Telomeres: Linking stress and survival, ecology and evolution
By M. Haussmann, N. Marchetto. 2010
195 citations recorded by the source corpus.
Telomeres are protective structures at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes. The loss of telomeres through cell divi- sion and oxidative stress is related to cellular aging, organismal growth and disease. In this way, telomeres link molecular and cellular mechanisms with organismal processes, and may explain variation in a number of important life-history traits. Here, we discuss how telomere biology relates to the study of physiological ecology and life history evolution. We emphasize current knowledge on how telomeres may relate to growth, survival and lifespan in natural populations. We finish by examining interest- ing new connections between telomeres and the glucocorticoid stress response. Glucocorticoids are often employed as indices of physiological condition, and there is evidence that the glucocorticoid stress response is adaptive. We suggest that one way that glucocorticoids impact organismal survival is through elevated oxidative stress and telomere loss. Future work needs to establish and explore the link between the glucocorticoid stress response and telomere shortening in natural populations. If a link is found, it provides an explanatory mechanism by which environmental perturbation impacts life history trajectories (Current Zoology 56 (6): 714-727, 2010).
Subfields: Aging, Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health, Physiology
View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/e0051c37730e11498ec51d333ed58d8689d12d9a
How researchers see this paper
The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.
In Aging
In Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health
In Physiology
- P. Monaghan
- S. Zahn
- Peter P. Marra
- Frédéric Angelier
- R. Holberton
- F. Criscuolo
- S. Massemin
- N. Metcalfe
Citations in the corpus
- Telomere length in early life predicts lifespan (2012, background): “There is a substantial inherited component to telomere length (21), and environmental conditions are also known to affect the rate of telomere loss (22, 23, 32).”
- Telomere length, non-breeding habitat and return rate in male American redstarts (2013, background): “Future studies should also investigate the physiological mechanisms that lead to telomere attrition in natural populations of vertebrates (Haussmann & Marchetto 2010).”
- Glucocorticoid-Mediated Phenotypes in Vertebrates : Multilevel Variation and Evolution (2016, background): “For example, elevated GC concentrations can increase the metabolic production of reactive molecule species, decrease the organismal antioxidant protection, and disrupt the repair mechanisms of oxidative damage (Haussmann & Marchetto, 2010).”
- Increased brood size leads to persistent eroded telomeres (2014, background): “One hypothesis is that an indirect link, e.g., through a perceived stressful situation (through increased social stress within the pair and/or with the offspring) may take place (see Haussmann and Marchetto, 2010; Blackburn and Epel, 2012) for stress vs. telomere erosion relationship.”
- Life history and the ecology of stress: how do glucocorticoid hormones influence life‐history variation in animals? (2013, background): “…levels and other physiological systems (e.g. immune function) and behaviour are also worthy of critical review; and while life span is an important lifehistory trait, we refer the reader to reviews on stress and ageing published elsewhere (e.g. Costantini et al. 2010; Haussmann & Marchetto 2010).”