Meeting Abstract
The effect of maternal glucocorticoids (GCs; stress-relevant hormones) on offspring phenotype is of growing interests to the fields of biology and ecology, particularly during times of increased environmental perturbations. However, little is known about the underlying mechanisms of these alterations or the long-term effects of maternal GCs on offspring lifespan. Telomeres, the protective endcaps of chromosomal DNA, could play a role in both of these effects as telomere shortening is associated with many disease states and cellular senescence. While few studies have explored this in wild animals, many of those studies examine relative telomere length, decreasing our ability to compare telomere length across studies. Here, we use a modified RT-qPCR assay protocol to assess absolute telomere length from small amounts of DNA (<60ng). We tested the hypothesis that increased maternal GCs during pregnancy will decrease offspring telomere length as GCs have been shown to increase reactive oxygen species generation which can decrease telomere length. We treated wild caught gravid female eastern fence lizards (Sceloporus undulatus) daily with transdermal applications of GCs at an ecologically relevant dose (approximating a GC response to a fire ant attack) from capture to oviposition. Eggs were collected and incubated until hatching and hatchlings sampled for DNA. Elevated maternal GCs decreased offspring telomere length of sons but not daughters. These results support the presence of sex specific effects of maternal GCs on offspring telomeres. Further research should explore the fitness consequences of this alteration.
