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Shorter telomere length with age in the loggerhead turtle: a new hope for live sea turtle age estimation.
- Source :
-
Genes & genetic systems [Genes Genet Syst] 2008 Oct; Vol. 83 (5), pp. 423-6. - Publication Year :
- 2008
-
Abstract
- We verified whether telomere length shortens with age in the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) by measuring telomere lengths (relative telomere to single copy gene [T/S] ratios) in whole blood and epidermis from 20 captive individuals with a real-time PCR method. There was no significant correlation between age and relative T/S ratios in blood. Although the correlation between age and relative T/S ratios in epidermis was not significant, older turtles had smaller relative T/S ratios in epidermis. It was thus demonstrated that telomere length in epidermis could be a useful age estimator for sea turtles. Relative age information obtained with this simple, rapid, non-invasive technique may help to advance our understanding of the ecology of endangered sea turtles. This is the first publication on age-related changes in telomere length among chelonians.
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1341-7568
- Volume :
- 83
- Issue :
- 5
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Genes & genetic systems
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 19168993
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1266/ggs.83.423