Changes of telomere length with age were assessed in diploid and triploid rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) females in the cross-sectional study using Q-FISH technique. Triploid trout as sterile do not invest an energy in gametogenesis and continue to grow, whereas fertile diploid individuals suffer from declines in growth and survival during sexual maturation. However, triploid and diploid specimens exhibited similar patterns of telomere dynamics. Telomere length in the embryos, larvae and one-year-old juveniles did not change significantly. In the second year after hatching, subadults exhibited substantially shortened telomeres, while significant increase of the telomere length was reported in the three-year-old adults. On the other hand, correlation between telomere length and body size was observed in the triploid, but not in the diploid rainbow trout. Telomere shortening observed in two-year-old subadults may have been associated with the premature period of the fast growth in rainbow trout. Similar pattern of the telomere dynamics reported in the fertile diploids and sterile triploids indicated processes related to reproduction did not affect telomere dynamics in this species. Unexpected increase of the telomere length reported during the third year of life confirmed that in rainbow trout telomeric DNA shortens and lengthens, depending on the developmental stage.
Keywords: aging; growth; telomere attrition.