@article{fdi:010092764,
  title = {{E}nvironmental {DNA} epigenetics accurately predicts the age of cultured fish larvae},
  author = {{R}uiz, {E}. and {L}eprieur, {F}. and {S}posito, {G}. and {L}üthi, {M}. and {S}chmidlin, {M}. and {P}anfili, {J}acques and {P}ellissier, {L}. and {A}lbouy, {C}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{W}hile acquiring age information is crucial for efficient stock management and biodiversity conservation, traditional aging methods fail to offer a universal, non-invasive, and precise way of estimating a wild animal's age. {DNA} methylation from tissue {DNA} (t{DNA}) was recently proposed as a method to overcome these issues and showed more accurate results than telomere-length-based age assessments. {H}ere, we used environmental {DNA} (e{DNA}) for the first time as a template for age estimation, focusing on the larval phase (10-24 days post-hatch) of cultured {D}icentrarchus labrax (seabass), a species of major economic and conservation interest. {U}sing third-generation sequencing, we were able to directly detect various modification types (e.g., cytosine and adenosine methylation in all contexts) across the whole genome using amplification-free nanopore sequencing. {H}owever, aging sites were only present in the mitogenome, which could be a specific feature of e{DNA} methylation or the consequence of better {DNA} protection within mitochondria. {B}y considering qualitative and quantitative information about aging sites according to an objective model selection framework, our epigenetic clock reached a cross-validated accuracy of 2.6 days ({M}edian {A}bsolute {E}rror). {S}uch performances are higher than those of previous clocks, notably for adult seabass even when scaling {MAE} to the age range, which could be linked to a more dynamic epigenome during early life stages. {O}verall, our pilot study proposes new methods to determine the potential of e{DNA} for simultaneous age and biodiversity assessments, although robust validation of our preliminary results along with methodological developments are needed before field applications can be envisaged.},
  keywords = {age estimation ; environmental {DNA} ; epigenetic clock ; fish larvae ; methylation ; nanopore sequencing},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{E}cology and {E}volution},
  volume = {15},
  numero = {2},
  pages = {e70645 [16 p.]},
  ISSN = {2045-7758},
  year = {2025},
  DOI = {10.1002/ece3.70645},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010092764},
}