Diapause influences telomere length and telomerase activity in the alfalfa leafcutting bee

Telomeres are non-coding strands of DNA located on the end caps of chromosomes and are believed to protect DNA during replication. In many organisms, telomere length decreases with each replication with critically short telomeres leading to cell death. To combat this, telomeres can be repaired by telomerase, however the activity of this enzyme declines with age in many organisms. This causes telomeres to shorten faster than they can be repaired making telomere length a predictor of biological age. However, a recent study that examined telomere dynamics in two solitary bee species found that telomere length increased in later life stages and after diapause. This finding contradicts our understanding of telomere dynamics and warrants further investigation. In our study we measured telomere length and telomerase activity across all life stages and diapause statuses of the Alfalfa Leafcutting bee M. rotundata. We found that telomere length and telomerase activity increase through development with the adult life stage having the longest telomeres and the most active telomerase. We also found that diapause influences both telomere length and telomerase activity. Our findings suggest that telomere dynamics in this bee differs from what is typically observed and that these dynamics are influenced by insect diapause.