Abstract
Telomeres shorten as a consequence of DNA replication, in particular in cells with low production of telomerase and perhaps in response to physiological stress from exposure to reactive oxygen species, such as superoxide. This process of telomere attrition is countered by innate antioxidation, such as via the production of superoxide dismutase. We studied the inheritance of telomere length in the Australian painted dragon lizard (Ctenophorus pictus) and the extent to which telomere length covaries with mass-corrected maternal reproductive investment, which reflects the level of circulating yolk precursor and antioxidant, vitellogenin. Our predictors of offspring telomere length explained 72 % of telomere variation (including interstitial telomeres if such are present). Maternal telomere length and reproductive investment were positively influencing offspring telomere length in our analyses, whereas flow cytometry-estimated superoxide level was negatively impacting offspring telomere length. We suggest that the effects of superoxide on hatchling telomere shortening may be partly balanced by transgenerational effects of vitellogenin antioxidation.
References
Bolzan AD, Bianchi MS (2006) Telomere, interstitial telomeric repeat sequences, and chromosomal aberrations. Mutat Res 612:189–214. doi:10.1016/j.mrrev.2005.12.003
Han D, Haunerland NH, Williams TD (2009) Variation in yolk precursor receptor mRNA expression is a key determinant of reproductive phenotype in the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). J Exp Biol 212:1277–1283. doi:10.1242/jeb.026906
Harley CB, Futcher AB, Greider CW (1990) Telomeres shorten during ageing in human fibroblasts. Nature 345:458–460. doi:10.1038/345458a0
Nakamura A, Yasuda K, Adachi H, Sakurai Y, Ishii N, Goto S (1999) Vitellogenin-6 is a major carbonylated protein in aged nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 264:580–583. doi:10.1006/bbrc.1999.1549
Olsson M, Wilson M, Uller T, Mott B, Isaksson C, Healey M, Wanger T (2008) Free radicals run in lizard families. Biol Lett 42:186–188. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2007.0611
Olsson M, Pauliny A, Wapstra E, Blomqvist D (2010) Proximate determinants of telomere length in sand lizards (Lacerta agilis). Biol Lett 6:651–653. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2010.0126
Olsson M, Pauliny A, Wapstra E, Uller T, Schwartz T, Blomqvist D (2011a) Sex differences in sand lizard telomere inheritance: paternal epigenetic effects increases telomere heritability and offspring survival. PLoS One 6(4):e17473. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0017473
Olsson M, Pauliny A, Wapstra E, Uller T, Schwartz T, Miller E, Blomqvist D (2011b) Sexual differences in telomere selection in the wild. Mol Ecol 20:2085–2099. doi:10.1111/j.1365-294X.2011.05085.x
Seehuus SC, Norberg K, Gimsa U, Krekling T, Amdam GV (2006) Reproductive protein protects sterile honey bee workers from oxidative stress. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 103:962–967. doi:10.1073/pnas.0502681103
von Zglinicki T (2001) Telomeres and replicative senescence: is it only length that counts? Cancer Lett 168:111–116. doi:10.1016/S0304-3835(01)00546-8
von Zglinicki T (2002) Oxidative stress shortens telomeres. Trends Biochem Sci 27:339–344. doi:10.1016/S0968-0004(02)02110-2
Acknowledgments
The Australian Research Council is acknowledged for funding support (MO). These experiments were carried out under ethics permit AE10/11–13.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Communicated by: Sven Thatje
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ballen, C., Healey, M., Wilson, M. et al. Predictors of telomere content in dragon lizards. Naturwissenschaften 99, 661–664 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-012-0941-1
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-012-0941-1