Noninvasive, epigenetic age estimation in an elasmobranch, the cownose ray (Rhinoptera bonasus)

Autor: D. Nick Weber, Jennifer T. Wyffels, Chris Buckner, Robert George, F. Ed Latson, Véronique LePage, Kady Lyons, David S. Portnoy
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: Scientific Reports, Vol 14, Iss 1, Pp 1-8 (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2045-2322
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-78004-2
Popis: Abstract Age data are essential for estimating life history parameters and are thus critical for population assessment, management, and conservation. Traditional vertebrae-based age estimation in elasmobranchs can be costly, time intensive, of low accuracy, and is by necessity lethal. Herein, epigenetic clocks were developed for an elasmobranch, the cownose ray (Rhinoptera bonasus), using aquarium-born individuals (n = 42) with known dates of birth (age range: 7−7,878 days or 0−21 years) and two tissue types (fin clips and whole blood) that can be sampled in a relatively non-invasive manner. Enzymatically-converted restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (ECrad-seq) was used to identify CpG sites that exhibited age-correlated DNA methylation. The epigenetic clocks developed were highly accurate (mean absolute error, MAE, < 0.75 years) and precise (R 2 > 0.98). Age-associated CpG sites were identified across tissues, and a multi-tissue clock was also highly accurate (MAE 22 years were predicted to be 22.10−23.49 years old. Overall, the results have important implications for future epigenetic clock development and noninvasive age estimation in elasmobranchs.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
Nepřihlášeným uživatelům se plný text nezobrazuje