Publikationsdatenbank

Epigenetic signatures of social status in wild female spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) (2024)

Art

Zeitschriftenartikel / wissenschaftlicher Beitrag

Autoren

Vullioud, Colin

Benhaiem, Sarah

Meneghini, Dorina

Szyf, Moshe

Shao, Yong

Hofer, Heribert (WE 13)

East, Marion L.

Fickel, Jörns

Weyrich, Alexandra

Quelle

Communications biology

Bandzählung: 7

Heftzählung: 1

Seiten: 313

ISSN: 2399-3642

Sprache

Englisch

Verweise

URL (Volltext): https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-024-05926-y

DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-05926-y

Pubmed: 38548860

Kontakt

Institut für Parasitologie und Tropenveterinärmedizin

Robert-von-Ostertag-Str. 7-13
14163 Berlin
+49 30 838 62310
parasitologie@vetmed.fu-berlin.de

Abstract / Zusammenfassung

In mammalian societies, dominance hierarchies translate into inequalities in health, reproductive performance and survival. DNA methylation is thought to mediate the effects of social status on gene expression and phenotypic outcomes, yet a study of social status-specific DNA methylation profiles in different age classes in a wild social mammal is missing. We tested for social status signatures in DNA methylation profiles in wild female spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta), cubs and adults, using non-invasively collected gut epithelium samples. In spotted hyena clans, female social status influences access to resources, foraging behavior, health, reproductive performance and survival. We identified 149 differentially methylated regions between 42 high- and low-ranking female spotted hyenas (cubs and adults). Differentially methylated genes were associated with energy conversion, immune function, glutamate receptor signalling and ion transport. Our results provide evidence that socio-environmental inequalities are reflected at the molecular level in cubs and adults in a wild social mammal.