Patterns of telomere length with age in African mole-rats: New insights from quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridisation (qFISH)

PeerJ

article

Stephanie R.L. Leonida¹  Nigel C. Bennett²  Andrew R. Leitch¹  Chris G. Faulkes¹ 

[1] School of Biological & Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London;Department of Zoology, University of Pretoria

关键词: Non-terminal telomeric repeats;    African mole-rats;    Bathyergidae;    Heterocephalidae;    Telomere length;    Cellular senescence;    Fukomys;    Heterocephalus;    Cryptomys;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.10498

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

Naked mole-rats Heterocephalus glaber (NMRs) are the longest-lived rodent and also resist the normal signs of senescence. In a number of species, cellular ageing has been correlated with a reduction in telomere length, yet relatively little is known about telomeres and their age-related dynamics in NMRs and other African mole-rats. Here, we apply fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) to quantify telomeric repeat sequences in the NMR, the Damaraland mole-rat, Fukomys damarensis (DMR) and the Mahali mole-rat, Cryptomys hottentotus mahali (MMR). Both terminal and non-terminal telomeric sequences were identified in chromosomes of the NMR and DMR, whilst the MMR displayed only terminal telomeric repeats. Measurements of tooth wear and eruption patterns in wild caught DMRs and MMRs, and known ages in captive bred NMRs, were used to place individuals into relative age classes and compared with a quantitative measure of telomeric fluorescence (as a proxy for telomere size). While NMRs and MMRs failed to show an age-related decline in telomeric fluorescence, the DMR had a significant decrease in fluorescence with age, suggesting a decrease in telomere size in older animals. Our results suggest that among African mole-rats there is variation between species with respect to the role of telomere shortening in ageing, and the replicative theory of cellular senescence.

【 授权许可】

CC BY