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Supplementary material from "Food deprivation is associated with telomere elongation during hibernation in a primate"

Posted on 2025-02-03 - 12:56
Telomeres, the protective ends of chromosomes, progressively shorten due to incomplete mitotic replication and oxidative stress. In some organisms, transient telomere elongation may occur, for example, when individuals have energy surplus to counter stressed-induced life-events, or when elongating telomeres is a last chance to increase fitness. Mammalian hibernators are good models to test telomere dynamics, as they cycle between prolonged bouts of metabolic depression (torpor) punctuated by short surges to euthermia (arousals). We studied captive fat-tailed dwarf lemurs (Cheirogaleus medius), strepsirrhine primate hibernators, that were food-deprived (n = 8) or fed daily (n = 7) during hibernation (4.5 months). We compared telomere lengths, assayed via qPCR from oral swabs, at five strategic timepoints that span a full year. Food-deprived subjects underwent multi-day torpor/arousal cycles, lost considerable body mass, elongated telomeres during hibernation but shortened them upon emergence. In contrast, food-provisioned subjects ate daily, lost body mass more slowly, underwent shallower and shorter torpor bouts, and experienced little change in telomere lengths during the same periods. Our results highlight a complex relationship between telomere dynamics, energy balance, and torpor expression. Further investigation is warranted to elucidate the regulation of protective mechanisms in these primate hibernators.

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Biology Letters

AUTHORS (5)

Marina B Blanco
Dana Smith
Lydia Kathryn Greene
Jue Lin
Peter Klopfer

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