Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, Globe Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Bioessays. 2024 Feb;46(2):e2300187. doi: 10.1002/bies.202300187. Epub 2023 Dec 4.
Telomeres are short repetitive DNA sequences capping the ends of chromosomes. Telomere shortening occurs during cell division and may be accelerated by oxidative damage or ameliorated by telomere maintenance mechanisms. Consequently, telomere length changes with age, which was recently confirmed in a large meta-analysis across vertebrates. However, based on the correlation between telomere length and age, it was concluded that telomere length can be used as a tool for chronological age estimation in animals. Correlation should not be confused with predictability, and the current data and studies suggest that telomeres cannot be used to reliably predict individual chronological age. There are biological reasons for why there is large individual variation in telomere dynamics, which is mainly due to high susceptibility to a wide range of environmental, but also genetic factors, rendering telomeres unfeasible as a tool for age estimation. The use of telomeres for chronological age estimation is largely a misguided effort, but its occasional reappearance in the literature raises concerns that it will mislead resources in wildlife conservation.
端粒是染色体末端的短重复 DNA 序列。端粒在细胞分裂过程中会缩短，可能会被氧化损伤加速，也可能会被端粒维持机制缓解。因此，端粒长度会随年龄的增长而变化，这一点在最近一项跨越脊椎动物的大型荟萃分析中得到了证实。然而，基于端粒长度与年龄之间的相关性，有人得出结论认为，端粒长度可以作为动物的生物钟年龄估算的工具。相关性不应与可预测性混淆，目前的数据和研究表明，端粒不能可靠地预测个体的生物钟年龄。端粒动力学存在较大个体差异的生物学原因主要是由于其对广泛的环境因素（而非遗传因素）高度敏感，这使得端粒作为年龄估计工具不可行。使用端粒进行生物钟年龄估计在很大程度上是一种误导性的尝试，但它偶尔会在文献中再次出现，这让人担心它会误导野生动物保护方面的资源。
