Why are there associations between telomere length and behaviour?
Why are there associations between telomere length and behaviour?
复制标题
DOI：
10.1098/rstb.2016.0438
复制
发表时间：
2018-03-05
影响因子：
6.3
通讯作者：
Nettle, Daniel
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Bateson, Melissa;Nettle, Daniel
端粒长度的个体差异与人类和鸟类的个体行为差异有关。在人类流行病学文献中，这种关联被认为是由引起端粒动力学变化的特定行为模式造成的。我们认为，选择性收养——端粒较短的个体更有可能采取特定行为的假设——是一种值得考虑的选择。选择性收养可能发生，要么是因为端粒长度直接影响行为，要么是因为行为和端粒长度都受到第三个变量的影响，比如早年生活中的逆境。我们提出了因果关系和选择性采用假设的不同预测，并描述了如何用端粒长度的纵向数据来测试这些预测。至关重要的是，如果行为是因果关系，那么它应该与端粒磨损的不同速率有关。以吸烟行为为例，我们表明吸烟加速个体端粒磨损率的证据目前还很薄弱。我们得出的结论是，行为与端粒长度之间的关联的选择性采用假说在机械上是合理的，如果有的话，比行为是因果关系的假说更符合现有的经验证据。本文是“理解端粒动力学多样性”主题问题的一部分。
Individual differences in telomere length are associated with individual differences in behaviour in humans and birds. Within the human epidemiological literature this association is assumed to result from specific behaviour patterns causing changes in telomere dynamics. We argue that selective adoption-the hypothesis that individuals with short telomeres are more likely to adopt specific behaviours-is an alternative worthy of consideration. Selective adoption could occur either because telomere length directly affects behaviour or because behaviour and telomere length are both affected by a third variable, such as exposure to early-life adversity. We present differential predictions of the causation and selective adoption hypotheses and describe how these could be tested with longitudinal data on telomere length. Crucially, if behaviour is causal then it should be associated with differential rates of telomere attrition. Using smoking behaviour as an example, we show that the evidence that smoking accelerates the rate of telomere attrition within individuals is currently weak. We conclude that the selective adoption hypothesis for the association between behaviour and telomere length is both mechanistically plausible and, if anything, more compatible with existing empirical evidence than the hypothesis that behaviour is causal.This article is part of the theme issue 'Understanding diversity in telomere dynamics'.