Does Effective Population Size Govern Evolutionary Differences in Telomere Length?
Genome Biol Evol
; 16(5)2024 05 02.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38771124
ABSTRACT
Lengths of telomeres vary by an order of magnitude across mammalian species. Similarly, age- and sex-standardized telomere lengths differ by up to 1â
kb (14%) across human populations. How to explain these differences? Telomeres play a central role in senescence and aging, and genes that affect telomere length are likely under weak selection (i.e. telomere length is a trait that is subject to nearly neutral evolution). Importantly, natural selection is more effective in large populations than in small populations. Here, we propose that observed differences in telomere length across species and populations are largely due to differences in effective population sizes. In this perspective, we present preliminary evolutionary genetic evidence supporting this hypothesis and highlight the need for more data.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Selección Genética
/
Densidad de Población
/
Telómero
Límite:
Animals
/
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Genome Biol Evol
Asunto de la revista:
BIOLOGIA
/
BIOLOGIA MOLECULAR
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos