Epigenetic clocks, sex markers and age-class diagnostics in three harvested large mammals.
Mol Ecol Resour
; 24(5): e13956, 2024 Jul.
Article
de En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38553977
ABSTRACT
The development of epigenetic clocks, or the DNA methylation-based inference of age, is an emerging tool for ageing in free ranging populations. In this study, we developed epigenetic clocks for three species of large mammals that are the focus of extensive management throughout their range in North America white-tailed deer, black bear and mountain goat. We quantified differential DNA methylation patterns at over 30,000 cytosine-guanine sites (CpGs) from tissue samples of all three species (black bear n = 49; white-tailed deer n = 47; mountain goat n = 45). We used a penalized regression model (elastic net) to build explanatory (black bear r = .95; white-tailed deer r = .99; mountain goat r = .97) and robust (black bear Median Absolute Error or MAE = 1.33; white-tailed deer MAE = 0.29; mountain goat MAE = 0.61) models of age or clocks. We also characterized individual CpG sites within each species that demonstrated clear differences in methylation levels between age classes and sex, which can be used to develop a suite of accessible diagnostic markers. This tool has the potential to contribute to wildlife monitoring by providing easily obtainable representations of age structure in managed populations.
Mots clés
Texte intégral:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Base de données:
MEDLINE
Sujet principal:
Cervidae
/
Méthylation de l'ADN
/
Épigenèse génétique
Limites:
Animals
Pays/Région comme sujet:
America do norte
Langue:
En
Journal:
Mol Ecol Resour
Année:
2024
Type de document:
Article
Pays d'affiliation:
Canada