Immunosenescence and Its Influence on Reproduction in a Long-lived Vertebrate

Always keep updated on the newest Biology news no matter what. Lab.Equipment is here to deliver current articles from credible online sources today. This one is curated from from Journal of Experimental Biology:

Jessica M. Judson, Dawn M. Reding, and Anne M. Bronikowski

Immunosenescence is a well-known phenomenon in mammal systems, but its relevance in other long-lived vertebrates is less understood. Further, the influence of age and reproductive effort on immune function in long-lived species can be challenging to assess, as long-term data are scarce and it is often difficult to sample the oldest age classes. We used the painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) to test hypotheses of immunosenescence and a trade-off between reproductive output and immune function in a population of a long-lived vertebrate that has been monitored for over 30 years. These long-term data are utilized to employ a unique approach of aging turtles with mark-recapture data and population-specific growth modeling to obtain more accurate estimates of age. We analyzed natural antibodies, lysis ability, and bactericidal competence in 126 individuals from 1 to 33 years of age captured during May and June in 2011. Older turtles exhibited greater natural antibody levels than young individuals across sexes. Young females with large clutches exhibited greater lysis ability, while older females with large clutches had decreased lysis ability, suggesting a trade-off between reproductive output and immune function conditional upon age. However, bactericidal competence increased later in the nesting season for older females. Our study rejects the hypothesis of immunosenescence in a long-lived turtle, despite evidence of actuarial and reproductive senescence in this population. Additionally, we detected mixed evidence for a trade-off between reproduction and immune health... Read the whole article at the Journal of Experimental Biology (JEB) Blog.

In the Bio industry and are in need of premium Bio lab equipment for your workroom? Shop Lab.Equipment’s selection of Biology products with a plethora of accessories available designed and produced by major brands including:

• Radwag
• Hermle
• Troemner
• AnD Weighing
• Being Instrument

Go for valuable and user-friendly Biology equipment available on Lab.Equipment including:

• Lab Stirrers
• Laboratory Balances
• Shakers
• Laboratory Centrifuges
• Lab Pipettes

Covering other applications? We have you covered so no need to worry. Go though our collection of quality lab equipment for clinical, forensics, cannabis applications and more.