title: Exposure to oxychlordane is associated with shorter telomeres in arctic breeding kittiwakes.
abstract: Telomeres are DNA-protein complexes located at the end of chromosomes, which play an important role in maintaining the genomic integrity. Telomeres shorten at each cell division and previous studies have shown that telomere length is related to health and lifespan and can be affected by a wide range of environmental factors. Among them, some persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have the potential to damage DNA. However, the effect of POPs on telomeres is poorly known for wildlife. Here, we investigated the relationships between some legacy POPs (organochlorine pesticides and polychlorobiphenyls) and telomere length in breeding adult black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla), an arctic seabird species. Our results show that among legacy POPs, only blood concentration of oxychlordane, the major metabolite of chlordane mixture, is associated with shorter telomere length in females but not in males. This suggests that female kittiwakes could be more sensitive to oxychlordane, potentially explaining the previously reported lower survival rate in most oxychlordane-contaminated kittiwakes from the same population. This study is the first to report a significant and negative relationship between POPs and telomere length in a free-living bird and highlights sex-related susceptibility to banned pesticides.
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 - CNRS & Université de la, Rochelle, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France. Electronic address: blevin.pierre@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Blévin
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 - CNRS & Université de la, Rochelle, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France.
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Angelier
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 - CNRS & Université de la, Rochelle, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France.
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tartu
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 - CNRS & Université de la, Rochelle, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France.
authors.forename: Stéphanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ruault
authors.affiliation: Littoral Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 - CNRS & Université de la, Rochelle, 17000 La Rochelle, France.
authors.forename: Paco
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bustamante
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Institute for Air Research, NILU, Fram Centre, NO 9296 Tromsø, Norway.
authors.forename: Dorte
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Herzke
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, NINA, Høgskoleringen 9, NO 7034 Trondheim, Norway.
authors.forename: Børge
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Moe
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NO 7491, Trondheim, Norway.
authors.forename: Claus
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bech
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Polar Research Institute, Fram Centre, NO 9296 Tromsø, Norway.
authors.forename: Geir Wing
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Gabrielsen
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, NINA, Fram Centre, NO 9296 Tromsø, Norway.
authors.forename: Jan Ove
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Bustnes
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 - CNRS & Université de la, Rochelle, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Chastel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001110:Arctic Regions; D046091:Charadriiformes / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D002706:Chlordan / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000633:toxicity; D005260:Female; D007306:Insecticides / Q000633:toxicity; D008297:Male; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000633:toxicity*; D013538:Svalbard; D059506:Telomere Shortening / Q000187:drug effects*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D007306:Insecticides; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D002706:Chlordan; C008743:oxychlordane; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls
keywords: Contaminants; DNA; Organochlorines; PCBs; Seabirds; Svalbard