Faculty Collaboration Database

Relationship closeness buffers the effects of perceived stress on transcriptomic indicators of cellular stress and biological aging marker p16^INK4a. Aging (Albany NY) 2020 Jul 26;12(16):16476-16490

Date

07/28/2020

Pubmed ID

32712602

Pubmed Central ID

PMC7485710

DOI

10.18632/aging.103739

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-85090451129 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   8 Citations

Abstract

Chronic stress can accelerate biological aging, offering one mechanism through which stress may increase age-related disease risk. Chronic activation of the sympathoadrenal system increases cellular energy production, resulting in cell stress that can initiate cellular senescence, a permanent state of cell growth arrest. Our previous research linked psychosocial stress with increased expression of senescence marker p16^INK4a; however, less is known about the role of protective psychosocial factors in biological aging. We examined relationship closeness (perceived interconnectedness with one's spouse) as a protective buffer of the effects of stress on expression of the p16^INK4a-encoding gene (CDKN2A) and transcription control pathways activated under cell stress. Seventy parents (M_age=43.2) completed interview-based and questionnaire measures of psychosocial stress and relationship closeness. Blood samples assessed CDKN2A expression and inferred activity of a priori-selected transcription factors Nrf2 and heat shock factors (HSFs) via genome-wide transcriptome profiling. Random intercept models adjusting for age, sex, and ethnicity/race revealed that perceived stress was associated with elevated CDKN2A expression for parents with low but not high closeness. Secondary bioinformatics analyses linked the interaction of perceived stress and relationship closeness to Nrf2 and HSF-1 activity. Findings identify relationship closeness as a protective factor that may buffer the impact of stress on cellular stress and senescence pathways.

Author List

Rentscher KE, Carroll JE, Cole SW, Repetti RL, Robles TF

Author

Kelly E. Rentscher PhD Assistant Professor in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adult
Age Factors
Aging
Biomarkers
Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16
Female
Gene Expression Profiling
Humans
Interpersonal Relations
Male
Middle Aged
Protective Factors
Risk Factors
Spouses
Stress, Psychological
Transcriptome