Widespread sex-biased gene expression reflects female-biased longevity in a species with environmental sex determination.

ABSTRACT: Sexes frequently differ in life history traits including body size, lifespan, and age at sexual maturity. Aging, the progressive decline in physiological function and cellular resilience over time, is a central process contributing to sex-specific life histories, yet the mechanisms driving sex differences in aging remain largely unresolved. Long-term mark-recapture efforts revealed a striking pattern of female-biased longevity in the painted turtle (Chrysemys picta), a species with temperature-dependent sex determination. As a result, this species provides a compelling system to examine the mechanisms of sex-specific aging in the absence of sex chromosomes. Here, we characterize sex- and age-associated patterns in the blood transcriptomes of wild painted turtles (n = 93). We identif

SUBMITTER: Bock SL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12687789 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature