Sheldon Elizabeth L, Ton Riccardo, Boner Winnie, Monaghan Pat, Raveh Shirley, Schrey Aaron W, Griffith Simon C
Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
Mol Ecol. 2022 Dec;31(23):6261-6272. doi: 10.1111/mec.16187. Epub 2021 Oct 5.
Telomere length and DNA methylation (DNAm) are two promising biomarkers of biological age. Environmental factors and life history traits are known to affect variation in both these biomarkers, especially during early life, yet surprisingly little is known about their reciprocal association, especially in natural populations. Here, we explore how variation in DNAm, growth rate, and early-life conditions are associated with telomere length changes during development. We tested these associations by collecting data from wild, nestling zebra finches in the Australian desert. We found that increases in the level of DNAm were negatively correlated with telomere length changes across early life. We also confirm previously documented effects of post hatch growth rate and clutch size on telomere length in a natural ecological context for a species that has been extensively studied in the laboratory. However, we did not detect any effect of ambient temperature during developmental on telomere length dynamics. We also found that the absolute telomere length of wild zebra finches, measured using the in-gel TRF method, was similar to that of captive birds. Our findings highlight exciting new opportunities to link and disentangle potential relationships between DNA based biomarkers of ageing, and of physiological reactions to environmental change.
端粒长度和DNA甲基化（DNAm）是两个很有前景的生物年龄生物标志物。已知环境因素和生活史特征会影响这两种生物标志物的变异，尤其是在生命早期，然而令人惊讶的是，对于它们之间的相互关联，尤其是在自然种群中，人们了解得很少。在这里，我们探讨DNAm变异、生长速率和生命早期条件如何与发育过程中端粒长度的变化相关联。我们通过收集澳大利亚沙漠中野生斑胸草雀雏鸟的数据来测试这些关联。我们发现，在生命早期，DNAm水平的增加与端粒长度变化呈负相关。我们还在自然生态背景下证实了之前记录的孵化后生长速率和窝卵数对端粒长度的影响，该物种在实验室中已得到广泛研究。然而，我们未检测到发育期间环境温度对端粒长度动态的任何影响。我们还发现，使用凝胶内端粒限制性片段（TRF）方法测量的野生斑胸草雀的绝对端粒长度与圈养鸟类的相似。我们的研究结果凸显了令人兴奋的新机会，可用于联系和厘清基于DNA的衰老生物标志物与对环境变化的生理反应之间的潜在关系。
