ArticleProceedings. Biological sciences2015
Maternal and genetic factors determine early life telomere length.
Article in Proceedings. Biological sciences, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 62 papers.
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Who cites it
62 citing papers in PubMed.
- Static Expression of Major Histocompatibility Complex Genes Across Life-Stages, Generations and Tissues in a Songbird.Molecular ecology · 2026Article
- Telomere length of both parents contributes to heritable POT1 cancer-predisposition syndrome.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Environmental and Genetic Determinants of Early-Life Telomere Length in Tree Swallows.Molecular ecology · 2026Article
- Mothers Matter Most: Maternal, but Not Paternal, Age and Inbreeding Affect Nestling Telomere Length in a Wild Passerine.Molecular ecology · 2026Article
- Telomere Length Is Determined by Intrinsic Factors and Is Shortened During Drought Years inEcology and evolution · 2026Article
- Telomere length of both parents contribute to heritable POT1 cancer-predisposition syndrome.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Assortative breeding experiment in a songbird suggests telomere length is determined during early life rather than at conception.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Heritability and age-dependent changes in genetic variation of telomere length in a wild house sparrow population.Evolution letters · 2025Article
- Great Tit (Ecology and evolution · 2025Article
- Shortening of the telomere length during the transition period of dairy cows in relation to biological stress.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Increased Reproductive Output and Telomere Shortening Following Calcium Supplementation in a Wild Songbird.Ecology and evolution · 2024Article
- Association of Relative Telomere Length and LINE-1 Methylation with Autism but not with Severity.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2024Article
- Involvement of Inheritance in Determining Telomere Length beyond Environmental and Lifestyle Factors.Aging and disease · 2023Review
- Comparison of Telomere Length in Age-Matched Primiparous and Multiparous Brahman Cows.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2023Article
- Early-life telomere length predicts life-history strategy and reproductive senescence in a threatened wild songbird.Molecular ecology · 2023Article
- Prenatal environment impacts telomere length in newborn dairy heifers.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Does pre-spawning catch and release angling affect offspring telomere dynamics in Atlantic salmon?Conservation physiology · 2023Article
- Inbreeding effects on telomeres in hatchling sand lizards (Lacerta agilis): An optimal family affair?Molecular ecology · 2022Article
- Evidence of Paternal Effects on Telomere Length Increases in Early Life.Frontiers in genetics · 2022Article
- Longitudinal evidence that older parents produce offspring with longer telomeres in a wild social bird.Biology letters · 2021Article
2 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
In a broad range of species--including humans--it has been demonstrated that telomere length declines throughout life and that it may be involved in cell and organismal senescence. This potential link to ageing and thus to fitness has triggered recent interest in understanding how variation in telomere length is inherited and maintained. However, previous studies suffer from two main drawbacks that limit the possibility of understanding the relative importance of genetic, parental and environmental influences on telomere length variation. These studies have been based on (i) telomere lengths measured at different time points in different individuals, despite the fact that telomere length changes over life, and (ii) parent-offspring regression techniques, which do not enable differentiation between genetic and parental components of inheritance. To overcome these drawbacks, in our study of a songbird, the great reed warbler, we have analysed telomere length measured early in life in both parents and offspring and applied statistical models (so-called 'animal models') that are based on long-term pedigree data. Our results showed a significant heritability of telomere length on the maternal but not on the paternal side, and that the mother's age was positively correlated with their offspring's telomere length. Furthermore, the pedigree-based analyses revealed a significant heritability and an equally large maternal effect. Our study demonstrates strong maternal influence on telomere length and future studies now need to elucidate possible underlying factors, including which types of maternal effects are involved.
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