The Bottlenose Dolphin Epigenetic Aging Tool (BEAT): A Molecular Age Estimation Tool for Small Cetaceans
The Bottlenose Dolphin Epigenetic Aging Tool (BEAT): A Molecular Age Estimation Tool for Small Cetaceans
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DOI：
10.3389/fmars.2019.00561
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发表时间：
2019-09-26
影响因子：
3.7
通讯作者：
Eirin-Lopez, Jose M.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Beal, Andria P.;Kiszka, Jeremy J.;Eirin-Lopez, Jose M.
年龄是动物种群研究的一个关键参数，提供有关发育、环境影响、生存和繁殖的信息。不幸的是，年龄估计不仅在大型、移动的和受法律保护的物种中具有挑战性，而且往往涉及侵入性采样方法。目前的工作调查小鲸类的表观遗传修饰和实足年龄之间的关联。为此，在萨拉索塔湾（佛罗里达州，美国）的一个广泛研究的，长期居住的普通海豚（Tursiops truncatus）社区，采样的个人有一个已知的年龄，在年龄相关的基因的DNA甲基化的特点。结果导致识别的几个CpG位点，显着相关的实足年龄在这个物种的潜在性发挥作用，这种相关性的调制。这些研究结果使“宽吻海豚表观遗传年龄估计工具”（BEAT）的开发和验证成为可能，从而改进了对自由放养的小鲸类动物的最小侵入性年龄估计。总的来说，BEAT被证明在估计这些生物体的年龄方面是准确的。鉴于其微创性质和潜在的大规模实施使用皮肤活检样本，该工具可用于生成年龄数据从自由放养的小鲸类种群。
Age constitutes a critical parameter for the study of animal populations, providing information about development, environmental effects, survival, and reproduction. Unfortunately, age estimation is not only challenging in large, mobile and legally protected species, but often involves invasive sampling methods. The present work investigates the association between epigenetic modifications and chronological age in small cetaceans. For that purpose, DNA methylation at age-linked genes was characterized in an extensively studied, long-term resident common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) community from Sarasota Bay (FL, United States) for which sampled individuals have a known age. Results led to the identification of several CpG sites that are significantly correlated to chronological age in this species with the potential for sex to play a role in the modulation of this correlation. These findings have allowed for the development and validation of the "Bottlenose dolphin Epigenetic Age estimation Tool" (BEAT), improving minimally-invasive age estimation in free-ranging small cetaceans. Overall, the BEAT proved to be accurate in estimating age in these organisms. Given its minimally-invasive nature and potential large-scale implementation using skin biopsy samples, this tool can be used to generate age data from free-ranging small cetacean populations.