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Telomere dysfunction and Atm deficiency compromises organ homeostasis and accelerates ageing

Nature volume 421, pages 643–648 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

Ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) results from the loss of ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (Atm) function and is characterized by accelerated telomere loss, genomic instability, progressive neurological degeneration, premature ageing and increased neoplasia incidence1. Here we evaluate the functional interaction of Atm and telomeres in vivo. We examined the impact of Atm deficiency as a function of progressive telomere attrition at both the cellular and whole-organism level in mice doubly null for Atm and the telomerase RNA component (Terc)2,3,4. These compound mutants showed increased telomere erosion and genomic instability, yet they experienced a substantial elimination of T-cell lymphomas associated with Atm deficiency. A generalized proliferation defect was evident in all cell types and tissues examined, and this defect extended to tissue stem/progenitor cell compartments, thereby providing a basis for progressive multi-organ system compromise, accelerated ageing and premature death. We show that Atm deficiency and telomere dysfunction act together to impair cellular and whole-organism viability, thus supporting the view that aspects of A-T pathophysiology are linked to the functional state of telomeres and its adverse effects on stem/progenitor cell reserves.

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Figure 1: Increased chromosomal aberrations and signal-free ends in chromosome spreads from primary bone marrow cultures of late-generation Atm-/- mice with resulting increased apoptosis and decreased proliferative potential.
Figure 2: Increased apoptosis, anaphase bridging and p53 activation in the gastrointestinal crypts of G3 and G4 Terc-/- Atm-/- mice.
Figure 3: Influence of telomere function and Atm status on the proliferation and differentiation potential of the neural stem-cell compartment of adult brain.
Figure 4: Decreased overall survival in late-generation G3 to G4 Atm-/- mice.

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Acknowledgements

We thank D. Castrillon and M. Bosenberg for advice on histo-pathological analyses, and S. Weiler, D. Castrillon, N. Sharpless, N. Bardeesy, C. Khoo and S. Chang for critical reading of the manuscript. K.-K.W. is a Howard Hughes Physician Postdoctoral Fellow. R.S.M. is supported by a Damon Runyon Cancer Research Fund Fellowship. R.M.B. and D.R.C. are both NIH Mentored Clinician Scientists awardees. F.W.A. is supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. This work was supported by grants from the NIH and ACS to R.A.D. R.A.D. is an American Cancer Society Research Professor and a Steven and Michele Kirsch Investigator.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Adult Oncology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Massachusetts, 02115, Boston, USA

    Kwok-Kin Wong, Richard S. Maser, Robert M. Bachoo, Daniel R. Carrasco & Ronald A. DePinho

  2. Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, USA

    Frederick W. Alt

  3. The Center for Blood Research, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, USA

    Frederick W. Alt

  4. Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, USA

    Daniel R. Carrasco

  5. Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, USA

    Robert M. Bachoo

  6. Department of Genetics and Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts, 02115, Boston, USA

    Richard S. Maser & Ronald A. DePinho

  7. University of California Los Angeles Medical School, Los Angeles, California, 92507, USA

    Jayant Menon

  8. Department of Radiation Oncology and Immunology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, 98195, USA

    Yansong Gu

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Correspondence to Ronald A. DePinho.

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Wong, KK., Maser, R., Bachoo, R. et al. Telomere dysfunction and Atm deficiency compromises organ homeostasis and accelerates ageing. Nature 421, 643–648 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature01385

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