Understanding seasonal telomere length dynamics in hibernating species.

J Therm Biol

Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Austria. Electronic address:

Published: July 2024

AI Article Synopsis

  • Oxidative stress contributes significantly to aging by damaging cells and leading to apoptosis, with telomere shortening being a key indicator of biological aging.
  • Hibernators, despite facing high levels of oxidative stress during their rewarming phase, exhibit surprisingly long lifespans, prompting an exploration of their unique adaptive mechanisms.
  • This study highlights how hibernating rodents manage oxidative stress through seasonal variations in telomere length and emphasizes the need to reconsider telomeres as aging markers in species with seasonal life strategies.

Article Abstract

Oxidative stress is thought to be one of the main causes of ageing as it progressively damages cell components throughout life, eventually causing cellular failure and apoptosis. In many organisms, telomeres shorten throughout life under the effect of, amongst other factors, oxidative stress, and are therefore commonly used as marker of biological ageing. However, hibernators, which are regularly exposed to acute oxidative stress when rewarming from torpor, are unexpectedly long-lived. In this review, we explore the causes of oxidative stress associated with hibernation and its impact on telomere dynamics in different taxa, focussing on hibernating rodents. We then speculate on the adaptive mechanisms of hibernators to compensate for the effects of oxidative stress, which may explain their increased longevity. Because winter hibernation appears to be associated with high oxidative stress, hibernators, particularly rodents, may periodically invest in repair mechanisms and antioxidant defences, resulting in seasonal variations in telomere lengths. This research shows how species with a slow life-history strategy deal with large changes in oxidative stress, unifying evolutionary and physiological theories of ageing. Because of the marked seasonal variation in telomere length, we also draw attention when using telomeres as markers for biological aging in seasonal heterotherms and possibly in other highly seasonal species.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jtherbio.2024.103913DOI Listing

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