Limb bone histology records birth in mammals
Nacarino-Meneses, Carmen (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)
Köhler, Meike (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)

Date:	2018
Abstract:	The annual cyclicality of cortical bone growth marks (BGMs) allows reconstruction of some important life history traits, such as longevity, growth rate or age at maturity. Little attention has been paid, however, to non-cyclical BGMs, though some record key life history events such as hatching (egg-laying vertebrates), metamorphosis (amphibians), or weaning (suggested for Microcebus and the hedgehog). Here, we investigate the relationship between non-cyclical BGMs and a stressful biological event in mammals: the moment of birth. In the present study, we histologically examine ontogenetic series of femora, tibiae and metapodia in several extant representatives of the genus Equus (E. hemionus, E. quagga and E. grevyi). Our analysis reveals the presence of a non-cyclical growth mark that is deposited around the moment of birth, analogous to the neonatal line described for teeth. We therefore refer to it as neonatal line. The presence of this feature within the bone cross-section agrees with a period of growth arrest in newborn foals regulated by the endocrine system. The neonatal line is accompanied by modifications in bone tissue type and vascularization, and has been identified in all bones studied and at different ontogenetic ages. Our discovery of a non-cyclical BGM related to the moment of birth in mammals is an important step towards the histological reconstruction of life histories in extant and fossil equids.
Grants:	Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad CGL-2015-63777 Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2014/SGR-1207 Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad BES-2013-066335
Note:	Altres ajuts: CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Animals ; Animals Newborn ; Bone Development ; Female ; Femur ; Horses ; Male ; Metacarpus ; Tibia
Published in:	PloS one, Vol. 13, Issue 6 (June 2018) , p. e0198511, ISSN 1932-6203

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0198511
PMID: 29924818

18 p, 26.7 MB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles