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. 2009 May 7;276(1662):1679-83.
doi: 10.1098/rspb.2008.1817. Epub 2009 Feb 25.

Telomere dynamics rather than age predict life expectancy in the wild

Pierre Bize  1 , François Criscuolo, Neil B Metcalfe, Lubna Nasir, Pat Monaghan
Affiliations

Telomere dynamics rather than age predict life expectancy in the wild

Pierre Bize et al. Proc Biol Sci. .

Abstract

Despite accumulating evidence from in vitro studies that cellular senescence is linked to telomere dynamics, how this relates to whole-organism senescence and longevity is poorly understood and controversial. Using data on telomere length in red blood cells and long-term survival from wild Alpine swifts of a range of ages, we report that the telomere length and the rate of telomere loss are predictive of life expectancy, and that slow erosion of relatively long telomeres is associated with the highest survival probabilities. Importantly, because telomere dynamics, rather than chronological age, predict life expectancy, our study provides good evidence for a mechanistic link between telomere erosion and reduced organism longevity under natural conditions, chronological age itself possibly not becoming a significant predictor until very old ages beyond those in our sample.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Survival curves for adult Alpine swifts in relationship to the telomere length. Results are based on 96 birds sampled as breeding adults in 2001 and then followed to 2007; data are divided into quartiles on the basis of average telomere length in 2001. Squares, 4th quartile—long telomeres; triangles, 3rd quartile; diamonds, 2nd quartile; circles, 1st quartile—short telomeres.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Age-related variations in the telomere length in 96 adult Alpine swifts. There was a weak quadratic relationship between telomere length and age at the time of sampling (age: F1,93=0.11, p=0.74; age squared: F1,93=5.53, p=0.021; r2=0.09).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Change in the telomere length over a 5 year period in 22 adult Alpine swifts. Lines link measurement of the same individual sampled in 2001 and 2006.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Change in the telomere length between 2001 and 2006 in relationship to the telomere length in 2001, plotted separately for adult Alpine swifts that did (open circles and solid line; n=15 individuals) and did not survive (filled circles and dashed line; n=7) between 2006 and 2007. A negative value for the change in telomere length indicates that the telomeres became shorter.
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