Bulut Valerie A.C.M. Koeken Simone J.C.F.M. Moorlag Charlotte J. de Bree Vera P. Mourits Gizem Kilic Priya A. Debisarun Marijke P.A. Baltissen Joost H.A. Martens Jorge Domínguez-Andrés Leo A.B. Joosten Mihai G. Netea |
| author_facet | Ozlem Bulut Valerie A.C.M. Koeken Simone J.C.F.M. Moorlag Charlotte J. de Bree Vera P. Mourits Gizem Kilic Priya A. Debisarun Marijke P.A. Baltissen Joost H.A. Martens Jorge Domínguez-Andrés Leo A.B. Joosten Mihai G. Netea |
| author_sort | Ozlem Bulut |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Summary: This study explores the effects of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination on telomere maintenance, an aging-related process, in immune cells. While BCG reduces systemic inflammation and enhances innate immune responsiveness by inducing trained immunity, its effects on other immune aging hallmarks, such as telomere shortening, are not fully understood. We assessed telomere length in two independent human cohorts before and three months after BCG vaccination. Telomere shortening was consistently observed after BCG, but not after placebo vaccination. Trained immunity non-responders were likelier to lose telomere length, but only among males. Higher pre-vaccination testosterone levels were associated with greater telomere loss in males. In vitro, BCG training activated telomerase, particularly in females, and this was partially prevented by exogenous testosterone. These findings suggest BCG vaccination influences telomere dynamics in a sex-specific manner, contributing to understanding BCG’s broader effects on aging-related processes. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a8eb49232de84506b5ac7ea19e54e148 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2589-0042 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | iScience |
| spelling | doaj-art-a8eb49232de84506b5ac7ea19e54e1482025-08-20T03:45:03ZengElsevieriScience2589-00422025-08-0128811315910.1016/j.isci.2025.113159Long-term effects of BCG vaccination on telomere length and telomerase activityOzlem Bulut0Valerie A.C.M. Koeken1Simone J.C.F.M. Moorlag2Charlotte J. de Bree3Vera P. Mourits4Gizem Kilic5Priya A. Debisarun6Marijke P.A. Baltissen7Joost H.A. Martens8Jorge Domínguez-Andrés9Leo A.B. Joosten10Mihai G. Netea11Department of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Corresponding authorDepartment of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the NetherlandsDepartment of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the NetherlandsDepartment of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the NetherlandsDepartment of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the NetherlandsDepartment of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the NetherlandsDepartment of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the NetherlandsDepartment of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the NetherlandsDepartment of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the NetherlandsDepartment of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the NetherlandsDepartment of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Department of Medical Genetics, Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaDepartment of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Department for Immunology and Metabolism, Life and Medical Sciences Institute (LIMES), University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany; Corresponding authorSummary: This study explores the effects of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination on telomere maintenance, an aging-related process, in immune cells. While BCG reduces systemic inflammation and enhances innate immune responsiveness by inducing trained immunity, its effects on other immune aging hallmarks, such as telomere shortening, are not fully understood. We assessed telomere length in two independent human cohorts before and three months after BCG vaccination. Telomere shortening was consistently observed after BCG, but not after placebo vaccination. Trained immunity non-responders were likelier to lose telomere length, but only among males. Higher pre-vaccination testosterone levels were associated with greater telomere loss in males. In vitro, BCG training activated telomerase, particularly in females, and this was partially prevented by exogenous testosterone. These findings suggest BCG vaccination influences telomere dynamics in a sex-specific manner, contributing to understanding BCG’s broader effects on aging-related processes.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004225014208ImmunologyAgeCell biology |
| spellingShingle | Ozlem Bulut Valerie A.C.M. Koeken Simone J.C.F.M. Moorlag Charlotte J. de Bree Vera P. Mourits Gizem Kilic Priya A. Debisarun Marijke P.A. Baltissen Joost H.A. Martens Jorge Domínguez-Andrés Leo A.B. Joosten Mihai G. Netea Long-term effects of BCG vaccination on telomere length and telomerase activity iScience Immunology Age Cell biology |
| title | Long-term effects of BCG vaccination on telomere length and telomerase activity |
| title_full | Long-term effects of BCG vaccination on telomere length and telomerase activity |
| title_fullStr | Long-term effects of BCG vaccination on telomere length and telomerase activity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Long-term effects of BCG vaccination on telomere length and telomerase activity |
| title_short | Long-term effects of BCG vaccination on telomere length and telomerase activity |
| title_sort | long term effects of bcg vaccination on telomere length and telomerase activity |
| topic | Immunology Age Cell biology |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004225014208 |
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