title: No Interstitial Telomeres on Autosomes but Remarkable Amplification of Telomeric Repeats on the W Sex Chromosome in the Sand Lizard (Lacerta agilis).
abstract: Telomeres are repeat (TTAGGG) n sequences that form terminal ends of chromosomes and have several functions, such as protecting the coding DNA from erosion at mitosis. Due to chromosomal rearrangements through evolutionary history (e.g., inversions and fusions), telomeric sequences are also found between the centromere and the terminal ends (i.e., at interstitial telomeric sites, ITSs). ITS telomere sequences have been implicated in heritable disease caused by genomic instability of ITS polymorphic variants, both with respect to copy number and sequence. In the sand lizard (Lacerta agilis), we have shown that telomere length is predictive of lifetime fitness in females but not males. To assess whether this sex specific fitness effect could be traced to ITSs differences, we mapped (TTAGGG) n sequences using fluorescence in situ hybridization in fibroblast cells cultured from 4 specimens of known sex. No ITSs could be found on autosomes in either sex. However, females have heterogametic sex chromosomes in sand lizards (ZW, 2n = 38) and the female W chromosome showed degeneration and remarkable (TTAGGG) n amplification, which was absent in the Z chromosomes. This work warrants further research on sex chromosome content, in particular of the degenerate W chromosome, and links to female fitness in sand lizards.
authors.affiliation: From the Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Department of Applied Molecular Biosciences, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Japan (Matsubara, Uno, Srikulnath, and Matsuda); Department of Information and Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Natural Sciences, Nagoya City University, Nagoya, Japan (Matsubara); Laboratory of Animal Cytogenetics & Comparative Genomics, Department of Genetics, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand (Srikulnath); Avian Bioscience Research Center, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan (Matsuda); Sydney Medical School QEII Research Institute for Mothers and Infants D02, The University of Sydney , NSW 2006, Australia (Miller); School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, Heydon-Laurence Building A08, NSW 2006, Australia (Olsson); and Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden (Olsson).
authors.forename: Kazumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsubara
authors.affiliation: From the Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Department of Applied Molecular Biosciences, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Japan (Matsubara, Uno, Srikulnath, and Matsuda); Department of Information and Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Natural Sciences, Nagoya City University, Nagoya, Japan (Matsubara); Laboratory of Animal Cytogenetics & Comparative Genomics, Department of Genetics, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand (Srikulnath); Avian Bioscience Research Center, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan (Matsuda); Sydney Medical School QEII Research Institute for Mothers and Infants D02, The University of Sydney , NSW 2006, Australia (Miller); School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, Heydon-Laurence Building A08, NSW 2006, Australia (Olsson); and Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden (Olsson).
authors.forename: Yoshinobu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Uno
authors.affiliation: From the Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Department of Applied Molecular Biosciences, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Japan (Matsubara, Uno, Srikulnath, and Matsuda); Department of Information and Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Natural Sciences, Nagoya City University, Nagoya, Japan (Matsubara); Laboratory of Animal Cytogenetics & Comparative Genomics, Department of Genetics, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand (Srikulnath); Avian Bioscience Research Center, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan (Matsuda); Sydney Medical School QEII Research Institute for Mothers and Infants D02, The University of Sydney , NSW 2006, Australia (Miller); School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, Heydon-Laurence Building A08, NSW 2006, Australia (Olsson); and Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden (Olsson).
authors.forename: Kornsorn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Srikulnath
authors.affiliation: From the Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Department of Applied Molecular Biosciences, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Japan (Matsubara, Uno, Srikulnath, and Matsuda); Department of Information and Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Natural Sciences, Nagoya City University, Nagoya, Japan (Matsubara); Laboratory of Animal Cytogenetics & Comparative Genomics, Department of Genetics, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand (Srikulnath); Avian Bioscience Research Center, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan (Matsuda); Sydney Medical School QEII Research Institute for Mothers and Infants D02, The University of Sydney , NSW 2006, Australia (Miller); School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, Heydon-Laurence Building A08, NSW 2006, Australia (Olsson); and Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden (Olsson).
authors.forename: Yoichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsuda
authors.affiliation: From the Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Department of Applied Molecular Biosciences, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Japan (Matsubara, Uno, Srikulnath, and Matsuda); Department of Information and Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Natural Sciences, Nagoya City University, Nagoya, Japan (Matsubara); Laboratory of Animal Cytogenetics & Comparative Genomics, Department of Genetics, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand (Srikulnath); Avian Bioscience Research Center, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan (Matsuda); Sydney Medical School QEII Research Institute for Mothers and Infants D02, The University of Sydney , NSW 2006, Australia (Miller); School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, Heydon-Laurence Building A08, NSW 2006, Australia (Olsson); and Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden (Olsson).
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: From the Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Department of Applied Molecular Biosciences, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Japan (Matsubara, Uno, Srikulnath, and Matsuda); Department of Information and Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Natural Sciences, Nagoya City University, Nagoya, Japan (Matsubara); Laboratory of Animal Cytogenetics & Comparative Genomics, Department of Genetics, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand (Srikulnath); Avian Bioscience Research Center, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan (Matsuda); Sydney Medical School QEII Research Institute for Mothers and Infants D02, The University of Sydney , NSW 2006, Australia (Miller); School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, Heydon-Laurence Building A08, NSW 2006, Australia (Olsson); and Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden (Olsson). mats.olsson@sydney.edu.au.
authors.forename: Mats
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Olsson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002871:Chromosome Banding; D005260:Female; D056084:Genetic Fitness; D006570:Heterochromatin; D008116:Lizards / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D012730:Sex Chromosomes / Q000235:genetics*; D016615:Telomere / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D006570:Heterochromatin
keywords: Lacerta agilis; interstitial telomeres; sand lizard; telomeric repeats