Telomere length is heritable and genetically correlated with lifespan in a wild bird.


Journal

Molecular ecology
ISSN: 1365-294X
Titre abrégé: Mol Ecol
Pays: England
ID NLM: 9214478

Informations de publication

Date de publication:
12 2022
Historique:
revised: 18 12 2020
received: 09 09 2020
accepted: 08 01 2021
pubmed: 19 1 2021
medline: 31 1 2023
entrez: 18 1 2021
Statut: ppublish

Résumé

Telomeres are protective caps at the end of eukaryotic chromosomes that shorten with age and in response to stressful or resource-demanding conditions. Their length predicts individual health and lifespan across a wide range of animals, but whether the observed positive association between telomere length and lifespan is environmentally induced, or set at conception due to a shared genetic basis, has not been tested in wild animals. We applied quantitative genetic "animal models" to longitudinal telomere measurements collected over a 10-year period from individuals of a wild seabird (common tern; Sterna hirundo) with known pedigree. We found no variation in telomere shortening with age among individuals at the phenotypic and genetic level, and only a small permanent environmental effect on adult telomere length. Instead, we found telomere length to be highly heritable and strongly positively genetically correlated with lifespan. Such heritable differences between individuals that are set at conception may present a hitherto underappreciated component of variation in somatic state.

Identifiants

pubmed: 33460462
doi: 10.1111/mec.15807
doi:

Types de publication

Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Langues

eng

Sous-ensembles de citation

IM

Pagination

6297-6307

Informations de copyright

© 2021 The Authors. Molecular Ecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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Auteurs

Oscar Vedder (O)

Institute of Avian Research, Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.

Maria Moiron (M)

Institute of Avian Research, Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France.

Coraline Bichet (C)

Institute of Avian Research, Wilhelmshaven, Germany.

Christina Bauch (C)

Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.

Simon Verhulst (S)

Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.

Peter H Becker (PH)

Institute of Avian Research, Wilhelmshaven, Germany.

Sandra Bouwhuis (S)

Institute of Avian Research, Wilhelmshaven, Germany.

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