1. Epigenetic age estimation in a long-lived, deepwater scorpionfish: insights into epigenetic clock development.
- Author
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Weber, D. Nick, Fields, Andrew T., Chamberlin, Derek W., Patterson III, William F., and Portnoy, David S.
- Subjects
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EPIGENETICS , *FISHERY management , *GUANINE , *DNA methylation , *REEF fishes , *DNA sequencing , *CYTOSINE , *SUPRACHIASMATIC nucleus - Abstract
Age estimates are essential for fisheries assessment and management, but deepwater (>200 m) fishes are often difficult to age using traditional techniques. Therefore, age-predictive epigenetic clocks were developed for a model deepwater reef fish, blackbelly rosefish Helicolenus dactylopterus, using two tissue types (fin clips and muscle; n = 61 individuals; 9−60 years) and Δ14C-validated consensus age estimates. The influence of biological information (length and sex) on epigenetic clock accuracy, and the potential for developing a multi-tissue clock, were also assessed. Bisulfite-converted restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (bsRADseq) was used to identify CpG sites (cytosines followed by guanines) exhibiting age-correlated DNA methylation, and epigenetic clocks showed strong agreement (R2 > 0.98) between predicted and consensus ages. Including length and sex data enhanced accuracy and precision (R2 > 0.99; mean absolute error < 1 year). Age-associated CpG sites were identified across tissues, but a multi-tissue clock performed poorly relative to single-tissue clocks. Overall, results demonstrate that accurate and precise epigenetic clocks can be developed for deepwater fishes, and the inclusion of biological information may enhance clock accuracy and precision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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