Elevated glucocorticoids during gestation suggest sex-specific effects on offspring telomere lengths in a wild lizard.

Autor: Ensminger DC; Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, The Pennsylvania State University, Forest Resources Building, University Park, PA 16802, United States of America; Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, Mueller Laboratory, University Park, PA 16802, United States of America. Electronic address: dls_david@yahoo.com., Siegel SR; Department of Biobehavioral Health, The Pennsylvania State University, Biomarker Core Lab, University Park, PA 16802, United States of America., Owen DAS; Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, The Pennsylvania State University, Forest Resources Building, University Park, PA 16802, United States of America; Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, Mueller Laboratory, University Park, PA 16802, United States of America; Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States of America., Sheriff MJ; Biology Department, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Dartmouth, MA 02747, United States of America., Langkilde T; Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, Mueller Laboratory, University Park, PA 16802, United States of America; Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States of America.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Part A, Molecular & integrative physiology [Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol] 2021 Jul; Vol. 257, pp. 110971. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Apr 29.
DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2021.110971
Abstrakt: The effects of maternal glucocorticoids (e.g. corticosterone, CORT) on offspring interest biologists due to increasing environmental perturbations. While little is known about the impact of maternal CORT on offspring fitness, it may modulate telomere length and compromise offspring health. Here, we use a modified real-time quantitative PCR assay to assess telomere length using small DNA quantities (<60 ng). We tested the hypothesis that increased maternal CORT during gestation decreases offspring telomere length. While CORT-driven telomere shortening is well established within individuals, cross-generational effects remain unclear. We treated wild-caught gravid female eastern fence lizards (Sceloporus undulatus) with daily transdermal applications of CORT, at ecologically relevant levels, from capture to laying. Maternal CORT treatment did not alter maternal telomere length, although baseline maternal CORT concentrations had a weak, negative correlation with maternal telomere length. There was no relation between mother and offspring telomere length. There was a trend for maternal CORT treatment to shorten telomeres of sons but not daughters. Our treatment replicated exposure to a single stressor per day, likely underestimating effects seen in the wild where stressors may be more frequent. Future research should further explore fitness consequences of maternal CORT effects.
(Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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