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SUMMARY:Molecular biomarkers for seabird age estimation - Ricardo De Paoli
 -Iseppi\, Australian Antarctic Division
DTSTART:20170510T120000Z
DTEND:20170510T130000Z
UID:TALK72583@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Claire Waluda
DESCRIPTION:Most seabirds do not have any outward identifiers of their chr
 onological age\, so estimation of seabird population age structure general
 ly requires expensive\, long-term banding studies. We investigated the pot
 ential to use a molecular age biomarker to estimate age in short-tailed sh
 earwaters (Ardenna tenuirostris). We quantified DNA methylation in several
  A. tenuirostris genes that have shown age-related methylation changes in 
 mammals. In birds ranging from chicks to 21 years of age\, bisulphite trea
 ted blood and feather DNA was sequenced and methylation levels analysed in
  67 CpG sites in 13 target gene regions. From blood samples\, five of the 
 top relationships with age were identified in KCNC3 loci (CpG66: R2 = 0.32
 5\, p = 0.019). In feather samples ELOVL2 (CpG42: R2 = 0.285\, p = 0.00048
 ) and EDARADD (CpG46: R2 = 0.168\, p = 0.0067) were also weakly correlated
  with age. However\, the majority of markers had no clear association with
  age (of 131 comparisons only 12 had a p-value < 0.05) and statistical ana
 lysis using a penalised lasso approach did not produce an accurate ageing 
 model. Our data indicate that some age-related signatures identified in or
 thologous mammalian genes are not conserved in seabirds. Alternative molec
 ular approaches will be required to identify a reliable biomarker of chron
 ological age in these animals.
LOCATION:British Antarctic Survey\, Innovation Centre\, Seminar Room 1
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