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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/151690
Telomere shortening rate predicts species life span
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Telomere shortening to a critical length can trigger aging and shorter life spans in mice and humans by a mechanism that involves induction of a persistent DNA damage response at chromosome ends and loss of cellular viability. However, whether telomere length is a universal determinant of species longevity is not known. To determine whether telomere shortening can be a single parameter to predict species longevities, here we measured in parallel the telomere length of a wide variety of species (birds and mammals) with very different life spans and body sizes, including mouse (Mus musculus), goat (Capra hircus), Audouin's gull (Larus audouinii), reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus), bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), American flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber), and Sumatran elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus). We found that the telomere shortening rate, but not the initial telomere length alone, is a powerful predictor of species life span. These results support the notion that critical telomere shortening and the consequent onset of telomeric DNA damage and cellular senescence are a general determinant of species life span.
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WHITTEMORE, Kurt, et al. Telomere shortening rate predicts species life span. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America - PNAS. 2019. Vol. 116, num. 30, pags. 15122-15127. ISSN 0027-8424. [consulted: 13 of June of 2026]. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/151690