scholarly journals Why are there associations between telomere length and behaviour?

2018 ◽  
Vol 373 (1741) ◽  
pp. 20160438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Bateson ◽  
Daniel Nettle
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Telomere Length ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Smoking Behaviour ◽  
Theme Issue ◽  
Early Life Adversity ◽  
Telomere Attrition ◽  
Specific Behaviour ◽  
Telomere Dynamics

Individual differences in telomere length are associated with individual differences in behaviour in humans and birds. Within the human epidemiological literature this association is assumed to result from specific behaviour patterns causing changes in telomere dynamics. We argue that selective adoption—the hypothesis that individuals with short telomeres are more likely to adopt specific behaviours—is an alternative worthy of consideration. Selective adoption could occur either because telomere length directly affects behaviour or because behaviour and telomere length are both affected by a third variable, such as exposure to early-life adversity. We present differential predictions of the causation and selective adoption hypotheses and describe how these could be tested with longitudinal data on telomere length. Crucially, if behaviour is causal then it should be associated with differential rates of telomere attrition. Using smoking behaviour as an example, we show that the evidence that smoking accelerates the rate of telomere attrition within individuals is currently weak. We conclude that the selective adoption hypothesis for the association between behaviour and telomere length is both mechanistically plausible and, if anything, more compatible with existing empirical evidence than the hypothesis that behaviour is causal. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Understanding diversity in telomere dynamics’.

scholarly journals Interplays between pre- and post-natal environments affect early-life mortality, body mass and telomere dynamics in the wild

2020 ◽  
Vol 224 (1) ◽  
pp. jeb231290
Author(s):  
Tiia Kärkkäinen ◽  
Pauliina Teerikorpi ◽  
Wiebke Schuett ◽  
Antoine Stier ◽  
Toni Laaksonen
Keyword(s):  
Telomere Length ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Maternal Investment ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Hatching Order ◽  
Hatching Synchrony ◽  
Asynchronous Hatching ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Developmental Conditions ◽  
Telomere Dynamics

ABSTRACTEarly-life conditions are crucial determinants of phenotype and fitness. The effects of pre- and post-natal conditions on fitness prospects have been widely studied but their interactive effects have received less attention. In birds, asynchronous hatching creates challenging developmental conditions for the last-hatched chicks, but differential allocation in last-laid eggs might help to compensate this initial handicap. The relative importance and potential interaction between pre- and post-hatching developmental conditions for different fitness components remains mostly unknown. We manipulated hatching order in wild pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca), creating three groups: natural asynchrony (last-laid eggs hatching last), reversed asynchrony (last-laid eggs hatching first) and hatching synchrony (all eggs hatching at once). We examined the effects of these manipulations on early-life survival, growth and telomere length, a potential cellular biomarker of fitness prospects. Mortality was mostly affected by hatching order, with last-hatched chicks being more likely to die. Early-life telomere dynamics and growth were influenced by the interplays between laying and hatching order. Last-laid but first-hatched chicks were heavier but had shorter telomeres 5 days after hatching than their siblings, indicating rapid early growth with potential adverse consequences on telomere length. Synchronous chicks did not suffer any apparent cost of hatching synchronously. Impaired phenotypes only occurred when reversing the natural hatching order (i.e. developmental mismatch), suggesting that maternal investment in last-laid eggs might indeed counterbalance the initial handicap of last-hatched chicks. Our experimental study thus highlights that potential interplays between pre- and post-natal environments are likely to shape fitness prospects in the wild.

scholarly journals Individual telomere dynamics and their links to life history in a viviparous lizard

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1951) ◽  
pp. 20210271
Author(s):  
L. J. Fitzpatrick ◽  
M. Olsson ◽  
A. Pauliny ◽  
G. M. While ◽  
E. Wapstra
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Telomere Length ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Age And Growth ◽  
Life History Strategies ◽  
Telomere Attrition ◽  
Specific Effects ◽  
Telomere Lengthening ◽  
Telomere Dynamics

Emerging patterns suggest telomere dynamics and life history are fundamentally linked in endotherms through life-history traits that mediate the processes underlying telomere attrition. Unlike endotherms, ectotherms maintain the ability to lengthen somatic telomeres throughout life and the link between life-history strategies and ectotherm telomere dynamics is unknown. In a well-characterized model system ( Niveoscincus ocellatus ), we used long-term longitudinal data to study telomere dynamics across climatically divergent populations. We found longer telomeres in individuals from the cool highlands than those from the warm lowlands at birth and as adults. The key determinant of adult telomere length across populations was telomere length at birth, with population-specific effects of age and growth on adult telomere length. The reproductive effort had no proximate effect on telomere length in either population. Maternal factors influenced telomere length at birth in the warm lowlands but not the cool highlands. Our results demonstrate that life-history traits can have pervasive and context-dependent effects on telomere dynamics in ectotherms both within and between populations. We argue that these telomere dynamics may reflect the populations' different life histories, with the slow-growing cool highland population investing more into telomere lengthening compared to the earlier-maturing warm lowland population.

scholarly journals Life-long telomere attrition predicts health and lifespan in a large mammal

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luise A. Seeker ◽  
Sarah L. Underwood ◽  
Rachael V. Wilbourn ◽  
Jennifer Fairlie ◽  
Hannah Froy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Telomere Length ◽  
Milk Production ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Adult Life ◽  
First Year ◽  
Adult Health ◽  
Telomere Attrition ◽  
Research Population ◽  
Commercial Farms ◽  
First Year Of Life

AbstractTelomere length measured in blood cells is predictive of subsequent adult health and survival across a range of vertebrate species. However, we currently do not know whether such associations result from among-individual differences in telomere length determined genetically or by environmental factors early in life, or from differences in the rate of telomere attrition over the course of life. Here, we measured relative leukocyte telomere length (RLTL) multiple times across the entire lifespan of dairy cattle in a research population that is closely monitored for health and milk production and where individuals are only culled in response to health issues and less due to poor milk production than on purely commercial farms. Our results clearly show that the average amount of telomere attrition over an individual’s life, not their average or early life telomere length predicted when an individual was culled. Within-individual telomere length attrition could reflect environmental or physiological insults which may accumulate to predict individual health-span. We also show that animals with more telomere attrition in their first year of life were culled at a younger age, indicating that early life stressors may have a prolonged effect on adult life.

scholarly journals Heritability of telomere variation: it is all about the environment!

2018 ◽  
Vol 373 (1741) ◽  
pp. 20160450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah L. Dugdale ◽  
David S. Richardson
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Telomere Length ◽  
Environmental Effects ◽  
Theme Issue ◽  
Sufficient Power ◽  
Confounding Variables ◽  
Time Periods ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Insight Into

Individual differences in telomere length have been linked to survival and senescence. Understanding the heritability of telomere length can provide important insight into individual differences and facilitate our understanding of the evolution of telomeres. However, to gain accurate and meaningful estimates of telomere heritability it is vital that the impact of the environment, and how this may vary, is understood and accounted for. The aim of this review is to raise awareness of this important, but much under-appreciated point. We outline the factors known to impact telomere length and discuss the fact that telomere length is a trait that changes with age. We highlight statistical methods that can separate genetic from environmental effects and control for confounding variables. We then review how well previous studies in vertebrate populations including humans have taken these factors into account. We argue that studies to date either use methodological techniques that confound environmental and genetic effects, or use appropriate methods but lack sufficient power to fully separate these components. We discuss potential solutions. We conclude that we need larger studies, which also span longer time periods, to account for changing environmental effects, if we are to determine meaningful estimates of the genetic component of telomere length. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Understanding diversity in telomere dynamics'.

scholarly journals Effects of early-life competition and maternal nutrition on telomere lengths in wild meerkats

2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1861) ◽  
pp. 20171383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominic L. Cram ◽  
Pat Monaghan ◽  
Robert Gillespie ◽  
Tim Clutton-Brock
Keyword(s):  
Early Life ◽  
Maternal Nutrition ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Telomere Shortening ◽  
Early Life Adversity ◽  
Maternal Milk ◽  
Telomere Attrition ◽  
Fitness Consequences ◽  
Delayed Consequences ◽  
Competition For Resources

Early-life adversity can affect health, survival and fitness later in life, and recent evidence suggests that telomere attrition may link early conditions with their delayed consequences. Here, we investigate the link between early-life competition and telomere length in wild meerkats. Our results show that, when multiple females breed concurrently, increases in the number of pups in the group are associated with shorter telomeres in pups. Given that pups from different litters compete for access to milk, we tested whether this effect is due to nutritional constraints on maternal milk production, by experimentally supplementing females' diets during gestation and lactation. While control pups facing high competition had shorter telomeres, the negative effects of pup number on telomere lengths were absent when maternal nutrition was experimentally improved. Shortened pup telomeres were associated with reduced survival to adulthood, suggesting that early-life competition for nutrition has detrimental fitness consequences that are reflected in telomere lengths. Dominant females commonly kill pups born to subordinates, thereby reducing competition and increasing growth rates of their own pups. Our work suggests that an additional benefit of infanticide may be that it also reduces telomere shortening caused by competition for resources, with associated benefits for offspring ageing profiles and longevity.

scholarly journals Early life adversity blunts responses to pioglitazone in depressed, overweight adults

2019 ◽  
Vol 55 ◽  
pp. 4-9
Author(s):  
Thalia K. Robakis ◽  
Kathleen Watson-Lin ◽  
Tronita E. Wroolie ◽  
Alison Myoraku ◽  
Carla Nasca ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Randomized Trial ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Metabolic Response ◽  
Metabolic Function ◽  
Early Life Adversity ◽  
Antidepressant Medications ◽  
Insulin Resistant ◽  
History Of

AbstractPurpose:Early life adversity is associated with both metabolic impairment and depression in adulthood, as well as with poorer responses to antidepressant medications. It is not yet known whether individual differences in sensitivity to antidiabetic medications could also be related to early life adversity. We examined whether a history of early life adversity affected the observed changes in metabolic function and depressive symptoms in a randomized trial of pioglitazone for augmentation of standard treatments for depression.Purpose:Early life adversity is associated with both metabolic impairment and depression in adulthood, as well as with poorer responses to antidepressant medications. It is not yet known whether individual differences in sensitivity to antidiabetic medications could also be related to early life adversity. We examined whether a history of early life adversity affected the observed changes in metabolic function and depressive symptoms in a randomized trial of pioglitazone for augmentation of standard treatments for depression.Findings:We found that early life adversity significantly impaired the metabolic response to pioglitazone. Effects on depressive symptoms did not reach significance, but nonetheless suggested that pioglitazone could mitigate the depressant effects of childhood adversity, only among those insulin resistant at baseline.Conclusions:We conclude that a history of early life adversity may impair the body’s ability to respond to insulin sensitizing pharmacotherapy, and furthermore that its contribution to resistant depression may function in part via the generation of an insulin resistant phenotype.

scholarly journals Longer telomeres during early life predict higher lifetime reproductive success in females but not males

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1951) ◽  
pp. 20210560
Author(s):  
Britt J. Heidinger ◽  
Aurelia C. Kucera ◽  
Jeff D. Kittilson ◽  
David F. Westneat
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Telomere Length ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Population Variation ◽  
Lifetime Reproductive Success ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Telomere Loss ◽  
Telomere Dynamics

The mechanisms that contribute to variation in lifetime reproductive success are not well understood. One possibility is that telomeres, conserved DNA sequences at chromosome ends that often shorten with age and stress exposures, may reflect differences in vital processes or influence fitness. Telomere length often predicts longevity, but longevity is only one component of fitness and little is known about how lifetime reproductive success is related to telomere dynamics in wild populations. We examined the relationships between telomere length beginning in early life, telomere loss into adulthood and lifetime reproductive success in free-living house sparrows ( Passer domesticus ). We found that females, but not males, with longer telomeres during early life had higher lifetime reproductive success, owing to associations with longevity and not reproduction per year or attempt. Telomeres decreased with age in both sexes, but telomere loss was not associated with lifetime reproductive success. In this species, telomeres may reflect differences in quality or condition rather than the pace of life, but only in females. Sexually discordant selection on telomeres is expected to influence the stability and maintenance of within population variation in telomere dynamics and suggests that any role telomeres play in mediating life-history trade-offs may be sex specific.

scholarly journals TERC Variants Associated with Short Leukocyte Telomeres: Implication of Higher Early Life Leukocyte Telomere Attrition as Assessed by the Blood-and-Muscle Model

Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 1360
Author(s):  
Simon Toupance ◽  
Maria G. Stathopoulou ◽  
Alexandros M. Petrelis ◽  
Vesna Gorenjak ◽  
Carlos Labat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Telomere Length ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Telomere Maintenance ◽  
Muscle Model ◽  
Mendelian Randomisation ◽  
Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Telomere Attrition ◽  
Adult Age

Short leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Mendelian randomisation studies, using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with short LTL, infer a causal role of LTL in ASCVD. Recent results, using the blood-and-muscle model, indicate that higher early life LTL attrition, as estimated by the ratio between LTL and skeletal muscle telomere length (MTL), rather than short LTL at conception, as estimated by MTL, should be responsible of the ASCVD-LTL connection. We combined LTL and MTL measurements and SNPs profiling in 402 individuals to determine if 15 SNPs classically described as associated with short LTL at adult age were rather responsible for higher LTL attrition during early life than for shorter LTL at birth. Two of these SNPs (rs12696304 and rs10936599) were associated with LTL in our cohort (p = 0.027 and p = 0.025, respectively). These SNPs, both located on the TERC gene, were associated with the LTL/MTL ratio (p = 0.007 and p = 0.037, respectively), but not with MTL (p = 0.78 and p = 0.32 respectively). These results suggest that SNPs located on genes coding for telomere maintenance proteins may contribute to a higher LTL attrition during the highly replicative first years of life and have an impact later on the development of ASCVD.

scholarly journals An experimental demonstration that early-life competitive disadvantage accelerates telomere loss

2015 ◽  
Vol 282 (1798) ◽  
pp. 20141610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Nettle ◽  
Pat Monaghan ◽  
Robert Gillespie ◽  
Ben Brilot ◽  
Thomas Bedford ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Life ◽  
Plasma Lipid ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Adult Survival ◽  
Early Life Adversity ◽  
Telomere Attrition ◽  
Delayed Effects ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Competitive Disadvantage ◽  
Telomere Loss

Adverse experiences in early life can exert powerful delayed effects on adult survival and health. Telomere attrition is a potentially important mechanism in such effects. One source of early-life adversity is the stress caused by competitive disadvantage. Although previous avian experiments suggest that competitive disadvantage may accelerate telomere attrition, they do not clearly isolate the effects of competitive disadvantage from other sources of variation. Here, we present data from an experiment in European starlings ( Sturnus vulgaris ) that used cross-fostering to expose siblings to divergent early experience. Birds were assigned either to competitive advantage (being larger than their brood competitors) or competitive disadvantage (being smaller than their brood competitors) between days 3 and 12 post-hatching. Disadvantage did not affect weight gain, but it increased telomere attrition, leading to shorter telomere length in disadvantaged birds by day 12. There were no effects of disadvantage on oxidative damage as measured by plasma lipid peroxidation. We thus found strong evidence that early-life competitive disadvantage can accelerate telomere loss. This could lead to faster age-related deterioration and poorer health in later life.

scholarly journals Smoking does not accelerate leucocyte telomere attrition: a meta-analysis of 18 longitudinal cohorts

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 190420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Bateson ◽  
Abraham Aviv ◽  
Laila Bendix ◽  
Athanase Benetos ◽  
Yoav Ben-Shlomo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Telomere Length ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Linear Effect ◽  
Telomere Attrition ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Telomere Dynamics

Smoking is associated with shorter leucocyte telomere length (LTL), a biomarker of increased morbidity and reduced longevity. This association is widely interpreted as evidence that smoking causes accelerated LTL attrition in adulthood, but the evidence for this is inconsistent. We analysed the association between smoking and LTL dynamics in 18 longitudinal cohorts. The dataset included data from 12 579 adults (4678 current smokers and 7901 non-smokers) over a mean follow-up interval of 8.6 years. Meta-analysis confirmed a cross-sectional difference in LTL between smokers and non-smokers, with mean LTL 84.61 bp shorter in smokers (95% CI: 22.62 to 146.61). However, LTL attrition was only 0.51 bp yr −1 faster in smokers than in non-smokers (95% CI: −2.09 to 1.08), a difference that equates to only 1.32% of the estimated age-related loss of 38.33 bp yr −1 . Assuming a linear effect of smoking, 167 years of smoking would be required to generate the observed cross-sectional difference in LTL. Therefore, the difference in LTL between smokers and non-smokers is extremely unlikely to be explained by a linear, causal effect of smoking. Selective adoption, whereby individuals with short telomeres are more likely to start smoking, needs to be considered as a more plausible explanation for the observed pattern of telomere dynamics.

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