| Title: | Anthropogenic Effects on Natural Mammalian Populations: Correlation Between Telomere Length and Coal Exposure |
| Author(s): | Matzenbacher CA; Da Silva J; Garcia ALH; Cappetta M; de Freitas TRO; |
| Address: | "Department of Genetics, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, C.P. 15053, 91501-970, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. Laboratory of Genetic Toxicology, Lutheran University of Brazil, ULBRA, Canoas, 92425-900, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. juliana.silva@ulbra.br. Laboratory of Genetic Toxicology, Lutheran University of Brazil, ULBRA, Canoas, 92425-900, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Laboratory of Ecotoxicology, Postgraduate Program in Environmental Quality, University Feevale, ERS-239, 2755, 93525-075, Novo Hamburgo, RS, Brazil. Laboratorio de Epidemiologia Genetica, Departamento de Genetica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la Republica, Montevideo, Uruguay" |
| DOI: | 10.1038/s41598-019-42804-8 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 2045-2322 (Electronic) 2045-2322 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "The Candiota coal mine in Rio Grande do Sul (RS) is one of the largest in Brazil. Coal is a fossil fuel that causes environmental impacts from its extraction to combustion due to the release of different agents, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and heavy metals. Ctenomys torquatus are herbivorous and subterranean rodents that dig tunnels with their paws and teeth and can be exposed to coal through contaminated food. Exposure to pollutants can cause DNA damage and affect different tissues, inducing alterations in the population structure and genetic diversity. Our study aimed to evaluate the effect of exposure to coal and its derivatives on the C. torquatus population and to examine the relationship of coal exposure with variations in absolute telomere length (aTL), global DNA methylation and genotoxicity. Our study showed an inverse correlation between telomere length and coal exposure in addition to an increase in DNA damage. The results indicate that coal and its byproducts can contribute to the alteration of the C. torquatus population structure, as evidenced by a reduction in the number of adults" |
| Keywords: | Animals Coal/*adverse effects *Coal Mining DNA Damage/*drug effects Humans Population Dynamics *Rodentia/genetics/metabolism Telomere Homeostasis/*drug effects; |
| Notes: | "MedlineMatzenbacher, Cristina A Da Silva, Juliana Garcia, Ana Leticia H Cappetta, Monica de Freitas, Thales R O eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2019/04/21 Sci Rep. 2019 Apr 19; 9(1):6325. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-42804-8" |
