AI Article Synopsis
- Telomeres, which are protective repetitive DNA sequences at the ends of chromosomes, shorten as organisms age, leading to genomic instability.
- Researchers measured the leukocyte telomere length in 43 Thoroughbred horses aged 24 hours to 25 years using Southern Blot analysis, discovering significant variations in telomere lengths among individuals (10.5-18.7 kbp).
- The study found a negative correlation between mean telomere length and age (r = -0.47), suggesting that horses could be a valuable model for studying how environmental and lifestyle factors influence telomere length and healthy aging.
Article Abstract
Telomeres are genetically conserved repetitive terminal DNA that protect against genomic instability and shorten with ageing. Here, we reveal the leukocyte telomere length of Equus caballus by measuring terminal restriction fragments (TRFs) using Southern Blot analysis in a cohort of 43 Thoroughbred horses (age: 24 h-25 years). Heterogeneous TRFs were observed in each animal and large inter-animal variation in mean TRF was observed (range: 10.5-18.7 kbp). Mean TRFs were inversely correlated with age (r = -0.47). The estimated yearly rate of telomere attrition was 134 bp. Horses should be considered as an alternative animal model to investigate environmental and lifestyle factors that regulate telomeres and promote healthy ageing.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.exger.2019.110718 | DOI Listing |
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