Correlation between telomere length and age in Chinese pine (Pinus tabuliformis Carr.)

Telomere is a specialized chromatin domain composed of telomere DNA and various telomere -associated proteins, which plays a crucial role in ensuring genomic integrity. A number of data showed that telomereis strongly associated with cell division, senescence and age. Based on the studies in gingko and bristlecone pine,Pinus tabulaeformis were selected as experiment materials. The needle leaves were gathered with the age rangingfrom 7 to 800 years old. Using TRF assay and TeloTool software, the telomere lengths were measured in needleleaves. The result showed that the telomere length increased with the age of the trees. On this base, a mathematicalmodel of the correlation between telomere length and age of P. tabulaeformis was built. It was expected to be appliedin the age determination of trees without injuries in the future.