Studying the Comparative Biology of Aging in Rockfish Species

Rockfish species vary widely in lifespan. Some even exhibit negligible senescence, showing few signs of aging across the majority of their long life spans. When closely related species have divergent life spans, there is perhaps the opportunity to learn something of how metabolism determines longevity. Accordingly, researchers here report on their study of varied rockfish species, in search of the differences in the molecular biology of cells that lead to differences in life span and pace of aging. In a new study, researchers compare the genomes of nearly two-thirds of the known species of rockfish that inhabit coastal waters around the Pacific Ocean and uncover some of the genetic differences that underlie their widely varying lifespans. Some rockfish, like the colorful calico rockfish (Sebastes dallii), live for little more than a decade, while the most long-lived of the genus Sebastes - the rougheye rockfish (Sebastes aleutianus), which can be found from Japan to the Aleutian Islands - can hang out on the seabed in cold, deep coastal waters for more than 200 years. Their wide range of lifespans, not to mention differences in size, lifestyle, and ecological niche evolved over a mere 10 million years - one of the most rapid radiations among all fishes. To uncover the genetic determinants of lifespan in rockfish, the researchers obtained tissue samples from 88 species and sequenced their complete genomes. The researchers looked for DNA variations that were mor...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs