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Association between longevity and cytokine gene polymorphisms. A study in Sardinian centenarians

  • Thematic Section: Inflammation and Aging
  • Original Article
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Abstract

Background and aims: Human longevity seems to be directly correlated with optimal functioning of the immune system, suggesting that some genetic determinants of longevity reside in those polymorphisms for the immune system genes which regulate immuneinflammatory responses, in particular cytokine gene polymorphisms. The frequency of − 174C single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the promoter region of the interleukin(IL)-6 gene is increased in Italian male centenarians. Moreover, the frequency of − 1082G SNP at the 5′ flanking region of the IL-10 gene coding sequence is increased among male centenarians, and that of +874A SNP at the interferon (IFN)- γ gene was found more frequently in female centenarians. These findings indicate that different alleles at different cytokine gene codings for pro- (IL-6, IFN- γ) or anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokines may affect the individual life-span expectancy, influencing the type and intensity of immune-inflammatory responses against environmental stressors. Methods: In the present study, we analyzed these IL-6, IL-10 and IFN- γ gene polymorphisms in 112 (36 male, 76 female) centenarians from the island of Sardinia, whose population shows a genetic background quite different from that of mainland Italy, as well as in 137 sixty-year-old controls from the same geographic area. Results: No significant differences were observed on analyzing IL-6, IL-10 and IFN- γ polymorphism frequencies among centenarians and controls, either on the whole and when the data were analyzed according to gender. Conclusions: These data indicate that gene polymorphisms of cytokines playing a major regulatory role in the inflammatory response do not affect life expectancy in the Sardinian population. Thus, cytokine/longevity associations have a population-specific component, being affected by the population-specific gene pool as well as by gene-environment interactions, behaving as survival rather than longevity genes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chair of Clinical Biochemistry, University of Sassari, Sassari

    Giovanni Mario Pes, Ciriaco Carru & Luca Deiana

  2. Study Group on Immunosenescence, Department of Pathobiology and Biomedical Methodologies, University of Palermo, Palermo

    Domenico Lio, Letizia Scola, Antonio Crivello, Giuseppina Candore, Giuseppina Colonna-Romano & Calogero Caruso MD

  3. Medicine Unit, Padova Hospital, Padova, Italy

    Giovannella Baggio

  4. Department of Experimental Pathology, University of Bologna, Bologna

    Claudio Franceschi

  5. Istituto Nazionale di Riposo e Cura per Anziani, Ancona and Firenze, Italy

    Claudio Franceschi, Luigi Ferrucci & Fabiola Oliveri

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  1. Giovanni Mario Pes
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  2. Domenico Lio
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  3. Ciriaco Carru
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  4. Luca Deiana
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  13. Calogero Caruso MD
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Correspondence to Calogero Caruso MD.

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Pes, G.M., Lio, D., Carru, C. et al. Association between longevity and cytokine gene polymorphisms. A study in Sardinian centenarians. Aging Clin Exp Res 16, 244–248 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03327391

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03327391

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