Telomeres are elongated in older individuals in a hibernating rodent, the edible dormouse (Glis glis)

Abstract

Telomere shortening is thought to be an important biomarker for life history traits such as lifespan and aging, and can be indicative of genome integrity, survival probability and the risk of cancer development. In humans and other animals, telomeres almost always shorten with age, with more rapid telomere attrition in short-lived species. Here, we show that in the edible dormouse (Glis glis) telomere length significantly increases from an age of 6 to an age of 9 years. While this finding could be due to higher survival of individuals with longer telomeres, we also found, using longitudinal measurements, a positive effect of age on the rate of telomere elongation within older individuals. To our knowledge, no previous study has reported such an effect of age on telomere lengthening. We attribute this exceptional pattern to the peculiar life-history of this species, which skips reproduction in years with low food availability. Further, we show that this “sit tight” strategy in the timing of reproduction is associated with an increasing likelihood for an individual to reproduce as it ages. As reproduction could facilitate telomere attrition, this life-history strategy may have led to the evolution of increased somatic maintenance and telomere elongation with increasing age.

Individual variation in early‐life telomere length and survival in a wild mammal

“…Telomere elongation, particularly in qPCR‐based studies, is often attributed to measurement error (Steenstrup et al, ; Verhulst et al, ). It is, however, becoming more apparent in wild population studies that telomeres do elongate (Fairlie et al, ; Hoelzl, Cornils, Smith, Moodley, & Ruf, ; Hoelzl, Smith, et al, ; Kotrschal, Ilmonen, & Penn, ; Spurgin et al, ). Our study supports this, using monochrome multiplex qPCR that, in principle, reduces measurement error due to reactions occurring in the same well.…”

Mind the cell: Seasonal variation in telomere length mirrors changes in leucocyte profile

“…Although some studies found no differences in telomere length between males and females in mammals (Gardner, Kimura, & Chai, ; Hoelzl et al., ), most studies showed that females typically exhibit longer telomeres than males, presumably because of lower telomere loss due to stimulating effects of oestrogen on telomerase (Smith, Mattison, & Desmond, ; Müezzinler, Zaineddin, & Brenner, ; Watson et al., ). In sharp contrast, we found longer telomeres in male mandrills than in females.…”

Tropical heterothermy is “cool”: The expression of daily torpor and hibernation in primates

“…One well‐known reported benefit of hibernation is avoidance of predation, which has been illustrated in several hibernating species, where hibernating individuals show higher survival rates compared to nonhibernating counterparts . Moreover, a correlation between hibernation and longevity has been proposed for a number of hibernators, including Cheirogaleus medius . More comprehensive ecophysiological studies across dwarf lemur species and habitats are needed to determine whether there is strong phylogenetic signal in the use of hibernation.…”

“…[71][72][73] Moreover, a correlation between hibernation and longevity has been proposed for a number of hibernators, including Cheirogaleus medius. 68,74 More comprehensive ecophysiological studies across dwarf lemur species and habitats are needed to determine whether there is strong phylogenetic signal in the use of hibernation. Studies in captivity, additionally, could aid in understanding the genetic and molecular mechanisms involved in hibernation, for example, metabolic switches between sugar to lipid metabolism, under controlled conditions.…”