Correlation in telomere lengths between feathers and blood cells in pied flycatchers

T Kärkkäinen; Pierre Bize; A Stier

doi:10.1111/jav.02300

Correlation in telomere lengths between feathers and blood cells in pied flycatchers

T Kärkkäinen^* (Corresponding Author), Pierre Bize, A Stier

^*Corresponding author for this work

Aberdeen Centre For Environmental Sustainability

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

6 Citations (Scopus)

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Abstract

The length of telomeres (i.e. the protective non-coding DNA repeat sequences capping the end of eukaryotic chromosomes) is drawing an increasing attention in ecology and evolution as a biomarker of individual state and fate. Bird erythrocytes are nucleated and telomere measurements using blood derived DNA has become the gold standard in avian biology. However, blood sampling is not trivial and not achievable under all field conditions. We investigated whether feather DNA could be used as an alternative or complementary approach to blood DNA when assessing telomere length with the quantitative PCR method. Indeed, investigating telomere length in different tissues may provide more detailed information regarding both the determinants and the importance of telomere length for avian life histories. We collected tertiary feathers on the same day as a blood sample in adult and 12-day-old nestling pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca). Our results show a positive but moderate relationship between telomere length measured using DNA derived from blood and feather samples. This relationship was stronger in nestlings than in adults. Nestlings had longer telomeres in blood than in feathers while no significant difference was observed in adults. Hence, our study demonstrates that feathers can provide a complementary approach to blood for telomere measurements in wild birds, and we discuss further methodological considerations when using feathers for telomere measures. Telomeres seem to show faster erosion with age in blood than feathers, which may account for the lower correlation in telomere lengths between the two tissues in adults.

Original language	English
Article number	e02300
Number of pages	7
Journal	Journal of Avian Biology
Volume	51
Issue number	4
Early online date	16 Apr 2020
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.02300
Publication status	Published - Apr 2020

Bibliographical note

We are grateful to Toni Laaksonen, Pauliina Teerikorpi, Ville Ojala, Wiebke Schuett, Corinna Adrian and Marie Hardenbicker for their help in the field, and two anonymous reviewers for constructive comments on the manuscript. This research was financially supported by the Turku Collegium for Science and Medicine (grant to AS) and Societas Pro Fauna et Flora Fennica, The Kuopio Naturalists’ Society, and Finnish Cultural Foundation Varsinais-Suomi regional fund (grants to TK). The authors declare to have no conflict of interests.

Dataset used in this study will be publicly accessible on Figshare https://figshare.com/s/dffa03e1e91c2e57dc13).

Keywords

telomeres
ageing
conservation physiology
blood sampling
stress
EARLY-LIFE
DNA
QUANTITATIVE PCR
PLUCK
MODEL
LONG

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Kärkkäinen_etal_JAB_Correlation_in_telomere_AAM
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Kärkkäinen, T., Bize, P. and Stier, A. (2020), Correlation in telomere lengths between feathers and blood cells in pied flycatchers. J Avian Biol, 51, which has been published in final form at DOI: 10.1111/jav.02300. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.
Accepted author manuscript, 459 KBLicence: Unspecified

https://figshare.com/s/dffa03e1e91c2e57dc13Licence: CC BY

Cite this

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title = "Correlation in telomere lengths between feathers and blood cells in pied flycatchers",

abstract = " The length of telomeres (i.e. the protective non-coding DNA repeat sequences capping the end of eukaryotic chromosomes) is drawing an increasing attention in ecology and evolution as a biomarker of individual state and fate. Bird erythrocytes are nucleated and telomere measurements using blood derived DNA has become the gold standard in avian biology. However, blood sampling is not trivial and not achievable under all field conditions. We investigated whether feather DNA could be used as an alternative or complementary approach to blood DNA when assessing telomere length with the quantitative PCR method. Indeed, investigating telomere length in different tissues may provide more detailed information regarding both the determinants and the importance of telomere length for avian life histories. We collected tertiary feathers on the same day as a blood sample in adult and 12-day-old nestling pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca). Our results show a positive but moderate relationship between telomere length measured using DNA derived from blood and feather samples. This relationship was stronger in nestlings than in adults. Nestlings had longer telomeres in blood than in feathers while no significant difference was observed in adults. Hence, our study demonstrates that feathers can provide a complementary approach to blood for telomere measurements in wild birds, and we discuss further methodological considerations when using feathers for telomere measures. Telomeres seem to show faster erosion with age in blood than feathers, which may account for the lower correlation in telomere lengths between the two tissues in adults.",

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author = "T K{\"a}rkk{\"a}inen and Pierre Bize and A Stier",

note = "We are grateful to Toni Laaksonen, Pauliina Teerikorpi, Ville Ojala, Wiebke Schuett, Corinna Adrian and Marie Hardenbicker for their help in the field, and two anonymous reviewers for constructive comments on the manuscript. This research was financially supported by the Turku Collegium for Science and Medicine (grant to AS) and Societas Pro Fauna et Flora Fennica, The Kuopio Naturalists{\textquoteright} Society, and Finnish Cultural Foundation Varsinais-Suomi regional fund (grants to TK). The authors declare to have no conflict of interests. Dataset used in this study will be publicly accessible on Figshare https://figshare.com/s/dffa03e1e91c2e57dc13).",

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doi = "10.1111/jav.02300",

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AU - Kärkkäinen, T

AU - Bize, Pierre

AU - Stier, A

N1 - We are grateful to Toni Laaksonen, Pauliina Teerikorpi, Ville Ojala, Wiebke Schuett, Corinna Adrian and Marie Hardenbicker for their help in the field, and two anonymous reviewers for constructive comments on the manuscript. This research was financially supported by the Turku Collegium for Science and Medicine (grant to AS) and Societas Pro Fauna et Flora Fennica, The Kuopio Naturalists’ Society, and Finnish Cultural Foundation Varsinais-Suomi regional fund (grants to TK). The authors declare to have no conflict of interests. Dataset used in this study will be publicly accessible on Figshare https://figshare.com/s/dffa03e1e91c2e57dc13).

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N2 - The length of telomeres (i.e. the protective non-coding DNA repeat sequences capping the end of eukaryotic chromosomes) is drawing an increasing attention in ecology and evolution as a biomarker of individual state and fate. Bird erythrocytes are nucleated and telomere measurements using blood derived DNA has become the gold standard in avian biology. However, blood sampling is not trivial and not achievable under all field conditions. We investigated whether feather DNA could be used as an alternative or complementary approach to blood DNA when assessing telomere length with the quantitative PCR method. Indeed, investigating telomere length in different tissues may provide more detailed information regarding both the determinants and the importance of telomere length for avian life histories. We collected tertiary feathers on the same day as a blood sample in adult and 12-day-old nestling pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca). Our results show a positive but moderate relationship between telomere length measured using DNA derived from blood and feather samples. This relationship was stronger in nestlings than in adults. Nestlings had longer telomeres in blood than in feathers while no significant difference was observed in adults. Hence, our study demonstrates that feathers can provide a complementary approach to blood for telomere measurements in wild birds, and we discuss further methodological considerations when using feathers for telomere measures. Telomeres seem to show faster erosion with age in blood than feathers, which may account for the lower correlation in telomere lengths between the two tissues in adults.

AB - The length of telomeres (i.e. the protective non-coding DNA repeat sequences capping the end of eukaryotic chromosomes) is drawing an increasing attention in ecology and evolution as a biomarker of individual state and fate. Bird erythrocytes are nucleated and telomere measurements using blood derived DNA has become the gold standard in avian biology. However, blood sampling is not trivial and not achievable under all field conditions. We investigated whether feather DNA could be used as an alternative or complementary approach to blood DNA when assessing telomere length with the quantitative PCR method. Indeed, investigating telomere length in different tissues may provide more detailed information regarding both the determinants and the importance of telomere length for avian life histories. We collected tertiary feathers on the same day as a blood sample in adult and 12-day-old nestling pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca). Our results show a positive but moderate relationship between telomere length measured using DNA derived from blood and feather samples. This relationship was stronger in nestlings than in adults. Nestlings had longer telomeres in blood than in feathers while no significant difference was observed in adults. Hence, our study demonstrates that feathers can provide a complementary approach to blood for telomere measurements in wild birds, and we discuss further methodological considerations when using feathers for telomere measures. Telomeres seem to show faster erosion with age in blood than feathers, which may account for the lower correlation in telomere lengths between the two tissues in adults.

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KW - ageing

KW - conservation physiology

KW - blood sampling

KW - stress

KW - EARLY-LIFE

KW - DNA

KW - QUANTITATIVE PCR

KW - PLUCK

KW - MODEL

KW - LONG

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U2 - 10.1111/jav.02300

DO - 10.1111/jav.02300

M3 - Article

SN - 0908-8857

VL - 51

JO - Journal of Avian Biology

JF - Journal of Avian Biology

IS - 4

M1 - e02300

ER -

Correlation in telomere lengths between feathers and blood cells in pied flycatchers

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

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