Comparison of different methods for telomere length measurement in whole blood and blood cell subsets: Recommendations for telomere length measurement in hematological diseases

Different methods of telomere length measurement are used to identify patients with telomeropathies. In our lab, we established four different methods for telomere length measurement, terminal restriction fragment (TRF) analysis by Southern blot analysis, quantitative PCR (qPCR), quantitative telomere/centromere fluorescence in situ hybridization (T/C-FISH) and fluorescence in situ hybridization combined with flow cytometry (FlowFISH). The methods each have distinct properties and apart from thisaccording to our experience and datamay have an impact on the individual result. In this study, we therefore compared and validated these methods measuring 154 healthy individuals of different age groups (newborn81years). A linear decline was found for every method (Southern blotting 64bp per year; qPCR 31bp per year; T/C-FISH 36bp per year; FlowFISH 50bp per year). With the equation of the regression line the values of each method (T/S ratio, T/C value, RTL value) can be expressed in absolute kb. All methods showed acceptable accuracy. The analysis indicated good agreement between all methods, with the best agreement between T/C-FISH and FlowFISH. Here, FlowFISH was the most precise, accurate, and reproducible method compared to the other methods. Based on our data, we emphasize the influence of expertise and experience that is required to produce robust and reliable telomere length analyses. Furthermore, we want to provide the scientific community working in diagnostics and research with data-funded advice on how to choose the appropriate method to safely discriminate between natural variability and pathological telomere shortening in individual cases.