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Singh PP, Reeves GA, Contrepois K, Papsdorf K, Miklas JW, Ellenberger M, Hu CK, Snyder MP, Brunet A. Evolution of diapause in the African turquoise killifish by remodeling the ancient gene regulatory landscape. Cell 2024; 187:3338-3356.e30. [PMID: 38810644 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.04.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
Suspended animation states allow organisms to survive extreme environments. The African turquoise killifish has evolved diapause as a form of suspended development to survive a complete drought. However, the mechanisms underlying the evolution of extreme survival states are unknown. To understand diapause evolution, we performed integrative multi-omics (gene expression, chromatin accessibility, and lipidomics) in the embryos of multiple killifish species. We find that diapause evolved by a recent remodeling of regulatory elements at very ancient gene duplicates (paralogs) present in all vertebrates. CRISPR-Cas9-based perturbations identify the transcription factors REST/NRSF and FOXOs as critical for the diapause gene expression program, including genes involved in lipid metabolism. Indeed, diapause shows a distinct lipid profile, with an increase in triglycerides with very-long-chain fatty acids. Our work suggests a mechanism for the evolution of complex adaptations and offers strategies to promote long-term survival by activating suspended animation programs in other species.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - G Adam Reeves
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Kévin Contrepois
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | - Jason W Miklas
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | - Chi-Kuo Hu
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Michael P Snyder
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Diabetes Research Center, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Anne Brunet
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Glenn Center for the Biology of Aging, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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2
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Pagano AD, Blödorn EB, Domingues WB, de Souza LP, da Silveira TLR, Kütter MT, Gonçalves NM, Volcan MV, Costa PG, Bianchini A, Remião MH, Campos VF. Validation of qPCR reference genes in the endangered annual killifish Austrolebias charrua considering different tissues, gender and environmental conditions. ECOTOXICOLOGY (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2024:10.1007/s10646-024-02752-0. [PMID: 38602608 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-024-02752-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/31/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
The annual killifish Austrolebias charrua is an endangered species, endemic to the southern region of South America, which inhabits temporary ponds that emerges in the rainy season. The main anthropogenic threat driving the extinction of A. charrua stems from extensive agriculture, primarily due to the widrespread use of glyphosate-based herbicides near their habitats. Annual killifishes have been used as models for ecotoxicological studies but, up to now, there are no studies about reference genes in any Austrolebias species. This represents an obstacle to the use of qPCR-based technologies, the standard method for gene expression quantification. The present study aimed to select and validate potential reference genes for qPCR normalization in the annual killifish Austrolebias charrua considering different tissues, gender and environmental conditions. The candidate reference genes 18 s, actb, gapdh, ef1a, shox, eif3g, and the control gene atp1a1 were evaluated in male and female individuals in three different tissues (brain, liver, and gills) under two experimental conditions (control and acute exposition to Roundup Transorb®). The collected tissues were submitted to RNA extraction, followed by cDNA synthesis, cloning, sequencing, and qPCR. Overall, 18 s was the most stable reference gene, and 18 s and ef1a were the most stable combination. Otherwise, considering all variables, gapdh and shox were the least stable candidate genes. Foremost, suitable reference genes were validated in A. charrua, facilitating accurate mRNA quantification in this species, which might be useful for developing molecular tools of ecotoxicological assessment based on gene expression analysis for environmental monitoring of annual killifish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antônio Duarte Pagano
- Laboratório de Genômica Estrutural, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia, Centro de Desenvolvimento Tecnológico, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas, Brasil
| | - Eduardo Bieharls Blödorn
- Laboratório de Genômica Estrutural, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia, Centro de Desenvolvimento Tecnológico, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas, Brasil
| | - William Borges Domingues
- Laboratório de Genômica Estrutural, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia, Centro de Desenvolvimento Tecnológico, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas, Brasil
| | - Lucas Petitemberte de Souza
- Laboratório de Genômica Estrutural, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia, Centro de Desenvolvimento Tecnológico, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas, Brasil
| | - Tony Leandro Rezende da Silveira
- Laboratório de Genômica Estrutural, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia, Centro de Desenvolvimento Tecnológico, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas, Brasil
| | - Mateus Tavares Kütter
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Rio Grande, Brasil
| | - Natiéli Machado Gonçalves
- Laboratório de Genômica Estrutural, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia, Centro de Desenvolvimento Tecnológico, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas, Brasil
| | | | - Patrícia Gomes Costa
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Rio Grande, Brasil
| | - Adalto Bianchini
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Rio Grande, Brasil
| | - Mariana Härter Remião
- Laboratório de Genômica Estrutural, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia, Centro de Desenvolvimento Tecnológico, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas, Brasil
| | - Vinicius Farias Campos
- Laboratório de Genômica Estrutural, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia, Centro de Desenvolvimento Tecnológico, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas, Brasil.
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3
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Riddle NC, Biga PR, Bronikowski AM, Walters JR, Wilkinson GS. Comparative analysis of animal lifespan. GeroScience 2024; 46:171-181. [PMID: 37889438 PMCID: PMC10828364 DOI: 10.1007/s11357-023-00984-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Comparative studies of aging are a promising approach to identifying general properties of and processes leading to aging. While to date, many comparative studies of aging in animals have focused on relatively narrow species groups, methodological innovations now allow for studies that include evolutionary distant species. However, comparative studies of aging across a wide range of species that have distinct life histories introduce additional challenges in experimental design. Here, we discuss these challenges, highlight the most pressing problems that need to be solved, and provide suggestions based on current approaches to successfully carry out comparative aging studies across the animal kingdom.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole C Riddle
- Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
| | - Peggy R Biga
- Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Anne M Bronikowski
- Department of Integrative Biology, Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, MI, USA
| | - James R Walters
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
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4
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Naumann U, Brazzell JL, Crim MJ, Hoppe B. Comprehensive Colony Health Management and Emerging Pathogens of the Annual Killifish Species Nothobranchius furzeri. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR LABORATORY ANIMAL SCIENCE : JAALAS 2024; 63:20-33. [PMID: 38101805 PMCID: PMC10844736 DOI: 10.30802/aalas-jaalas-23-000067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
The Leibniz Institute on Aging has maintained killifish colonies for over 15 y. Our veterinarians, scientists, and animal technicians developed a fish health scoring system and routine colony health surveillance program for our colonies. Over a 4-y period, health data from the African turquoise killifish Nothobranchius furzeri colony were systematically collected and analyzed. The fish health assessment system facilitated categorization of clinical signs and differentiation of fish with mild clinical signs from fish that required euthanasia. This report provides new information on clinical signs and conditions that may occur in young and aged N. furzeri. To be comprehensive, a colony health surveillance program incorporates animal health at both the individual and the population levels. The quarterly routine health monitoring program identified Mycobacterium spp. as the most common agent in our facility and identified the killifish pathogen (Loma acerinae) for the first time. Taken together, these findings demonstrate the importance of a comprehensive colony health management system in a fish research facility. By improving the health and welfare of fish used for research, the scientific community will benefit from less variable and more reliably reproducible research results.
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Key Words
- a. hydrophila, aeromonas hydrophila
- eu, epidemiologic unit
- h&e, hematoxylin and eosin
- l. acerinae, loma acerinae
- m. abscessus, mycobacterium abscessus
- m. chelonae, mycobacterium chelonae
- m. fortuitum, mycobacterium fortuitum
- m. gordonae, mycobacterium gordonae
- n. furzeri, nothobranchius furzeri
- wph, weeks posthatching
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Affiliation(s)
- Uta Naumann
- Animal Facility Fish, Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute, Jena, Germany; and
| | | | | | - Beate Hoppe
- Animal Facility Fish, Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute, Jena, Germany; and
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5
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Yuan R, Hascup E, Hascup K, Bartke A. Relationships among Development, Growth, Body Size, Reproduction, Aging, and Longevity - Trade-Offs and Pace-Of-Life. BIOCHEMISTRY. BIOKHIMIIA 2023; 88:1692-1703. [PMID: 38105191 PMCID: PMC10792675 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297923110020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Relationships of growth, metabolism, reproduction, and body size to the biological process of aging and longevity have been studied for decades and various unifying "theories of aging" have been proposed to account for the observed associations. In general, fast development, early sexual maturation leading to early reproductive effort, as well as production of many offspring, have been linked to shorter lifespans. The relationship of adult body size to longevity includes a remarkable contrast between the positive correlation in comparisons between different species and the negative correlation seen in comparisons of individuals within the same species. We now propose that longevity and presumably also the rate of aging are related to the "pace-of-life." A slow pace-of-life including slow growth, late sexual maturation, and a small number of offspring, predicts slow aging and long life. The fast pace of life (rapid growth, early sexual maturation, and major reproductive effort) is associated with faster aging and shorter life, presumably due to underlying trade-offs. The proposed relationships between the pace-of-life and longevity apply to both inter- and intra-species comparisons as well as to dietary, genetic, and pharmacological interventions that extend life and to evidence for early life programming of the trajectory of aging. Although available evidence suggests the causality of at least some of these associations, much further work will be needed to verify this interpretation and to identify mechanisms that are responsible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rong Yuan
- Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Springfield, IL 19628, USA.
| | - Erin Hascup
- Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Department of Medical, Microbial, Cellular Immunology and Biology, Springfield, IL 19628, USA.
| | - Kevin Hascup
- Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Department of Medical, Microbial, Cellular Immunology and Biology, Springfield, IL 19628, USA.
- Department of Neurology, Dale and Deborah Smith Center for Alzheimer's Research and Treatment, Neuroscience Institute, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, Illinois, USA
| | - Andrzej Bartke
- Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Springfield, IL 19628, USA.
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6
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Glazier DS. The Relevance of Time in Biological Scaling. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:1084. [PMID: 37626969 PMCID: PMC10452035 DOI: 10.3390/biology12081084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023]
Abstract
Various phenotypic traits relate to the size of a living system in regular but often disproportionate (allometric) ways. These "biological scaling" relationships have been studied by biologists for over a century, but their causes remain hotly debated. Here, I focus on the patterns and possible causes of the body-mass scaling of the rates/durations of various biological processes and life-history events, i.e., the "pace of life". Many biologists have regarded the rate of metabolism or energy use as the master driver of the "pace of life" and its scaling with body size. Although this "energy perspective" has provided valuable insight, here I argue that a "time perspective" may be equally or even more important. I evaluate various major ways that time may be relevant in biological scaling, including as (1) an independent "fourth dimension" in biological dimensional analyses, (2) a universal "biological clock" that synchronizes various biological rates/durations, (3) a scaling method that uses various biological time periods (allochrony) as scaling metrics, rather than various measures of physical size (allometry), as traditionally performed, (4) an ultimate body-size-related constraint on the rates/timing of biological processes/events that is set by the inevitability of death, and (5) a geological "deep time" approach for viewing the evolution of biological scaling patterns. Although previously proposed universal four-dimensional space-time and "biological clock" views of biological scaling are problematic, novel approaches using allochronic analyses and time perspectives based on size-related rates of individual mortality and species origination/extinction may provide new valuable insights.
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7
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Součková K, Jasík M, Sovadinová I, Sember A, Sychrová E, Konieczna A, Bystrý V, Dyková I, Blažek R, Lukšíková K, Pavlica T, Jankásek M, Altmanová M, Žák J, Zbončáková A, Reichard M, Slabý O. From fish to cells: Establishment of continuous cell lines from embryos of annual killifish Nothobranchius furzeri and N. kadleci. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2023; 259:106517. [PMID: 37087860 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2023.106517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Revised: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
There is a growing need of alternative experimental models that avoid or minimize the use of animals due to ethical, economical, and scientific reasons. Surprisingly, the stable embryonic cell lines representing Nothobranchius spp., emerging vertebrate models in aging research, regenerative medicine, ecotoxicology, or genomics, have been not derived so far. This paper reports establishment and deep characterization of ten continuous cell lines from annual killifish embryos of N. furzeri and N. kadleci. The established cell lines exhibited mostly fibroblast- and epithelial-like morphology and steady growth rates with cell doubling time ranging from 27 to 40 h. All cell lines retained very similar characteristics even after continuous subcultivation (more than 100 passages) and extended storage in liquid nitrogen (∼3 years). The cytogenetic analysis of the cell lines revealed a diploid chromosome number mostly equal to 38 elements (i.e., the native chromosome count for both killifish species), with minor but diverse line/passage-specific karyotype changes compared to the patterns observed in non-cultured N. furzeri and N. kadleci somatic cells. Based on transcriptional analysis of marker genes, the cell lines displayed features of an undifferentiated state without signs of senescence even in advanced passages. We confirmed that the cell lines are transfectable and can form viable 3-D spheroids. The applicability of the cell lines for (eco)toxicological surveys was confirmed by assessing the effect of cytotoxic and growth inhibitory agents. Properties of established Nothobranchius embryonic cell lines open new possibilities for the application of this model in various fields of life sciences including molecular mechanisms of aging, karyotype (in)stability or differences in lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamila Součková
- Ondřej Slabý Group, Molecular Medicine, Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, Brno 625 00, Czech Republic.
| | - Matej Jasík
- Ondřej Slabý Group, Molecular Medicine, Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, Brno 625 00, Czech Republic
| | - Iva Sovadinová
- RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlarska 2, Brno 602 00, Czech Republic
| | - Alexandr Sember
- Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Liběchov 277 21, Czech Republic
| | - Eliška Sychrová
- RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlarska 2, Brno 602 00, Czech Republic
| | - Anna Konieczna
- Ondřej Slabý Group, Molecular Medicine, Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, Brno 625 00, Czech Republic
| | - Vojtěch Bystrý
- Ondřej Slabý Group, Molecular Medicine, Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, Brno 625 00, Czech Republic
| | - Iva Dyková
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno 611 37, Czech Republic
| | - Radim Blažek
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno 611 37, Czech Republic; Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno 603 00, Czech Republic
| | - Karolína Lukšíková
- Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Liběchov 277 21, Czech Republic; Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague 128 44, Czech Republic
| | - Tomáš Pavlica
- Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Liběchov 277 21, Czech Republic; Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague 128 44, Czech Republic
| | - Marek Jankásek
- Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Liběchov 277 21, Czech Republic; Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague 128 44, Czech Republic
| | - Marie Altmanová
- Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Liběchov 277 21, Czech Republic; Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague 128 44, Czech Republic
| | - Jakub Žák
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno 611 37, Czech Republic; Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno 603 00, Czech Republic
| | - Adriana Zbončáková
- Ondřej Slabý Group, Molecular Medicine, Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, Brno 625 00, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Reichard
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno 611 37, Czech Republic; Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno 603 00, Czech Republic; Department of Ecology and Vertebrate Zoology, University of Łódź, Łódź 90-237, Poland
| | - Ondřej Slabý
- Ondřej Slabý Group, Molecular Medicine, Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, Brno 625 00, Czech Republic; Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno 625 00, Czech Republic
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8
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Krug J, Perner B, Albertz C, Mörl H, Hopfenmüller VL, Englert C. Generation of a transparent killifish line through multiplex CRISPR/Cas9mediated gene inactivation. eLife 2023; 12:81549. [PMID: 36820520 PMCID: PMC10010688 DOI: 10.7554/elife.81549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Body pigmentation is a limitation for in vivo imaging and thus for the performance of longitudinal studies in biomedicine. A possibility to circumvent this obstacle is the employment of pigmentation mutants, which are used in fish species like zebrafish and medaka. To address the basis of aging, the short-lived African killifish Nothobranchius furzeri has recently been established as a model organism. Despite its short lifespan, N. furzeri shows typical signs of mammalian aging including telomere shortening, accumulation of senescent cells, and loss of regenerative capacity. Here, we report the generation of a transparent N. furzeri line by the simultaneous inactivation of three key loci responsible for pigmentation. We demonstrate that this stable line, named klara, can serve as a tool for different applications including behavioral experiments and the establishment of a senescence reporter by integration of a fluorophore into the cdkn1a (p21) locus and in vivo microscopy of the resulting line.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Krug
- Molecular Genetics Lab, Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI)JenaGermany
| | - Birgit Perner
- Molecular Genetics Lab, Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI)JenaGermany
- Core Facility Imaging, Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI)JenaGermany
| | - Carolin Albertz
- Molecular Genetics Lab, Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI)JenaGermany
| | - Hanna Mörl
- Molecular Genetics Lab, Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI)JenaGermany
| | - Vera L Hopfenmüller
- Molecular Genetics Lab, Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI)JenaGermany
| | - Christoph Englert
- Molecular Genetics Lab, Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI)JenaGermany
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Friedrich-Schiller-University JenaJenaGermany
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9
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Mathuru AS. The holy grail of longevity research. eLife 2022; 11:e85001. [PMID: 36562603 PMCID: PMC9788805 DOI: 10.7554/elife.85001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
A new technology to study physiology and cognition elevates African turquoise killifish as a model organism for studies of aging in vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ajay S Mathuru
- Yale-NUS CollegeSingaporeSingapore
- The Institute for Digital Medicine (WisDM), Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STARSingaporeSingapore
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10
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Reichard M, Giannetti K, Ferreira T, Maouche A, Vrtílek M, Polačik M, Blažek R, Ferreira MG. Lifespan and telomere length variation across populations of wild-derived African killifish. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:5979-5992. [PMID: 34826177 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Telomeres and telomerase prevent the continuous erosion of chromosome-ends caused by lifelong cell division. Shortened telomeres are associated with age-related pathologies. While short telomere length is positively correlated with increased lethality at the individual level, in comparisons across species short telomeres are associated with long (and not short) lifespans. Here, we tested this contradiction between individual and evolutionary patterns in telomere length using African annual killifish. We analysed lifespan and telomere length in a set of captive strains derived from well-defined wild populations of Nothobranchius furzeri and its sister species, N. kadleci, from sites along a strong gradient of aridity which ultimately determines maximum natural lifespan. Overall, males were shorter-lived than females, and also had shorter telomeres. Male lifespan (measured in controlled laboratory conditions) was positively associated with the amount of annual rainfall in the site of strain origin. However, fish from wetter climates had shorter telomeres. In addition, individual fish which grew largest over the juvenile period possessed shorter telomeres at the onset of adulthood. This demonstrates that individual condition and environmentally-driven selection indeed modulate the relationship between telomere length and lifespan in opposite directions, validating the existence of inverse trends within a single taxon. Intraindividual heterogeneity of telomere length (capable to detect very short telomeres) was not associated with mean telomere length, suggesting that the shortest telomeres are controlled by regulatory pathways other than those that determine mean telomere length. The substantial variation in telomere length between strains from different environments identifies killifish as a powerful system in understanding the adaptive value of telomere length.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Reichard
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Brno, Czech Republic.,Department of Ecology and Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Łódź, Łódź, Poland.,Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | | | | | - Ahmed Maouche
- Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging of Nice (IRCAN), UMR7284 U1081 Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France
| | - Milan Vrtílek
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Matej Polačik
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Radim Blažek
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Miguel Godinho Ferreira
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal.,Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging of Nice (IRCAN), UMR7284 U1081 Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France
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11
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McKay A, Costa EK, Chen J, Hu CK, Chen X, Bedbrook CN, Khondker RC, Thielvoldt M, Priya Singh P, Wyss-Coray T, Brunet A. An automated feeding system for the African killifish reveals the impact of diet on lifespan and allows scalable assessment of associative learning. eLife 2022; 11:e69008. [PMID: 36354233 PMCID: PMC9788828 DOI: 10.7554/elife.69008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The African turquoise killifish is an exciting new vertebrate model for aging studies. A significant challenge for any model organism is the control over its diet in space and time. To address this challenge, we created an automated and networked fish feeding system. Our automated feeder is designed to be open-source, easily transferable, and built from widely available components. Compared to manual feeding, our automated system is highly precise and flexible. As a proof of concept for the feeding flexibility of these automated feeders, we define a favorable regimen for growth and fertility for the African killifish and a dietary restriction regimen where both feeding time and quantity are reduced. We show that this dietary restriction regimen extends lifespan in males (but not in females) and impacts the transcriptomes of killifish livers in a sex-specific manner. Moreover, combining our automated feeding system with a video camera, we establish a quantitative associative learning assay to provide an integrative measure of cognitive performance for the killifish. The ability to precisely control food delivery in the killifish opens new areas to assess lifespan and cognitive behavior dynamics and to screen for dietary interventions and drugs in a scalable manner previously impossible with traditional vertebrate model organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew McKay
- Department of Genetics, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
- Biology Graduate Program, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
| | - Emma K Costa
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
- Neurosciences Interdepartmental Program, Stanford University School of MedicineStanfordUnited States
| | - Jingxun Chen
- Department of Genetics, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
| | - Chi-Kuo Hu
- Department of Genetics, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
| | - Xiaoshan Chen
- Department of Genetics, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
| | - Claire N Bedbrook
- Department of Genetics, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
| | | | | | | | - Tony Wyss-Coray
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
- Glenn Laboratories for the Biology of Aging, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
- Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
| | - Anne Brunet
- Department of Genetics, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
- Glenn Laboratories for the Biology of Aging, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
- Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
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12
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García G, Gutiérrez V, Ríos N. Living in Temporary Ponds Loading Giant Genomes: The Neotropical Annual Killifish Genus Austrolebias as New Outstanding Evolutionary Model. Front Genet 2022; 13:903683. [PMID: 35795213 PMCID: PMC9251178 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.903683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The term Annual killifish describes a short-lived and amazing group of vertebrates inhabiting temporary ponds exposed to an extremely variable environment during its short lifespan in South America and Africa, leading to the death of the entire adult population during the dry season. Austrolebias is a specious genus of the family Rivulidae, with ∼58 currently recognized species, extensively distributed in the temperate Neotropical region. Herein, we reviewed different aspects of the evolutionary biology with emphasis on the genome dynamic linked to the burst speciation process in this genus. Austrolebias constitutes an excellent model to study the genomic evolutionary processes underlying speciation events, since all the species of this genus analyzed so far share an unusually large genome size, with an average DNA content of 5.95 ± 0.45 picograms per diploid cell (mean C-value of about 2.98 pg). The drastic nuclear DNA–increasing would be associated with a considerable proportion of transposable elements (TEs) found in the Austrolebias genomes. The genomic proportion of the moderately repetitive DNA in the A. charrua genome represents approximately twice (45%) the amount of the repetitive components of the highly related sympatric and syntopic rivulinae taxon Cynopoecilus melanotaenia (25%), as well as from other rivulids and actinopterygian fish. These events could explain the great genome instability, the high genetic diversity, chromosome variability, as well as the morphological diversity in species of Austrolebias. Thus, species of this genus represent new model systems linking different evolutionary processes: drastic genome increase, massive TEs genomic representation, high chromosome instability, occurrence of natural hybridization between sister species, and burst speciation events.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Néstor Ríos
- Sección Genética Evolutiva, Facultad de Ciencias, UdelaR, Montevideo, Uruguay
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13
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Reichard M, Janáč M, Blažek R, Žák J, Alila OD, Polačik M. Patterns and drivers of
Nothobranchius
killifish diversity in lowland Tanzania. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8990. [PMID: 35784061 PMCID: PMC9198348 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2022] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Temporary pools are seasonal wetland habitats with specifically adapted biota, including annual Nothobranchius killifishes that survive habitat desiccation as diapausing eggs encased in dry sediment. To understand the patterns in the structure of Nothobranchius assemblages and their potential in wetland conservation, we compared biodiversity components (alpha, beta, and gamma) between regions and estimated the role and sources of nestedness and turnover on their diversity. We sampled Nothobranchius assemblages from 127 pools across seven local regions in lowland Eastern Tanzania over 2 years, using dip net and seine nets. We estimated species composition and richness for each pool, and beta and gamma diversity for each region. We decomposed beta diversity into nestedness and turnover components. We tested nestedness in three main regions (Ruvu, Rufiji, and Mbezi) using the number of decreasing fills metric and compared the roles of pool area, isolation, and altitude on nestedness. A total of 15 species formed assemblages containing 1–6 species. Most Nothobranchius species were endemic to one or two adjacent regions. Regional diversity was highest in the Ruvu, Rufiji, and Mbezi regions. Nestedness was significant in Ruvu and Rufiji, with shared core (N. melanospilus, N. eggersi, and N. janpapi) and common (N. ocellatus and N. annectens) species, and distinctive rare species. Nestedness apparently resulted from selective colonization rather than selective extinction, and local species richness was negatively associated with altitude. The Nothobranchius assemblages in the Mbezi region were not nested, and had many endemic species and the highest beta diversity driven by species turnover. Overall, we found unexpected local variation in the sources of beta diversity (nestedness and turnover) within the study area. The Mbezi region contained the highest diversity and many endemic species, apparently due to repeated colonizations of the region rather than local diversification. We suggest that annual killifish can serve as a flagship taxon for small wetland conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Reichard
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Brno Czech Republic
- Department of Ecology and Vertebrate Zoology University of Łódź Łódź Poland
- Department of Botany and Zoology Faculty of Science Masaryk University Brno Czech Republic
| | - Michal Janáč
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Brno Czech Republic
- Department of Botany and Zoology Faculty of Science Masaryk University Brno Czech Republic
| | - Radim Blažek
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Brno Czech Republic
- Department of Botany and Zoology Faculty of Science Masaryk University Brno Czech Republic
| | - Jakub Žák
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Brno Czech Republic
- Department of Zoology Faculty of Science Charles University Prague Czech Republic
| | - Okinyi David Alila
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution University of Bern Bern Switzerland
- Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution Centre of Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry EAWAG Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology Kastanienbaum Switzerland
| | - Matej Polačik
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Brno Czech Republic
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14
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Žák J, Roy K, Dyková I, Mráz J, Reichard M. Starter feed for carnivorous species as a practical replacement of bloodworms for a vertebrate model organism in ageing, the turquoise killifish Nothobranchius furzeri. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2022; 100:894-908. [PMID: 35195903 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2021] [Revised: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The absence of a controlled diet is unfortunate in a promising model organism for ageing, the turquoise killifish (Nothobranchius furzeri Jubb, 1971). Currently captive N. furzeri are fed bloodworms but it is not known whether this is an optimal diet. Replacing bloodworms with a practical dry feed would reduce diet variability. In the present study, we estimated the nutritional value of the diet ingested by wild fish and determined the fish-body amino acid profile as a proxy for their nutritional requirements. We compared the performance of fish fed four commercial feeds containing 46%-64% protein to that achieved with bloodworms and that of wild fish. Wild fish target a high-protein (60%) diet and this is supported by their superior performance on high-protein diets in captivity. In contrast, feeds for omnivores led to slower growth, lower fecundity and unnatural liver size. In comparison to wild fish, a bloodworm diet led to lower body condition, overfeeding and male liver enlargement. Out of the four dry feeds tested, the fish fed Aller matched wild fish in body condition and liver size, and was comparable to bloodworms in terms of growth and fecundity. A starter feed for carnivorous species appears to be a practical replacement for bloodworms for N. furzeri. The use of dry feeds improved performance in comparison to bloodworms and thus may contribute to reducing response variability and improving research reproducibility in N. furzeri research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakub Žák
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Science, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Koushik Roy
- Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Iva Dyková
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Mráz
- Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Reichard
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Science, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Ecology and Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Łódź, Łódź, Poland
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15
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Dyková I, Žák J, Blažek R, Reichard M, Součková K, Slabý O. Histology of major organ systems of Nothobranchius fishes: short-lived model species. JOURNAL OF VERTEBRATE BIOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.25225/jvb.21074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Iva Dyková
- Institute of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic, e-mail:
| | - Jakub Žák
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic; e-mail: , ,
| | - Radim Blažek
- Institute of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic, e-mail:
| | - Martin Reichard
- Institute of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic, e-mail:
| | - Kamila Součková
- Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic; e-mail: ,
| | - Ondřej Slabý
- Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic; e-mail: ,
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16
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Karp X. Hormonal Regulation of Diapause and Development in Nematodes, Insects, and Fishes. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.735924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Diapause is a state of developmental arrest adopted in response to or in anticipation of environmental conditions that are unfavorable for growth. In many cases, diapause is facultative, such that animals may undergo either a diapause or a non-diapause developmental trajectory, depending on environmental cues. Diapause is characterized by enhanced stress resistance, reduced metabolism, and increased longevity. The ability to postpone reproduction until suitable conditions are found is important to the survival of many animals, and both vertebrate and invertebrate species can undergo diapause. The decision to enter diapause occurs at the level of the whole animal, and thus hormonal signaling pathways are common regulators of the diapause decision. Unlike other types of developmental arrest, diapause is programmed, such that the diapause developmental trajectory includes a pre-diapause preparatory phase, diapause itself, recovery from diapause, and post-diapause development. Therefore, developmental pathways are profoundly affected by diapause. Here, I review two conserved hormonal pathways, insulin/IGF signaling (IIS) and nuclear hormone receptor signaling (NHR), and their role in regulating diapause across three animal phyla. Specifically, the species reviewed are Austrofundulus limnaeus and Nothobranchius furzeri annual killifishes, Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes, and insect species including Drosophila melanogaster, Culex pipiens, and Bombyx mori. In addition, the developmental changes that occur as a result of diapause are discussed, with a focus on how IIS and NHR pathways interact with core developmental pathways in C. elegans larvae that undergo diapause.
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17
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Chalar C, Clivio G, Montagne J, Costábile A, Lima A, Papa NG, Berois N, Arezo MJ. Embryonic developmental arrest in the annual killifish Austrolebias charrua: A proteomic approach to diapause III. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0251820. [PMID: 34086690 PMCID: PMC8177498 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0251820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Diapause is a reversible developmental arrest faced by many organisms in harsh environments. Annual killifish present this mechanism in three possible stages of development. Killifish are freshwater teleosts from Africa and America that live in ephemeral ponds, which dry up in the dry season. The juvenile and adult populations die, and the embryos remain buried in the bottom mud until the next rainy season. Thus, species survival is entirely embryo-dependent, and they are perhaps the most remarkable extremophile organisms among vertebrates. The aim of the present study was to gather information about embryonic diapauses with the use of a "shotgun" proteomics approach in diapause III and prehatching Austrolebias charrua embryos. Our results provide insight into the molecular mechanisms of diapause III. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD025196. We detected a diapause-dependent change in a large group of proteins involved in different functions, such as metabolic pathways and stress tolerance, as well as proteins related to DNA repair and epigenetic modifications. Furthermore, we observed a diapause-associated switch in cytoskeletal proteins. This first glance into global protein expression differences between prehatching and diapause III could provide clues regarding the induction/maintenance of this developmental arrest in A. charrua embryos. There appears to be no single mechanism underlying diapause and the present data expand our knowledge of the molecular basis of diapause regulation. This information will be useful for future comparative approaches among different diapauses in annual killifish and/or other organisms that experience developmental arrest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cora Chalar
- Sección Bioquímica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Graciela Clivio
- Sección Biología Celular, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Jimena Montagne
- Sección Biología Celular, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Alicia Costábile
- Sección Bioquímica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Analía Lima
- Unidad de Bioquímica y Proteómica Analíticas, Institut Pasteur Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Ministerio de Educación y Cultura, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Nicolás G. Papa
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular de Organismos Acuáticos, Sección Biología Celular, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Nibia Berois
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular de Organismos Acuáticos, Sección Biología Celular, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - María José Arezo
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular de Organismos Acuáticos, Sección Biología Celular, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
- * E-mail:
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18
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Thoré ESJ, Philippe C, Brendonck L, Pinceel T. Towards improved fish tests in ecotoxicology - Efficient chronic and multi-generational testing with the killifish Nothobranchius furzeri. CHEMOSPHERE 2021; 273:129697. [PMID: 33517116 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.129697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Revised: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
As many freshwaters are chemically polluted, one of the challenges for policy makers is to determine the potential impact of these pollutants on ecosystems and to define safe concentrations. Common practice is the use of ecotoxicological assays to assess the response of model organisms from different trophic levels such as algae, invertebrates and fish during exposure to dilutions of a specific compound. Ideally, ecotoxicological assessments of (pseudo-)persistent chemicals should be performed across the life-cycle or even multiple generations for an accurate risk assessment. Multigenerational tests with fish are, however, impractical and costly given the long lifespan and generation time of classic model species. Here, we suggest a framework for more relevant, time- and cost-efficient fish-based testing in ecotoxicology and align it with accredited test guidelines. Next, we introduce an upcoming fish model, the turquoise killifish Nothobranchius furzeri, and show how it facilitates such research agendas due to a short lifespan and generation time. Through a review of fish-based exposure studies with a set of reference toxicants, we position N. furzeri as a sensitive species, suitable for screening effects of different pollutant types. Ultimately, we perform a cost-benefit analysis and propose a plan of action for the introduction of N. furzeri into accredited test guidelines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eli S J Thoré
- Animal Ecology, Global Change and Sustainable Development, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Charlotte Philippe
- Animal Ecology, Global Change and Sustainable Development, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Luc Brendonck
- Animal Ecology, Global Change and Sustainable Development, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - Tom Pinceel
- Animal Ecology, Global Change and Sustainable Development, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Centre for Environmental Management, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
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19
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Riddle MR, Hu CK. Fish models for investigating nutritional regulation of embryonic development. Dev Biol 2021; 476:101-111. [PMID: 33831748 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2021.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Revised: 03/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
In recent decades, biologist have focused on the spatiotemporal regulation and function of genes to understand embryogenesis. It is clear that maternal diet impacts fetal development but how nutrients, like lipids and vitamins, modify developmental programs is not completely understood. Fish are useful research organisms for such investigations. Most species of fish produce eggs that develop outside the mother, dependent on a finite amount of yolk to form and grow. The developing embryo is a closed system that can be readily biochemically analyzed, easily visualized, and manipulated to understand the role of nutrients in tissue specification, organogenesis, and growth. Natural variation in yolk composition observed across fish species may be related to unique developmental strategies. In this review, we discuss the reasons that teleost fishes are powerful models to understand nutritional control of development and highlight three species that are particularly valuable for future investigations: the zebrafish, Danio rerio, the African Killifish, Nothobranchius furzeri, and the Mexican tetra, Astyanax mexicanus. This review is a part of a special issue on nutritional, hormonal, and metabolic drivers of development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Misty R Riddle
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA.
| | - Chi-Kuo Hu
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
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20
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De Novo Transcriptome Profiling of Brain Tissue from the Annual Killifish Nothobranchius guentheri. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:life11020137. [PMID: 33670176 PMCID: PMC7916979 DOI: 10.3390/life11020137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Revised: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Nothobranchius is a genus of small annual killifish found in Africa. Due to the relatively short lifespan, as well as easy breeding and care, Nothobranchius fish are becoming widely used as a vertebrate model system. Studying the genome and transcriptome of these fish is essential for advancing the field. In this study, we performed de novo transcriptome assembly of brain tissues from Nothobranchius guentheri using Trinity. Annotation of 104,271 potential genes (with transcripts longer than 500 bp) was carried out; for 24,967 genes (53,654 transcripts), in which at least one GO annotation was derived. We also analyzed the effect of a long-term food supplement with Torin 2, second-generation ATP-competitive inhibitor of mTOR, on the gene expression changes in brain tissue of adult N. guentheri. Overall, 1491 genes in females and 249 genes in males were differently expressed under Torin 2-supplemented diet. According to the Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA), the majority of identified genes were predominantly involved in the regulation of metabolic process, dendritic spine maintenance, circadian rhythms, retrotransposition, and immune response. Thus, we have provided the first transcriptome assembly and assessed the differential gene expression in response to exposure to Torin 2, which allow a better understanding of molecular changes in the brain tissues of adult fish in the mTOR pathway inhibition.
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21
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Terzibasi Tozzini E, Cellerino A. Nothobranchius annual killifishes. EvoDevo 2020; 11:25. [PMID: 33323125 PMCID: PMC7739477 DOI: 10.1186/s13227-020-00170-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Annual fishes of the genus Nothobranchius inhabit ephemeral habitats in Eastern and Southeastern Africa. Their life cycle is characterized by very rapid maturation, a posthatch lifespan of a few weeks to months and embryonic diapause to survive the dry season. The species N. furzeri holds the record of the fastest-maturing vertebrate and of the vertebrate with the shortest captive lifespan and is emerging as model organism in biomedical research, evolutionary biology, and developmental biology. Extensive characterization of age-related phenotypes in the laboratory and of ecology, distribution, and demography in the wild are available. Species/populations from habitats differing in precipitation intensity show parallel evolution of lifespan and age-related traits that conform to the classical theories on aging. Genome sequencing and the establishment of CRISPR/Cas9 techniques made this species particularly attractive to investigate the effects genetic and non-genetic intervention on lifespan and aging-related phenotypes. At the same time, annual fishes are a very interesting subject for comparative approaches, including genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics. The N. furzeri community is highly diverse and rapidly expanding and organizes a biannual meeting.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alessandro Cellerino
- Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy. .,Leibniz Institute on Aging-Fritz Lipmann Institute, Jena, Germany.
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22
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Anagnostopoulos G, Montégut L, Chen H, Carbonnier V, Martins I, Mangane K, Mannioui A, Bois A, Baracco EE, Maiuri MC, Kroemer G. Immunoblot-based assays for assessing autophagy in the turquoise killifish Nothobranchius furzeri. Methods Cell Biol 2020; 165:123-138. [PMID: 34311861 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mcb.2020.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved biological process required for the turnover of the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cell. Beyond its catabolic nature, autophagy has a plethora of pro-survival functions, thus combatting hypoxia, nutrient shortage, and unfolded protein accumulation. Here, we introduce the naturally short-lived turquoise killifish Nothobranchius furzeri as an emerging model to study autophagic function in vivo, in response to environmental challenges. We show that starvation in killifish is sufficient to increase autophagic flux in the liver, thus enhancing the lipidation of microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 (LC3) and reducing the abundance of the autophagic substrate sequestosome-1 (SQSTM1). We describe an immunoblot-based comprehensive protocol to monitor fluctuations in autophagy in this model organism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerasimos Anagnostopoulos
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Équipe 11 Labellisée par la Ligue Contre le Cancer, Université de Paris, Sorbonne Université, Inserm U1138, Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France; Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Villejuif, France; Université Paris-Sud/Paris XI, Faculté de médecine, Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
| | - Léa Montégut
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Équipe 11 Labellisée par la Ligue Contre le Cancer, Université de Paris, Sorbonne Université, Inserm U1138, Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France; Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Villejuif, France; Université Paris-Sud/Paris XI, Faculté de médecine, Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
| | - Hui Chen
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Équipe 11 Labellisée par la Ligue Contre le Cancer, Université de Paris, Sorbonne Université, Inserm U1138, Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France; Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Villejuif, France; Université Paris-Sud/Paris XI, Faculté de médecine, Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
| | - Vincent Carbonnier
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Équipe 11 Labellisée par la Ligue Contre le Cancer, Université de Paris, Sorbonne Université, Inserm U1138, Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France; Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Villejuif, France
| | - Isabelle Martins
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Équipe 11 Labellisée par la Ligue Contre le Cancer, Université de Paris, Sorbonne Université, Inserm U1138, Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France; Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Villejuif, France
| | - Khady Mangane
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Équipe 11 Labellisée par la Ligue Contre le Cancer, Université de Paris, Sorbonne Université, Inserm U1138, Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France; Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Villejuif, France
| | - Abdelkrim Mannioui
- Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine (IBPS), Aquatic Facility, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Alex Bois
- Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine (IBPS), Aquatic Facility, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Elisa Elena Baracco
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Équipe 11 Labellisée par la Ligue Contre le Cancer, Université de Paris, Sorbonne Université, Inserm U1138, Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France; Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Villejuif, France; Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy
| | - Maria Chiara Maiuri
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Équipe 11 Labellisée par la Ligue Contre le Cancer, Université de Paris, Sorbonne Université, Inserm U1138, Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France; Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Villejuif, France.
| | - Guido Kroemer
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Équipe 11 Labellisée par la Ligue Contre le Cancer, Université de Paris, Sorbonne Université, Inserm U1138, Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France; Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Villejuif, France; Pôle de Biologie, Hôpital Européen Georges-Pompidou, AP-HP, Paris, France; Suzhou Institute for Systems Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Suzhou, China; Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
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Žák J, Reichard M. Reproductive senescence in a short-lived fish. J Anim Ecol 2020; 90:492-502. [PMID: 33159690 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Reproductive senescence is an age-associated decline in reproductive performance, which often arises as a trade-off between current and future reproduction. Given that mortality is inevitable, increased allocation into current reproduction is favoured despite costs paid later in life. This assumption is violated in organisms with post-maturity growth whose reproductive output increases long after maturity. While reproductive senescence is frequently studied in animals with determinate growth at maturity, such as insects or mammals, we have very limited understanding of reproductive senescence in organisms with an extensive post-maturity growth period. The fact that many post-maturity growers experience strong adult mortality leads to conflicting expectations for reproductive senescence. The aim of this study was to investigate how co-occurrence of rapid life history and post-maturity growth mould reproductive senescence in a short-lived killifish, Nothobranchius furzeri, using longitudinal data on laboratory and wild-type populations. We followed the individual fecundity, fertility and fertilization of 132 singly housed fish from the perspectives of chronological and biological age. At the onset of senescence, the sex-specific contribution to decrease in fertilization capacity was investigated. Allocation trade-offs were estimated through the association between reproductive parameters and life span, and between early-life and late-life fecundity. We demonstrate that female fecundity increased steadily after maturity and reproductive senescence occurred long after the growth asymptote. The prime age for fecundity coincided with 50% female survival and consequent decline in fecundity implies an association with somatic deterioration. Reproductive senescence in fertilization rate was stronger in females than in males. Females with high early fecundity experienced a long life span and high late-life fecundity, discounting the role of allocation trade-offs in reproductive senescence. The present study reports a clear case of reproductive senescence in a fish with a long post-maturation growth period, unusually rapid development and short life span. The onset of reproductive senescence was postponed compared to animals that cease growing at sexual maturity. Fish and other animals with post-maturity growth have long been considered insusceptible to ageing but this conclusion may be related to the previous lack of longitudinal data rather than to the absence of reproductive senescence in such organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakub Žák
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic.,Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Reichard
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic.,Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
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Mikuła-Pietrasik J, Pakuła M, Markowska M, Uruski P, Szczepaniak-Chicheł L, Tykarski A, Książek K. Nontraditional systems in aging research: an update. Cell Mol Life Sci 2020; 78:1275-1304. [PMID: 33034696 PMCID: PMC7904725 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-020-03658-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Revised: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Research on the evolutionary and mechanistic aspects of aging and longevity has a reductionist nature, as the majority of knowledge originates from experiments on a relatively small number of systems and species. Good examples are the studies on the cellular, molecular, and genetic attributes of aging (senescence) that are primarily based on a narrow group of somatic cells, especially fibroblasts. Research on aging and/or longevity at the organismal level is dominated, in turn, by experiments on Drosophila melanogaster, worms (Caenorhabditis elegans), yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), and higher organisms such as mice and humans. Other systems of aging, though numerous, constitute the minority. In this review, we collected and discussed a plethora of up-to-date findings about studies of aging, longevity, and sometimes even immortality in several valuable but less frequently used systems, including bacteria (Caulobacter crescentus, Escherichia coli), invertebrates (Turritopsis dohrnii, Hydra sp., Arctica islandica), fishes (Nothobranchius sp., Greenland shark), reptiles (giant tortoise), mammals (blind mole rats, naked mole rats, bats, elephants, killer whale), and even 3D organoids, to prove that they offer biogerontologists as much as the more conventional tools. At the same time, the diversified knowledge gained owing to research on those species may help to reconsider aging from a broader perspective, which should translate into a better understanding of this tremendously complex and clearly system-specific phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justyna Mikuła-Pietrasik
- Department of Pathophysiology of Ageing and Civilization Diseases, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Długa 1/2 Str., 61-848 Poznań, Poland
| | - Martyna Pakuła
- Department of Hypertensiology, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Długa 1/2 Str., 61-848 Poznań, Poland
| | - Małgorzata Markowska
- Department of Hypertensiology, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Długa 1/2 Str., 61-848 Poznań, Poland
| | - Paweł Uruski
- Department of Hypertensiology, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Długa 1/2 Str., 61-848 Poznań, Poland
| | | | - Andrzej Tykarski
- Department of Hypertensiology, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Długa 1/2 Str., 61-848 Poznań, Poland
| | - Krzysztof Książek
- Department of Pathophysiology of Ageing and Civilization Diseases, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Długa 1/2 Str., 61-848 Poznań, Poland
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25
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Navarro-Martín L, Martyniuk CJ, Mennigen JA. Comparative epigenetics in animal physiology: An emerging frontier. COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY D-GENOMICS & PROTEOMICS 2020; 36:100745. [PMID: 33126028 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbd.2020.100745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Revised: 09/08/2020] [Accepted: 09/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The unprecedented access to annotated genomes now facilitates the investigation of the molecular basis of epigenetic phenomena in phenotypically diverse animals. In this critical review, we describe the roles of molecular epigenetic mechanisms in regulating mitotically and meiotically stable spatiotemporal gene expression, phenomena that provide the molecular foundation for the intra-, inter-, and trans-generational emergence of physiological phenotypes. By focusing principally on emerging comparative epigenetic roles of DNA-level and transcriptome-level epigenetic mark dynamics in the emergence of phenotypes, we highlight the relationship between evolutionary conservation and innovation of specific epigenetic pathways, and their interplay as a priority for future study. This comparative approach is expected to significantly advance our understanding of epigenetic phenomena, as animals show a diverse array of strategies to epigenetically modify physiological responses. Additionally, we review recent technological advances in the field of molecular epigenetics (single-cell epigenomics and transcriptomics and editing of epigenetic marks) in order to (1) investigate environmental and endogenous factor dependent epigenetic mark dynamics in an integrative manner; (2) functionally test the contribution of specific epigenetic marks for animal phenotypes via genome and transcript-editing tools. Finally, we describe advantages and limitations of emerging animal models, which under the Krogh principle, may be particularly useful in the advancement of comparative epigenomics and its potential translational applications in animal science, ecotoxicology, ecophysiology, climate change science and wild-life conservation, as well as organismal health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laia Navarro-Martín
- Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, IDAEA-CSIC, Barcelona, Catalunya 08034, Spain.
| | - Christopher J Martyniuk
- Department of Physiological Sciences and Center for Environmental and Human Toxicology, University of Florida Genetics Institute, Interdisciplinary Program in Biomedical Sciences Neuroscience, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Jan A Mennigen
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N6N5, Canada
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26
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Žák J, Reichard M. Fluctuating temperatures extend median lifespan, improve reproduction and reduce growth in turquoise killifish. Exp Gerontol 2020; 140:111073. [PMID: 32858146 DOI: 10.1016/j.exger.2020.111073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Revised: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 08/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
In natural populations, individuals experience daily fluctuations in environmental conditions that synchronise endogenous biorhythms. Artificial alterations of environmental fluctuations can have negative consequences for life history traits, including lifespan. In laboratory studies of aging, the role of fluctuating temperature is usually overlooked and we know little of how thermal fluctuation modulates senescence in vertebrates. In this longitudinal study we followed individually-housed turquoise killifish, Nothobranchius furzeri, from two thermal regimes; ecologically relevant diel fluctuations (20 °C - 35 °C) and stable temperature (27.5 °C), and compared their survival, growth and reproduction. Fish experiencing fluctuating temperatures had a longer median lifespan but reached smaller asymptotic body size. Within-treatment variation indicated that extended lifespan in fluctuating temperatures was not causally linked to decreased growth rate or smaller body size, but occurred solely due to the effect of thermal fluctuations. Male body size was positively associated with lifespan in stable temperatures but this relationship was disrupted in fluctuating thermal regimes. Females exposed to fluctuating temperatures effectively compensated egg production for their smaller size. Thus, there was no difference in absolute fecundity between thermal regimes and body-size corrected fecundity was higher in females in fluctuating temperatures. Overall, despite a brief exposure to sub-optimal thermal conditions during fluctuations, fluctuating temperature had a positive effect on survival and reproduction. These results suggest that the expression of life history traits and their associations under stable temperatures are a poor representation of the relationships obtained from ecologically relevant thermal fluctuations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakub Žák
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Květná 8, 603 65 Brno, Czechia; Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Viničná 7, 128 00, Czechia
| | - Martin Reichard
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Květná 8, 603 65 Brno, Czechia; Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia.
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27
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Žák J, Dyková I, Reichard M. Good performance of turquoise killifish (Nothobranchius furzeri) on pelleted diet as a step towards husbandry standardization. Sci Rep 2020; 10:8986. [PMID: 32488062 PMCID: PMC7265286 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-65930-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2019] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Dietary alteration is one of the most universally effective aging interventions, making its standardization a fundamental need for model organisms in aging. In this dietetic study we address the current lack of standardized formulated diet for turquoise killifish Nothobranchius furzeri – a promising model organism. We first demonstrated that N. furzeri can be fully weaned at the onset of puberty onto a commercially available pelleted diet as the sole nutrition when kept in social tanks. We then compared nine somatic and six reproductive parameters between fish fed a typical laboratory diet - frozen chironomid larvae (bloodworms) and fish weaned from bloodworms to BioMar pellets. Both dietary groups had comparable somatic and reproductive performance. There was no difference between diet groups in adult body size, specific growth rate, condition or extent of hepatocellular vacuolation. Fish fed a pelleted diet had higher juvenile body mass and more visceral fat. Pellet-fed males had lower liver mass and possessed a lipid type of hepatocellular vacuolation instead of the prevailing glycogen-like vacuolation in the bloodworm-fed group. No considerable effect was found on reproductive parameters. The negligible differences between dietary groups and good acceptance of pellets indicate their suitability as a useful starting point for the development of standardized diet for Nothobranchius furzeri.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakub Žák
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Květná 8, 603 65, Brno, Czech Republic.,Department of Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, Charles University, Viničná 7, 122 44, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Iva Dyková
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, Brno, 611 37, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Reichard
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Květná 8, 603 65, Brno, Czech Republic.
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28
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Hu CK, Wang W, Brind'Amour J, Singh PP, Reeves GA, Lorincz MC, Alvarado AS, Brunet A. Vertebrate diapause preserves organisms long term through Polycomb complex members. Science 2020; 367:870-874. [PMID: 32079766 DOI: 10.1126/science.aaw2601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Revised: 11/26/2019] [Accepted: 12/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Diapause is a state of suspended development that helps organisms survive extreme environments. How diapause protects living organisms is largely unknown. Using the African turquoise killifish (Nothobranchius furzeri), we show that diapause preserves complex organisms for extremely long periods of time without trade-offs for subsequent adult growth, fertility, and life span. Transcriptome analyses indicate that diapause is an active state, with dynamic regulation of metabolism and organ development genes. The most up-regulated genes in diapause include Polycomb complex members. The chromatin mark regulated by Polycomb, H3K27me3, is maintained at key developmental genes in diapause, and the Polycomb member CBX7 mediates repression of metabolism and muscle genes in diapause. CBX7 is functionally required for muscle preservation and diapause maintenance. Thus, vertebrate diapause is a state of suspended life that is actively maintained by specific chromatin regulators, and this has implications for long-term organism preservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi-Kuo Hu
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Wei Wang
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Julie Brind'Amour
- Department of Medical Genetics, Life Sciences Institute, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Param Priya Singh
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - G Adam Reeves
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.,Graduate Program of Genetics, Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Matthew C Lorincz
- Department of Medical Genetics, Life Sciences Institute, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Anne Brunet
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. .,Glenn Laboratories for the Biology of Aging, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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29
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Poeschla M, Valenzano DR. The turquoise killifish: a genetically tractable model for the study of aging. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 223:223/Suppl_1/jeb209296. [PMID: 32034047 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.209296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Lifespan is a remarkably diverse trait in nature, ranging from just hours in adult mayflies to hundreds of years in the Greenland shark and quahog clam. Great disparities in lifespan are often observed even among somewhat closely related species; for example, in the laboratory, wild-derived strains of the common house mouse have a maximum observed lifespan of approximately 6 years, while a similarly sized rodent, the naked mole rat, can live for over 30 years. Comparative biology of aging across the tree of life provides a tremendous opportunity for understanding the molecular and genetic basis underlying lifespan and aging. However, a lack of molecular and laboratory tools has limited the ability of researchers to take full advantage of the incredible diversity of aging phenotypes in nature. Recent developments in genomic technology have made it increasingly possible to study non-canonical model organisms for aging. One promising new genetic model organism amenable to a range of experimental interventions is the turquoise killifish (Nothobranchius furzeri). This fish species has a naturally short lifespan and undergoes a wide range of aging-related transformations. These fish have a fully sequenced genome and transcriptome, and killifish embryos are accessible to transgenesis and genome editing. Furthermore, different killifish species and populations show striking differences in lifespan, providing the opportunity for comparative analysis of aging. This Review introduces the natural life history of the turquoise killifish, its emerging applicability as an aging model system, the genetic tools that have been developed to study aging for this species and a summary of recent studies facilitated by these new tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Poeschla
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, 50931 Cologne, Germany.,CECAD, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Dario R Valenzano
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, 50931 Cologne, Germany .,CECAD, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
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30
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Coolen M, Labusch M, Mannioui A, Bally-Cuif L. Mosaic Heterochrony in Neural Progenitors Sustains Accelerated Brain Growth and Neurogenesis in the Juvenile Killifish N. furzeri. Curr Biol 2020; 30:736-745.e4. [PMID: 32004451 PMCID: PMC7040570 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.12.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Revised: 11/16/2019] [Accepted: 12/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Although developmental mechanisms driving an increase in brain size during vertebrate evolution are actively studied, we know less about evolutionary strategies allowing accelerated brain growth. In zebrafish and other vertebrates studied to date, apical radial glia (RG) constitute the primary neurogenic progenitor population throughout life [1]; thus, RG activity is a determining factor of growth speed. Here, we ask whether enhanced RG activity is the mechanism selected to drive explosive growth, in adaptation to an ephemeral habitat. In post-hatching larvae of the turquoise killifish, which display drastic developmental acceleration, we show that the dorsal telencephalon (pallium) grows three times faster than in zebrafish. Rather than resulting from enhanced RG activity, we demonstrate that pallial growth is the product of a second type of progenitors (that we term NGPs for non-glial progenitors) that actively sustains neurogenesis and germinal zone self-renewal. Intriguingly, NGPs appear to retain, at larval stages, features of early embryonic progenitors. In parallel, RGs enter premature quiescence and express markers of astroglial function. Altogether, we propose that mosaic heterochrony within the neural progenitor population might permit rapid pallial growth by safeguarding both continued neurogenesis and astroglial function. Two types of apical progenitors exist in the pallium of the fast-growing killifish Killifish pallial RGs enter precociously into an adult-like quiescent state NGPs, both self-renewing and neurogenic, resemble early neuroepithelial progenitors Mosaic heterochrony among progenitors sustains rapid killifish pallial growth
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion Coolen
- Zebrafish Neurogenetics Unit, Developmental & Stem Cell Biology Department, Institut Pasteur, UMR3738, CNRS, 25 rue du Dr Roux, 75015 Paris, France.
| | - Miriam Labusch
- Zebrafish Neurogenetics Unit, Developmental & Stem Cell Biology Department, Institut Pasteur, UMR3738, CNRS, 25 rue du Dr Roux, 75015 Paris, France; Sorbonne Université, Collège doctoral, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Abdelkrim Mannioui
- Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine (IBPS), Aquatic Facility, Sorbonne Université, 7 quai Saint Bernard, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Laure Bally-Cuif
- Zebrafish Neurogenetics Unit, Developmental & Stem Cell Biology Department, Institut Pasteur, UMR3738, CNRS, 25 rue du Dr Roux, 75015 Paris, France.
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Bartáková V, Nagy B, Polačik M, Blažek R, Lamtane H, Reichard M. Genetic diversity of a widespread annual killifish from coastal Tanzania. BMC Evol Biol 2020; 20:1. [PMID: 31906845 PMCID: PMC6943906 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-019-1549-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2019] [Accepted: 11/27/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background African annual killifishes (Nothobranchius spp.) are adapted to seasonally desiccating habitats (ephemeral pools), surviving dry periods as dormant eggs. Given their peculiar life history, geographic aspects of their diversity uniquely combine patterns typical for freshwater taxa (river basin structure and elevation gradient) and terrestrial animals (rivers acting as major dispersal barriers). However, our current knowledge on fine-scale inter-specific and intra-specific genetic diversity of African annual fish is limited to a single, particularly dry region of their distribution (subtropical Mozambique). Using a widespread annual killifish from coastal Tanzania and Kenya, we tested whether the same pattern of genetic divergence pertains to a wet equatorial region in the centre of Nothobranchius distribution. Results In populations of Nothobranchius melanospilus species group across its range, we genotyped a part of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene (83 individuals from 22 populations) and 10 nuclear microsatellite markers (251 individuals from 16 populations). We found five lineages with a clear phylogeographic structure but frequent secondary contact. Mitochondrial lineages were largely congruent with main population genetic clusters identified on microsatellite markers. In the upper Wami basin, populations are isolated as a putative Nothobranchius prognathus, but include also a population from a periphery of the middle Ruvu basin. Other four lineages (including putative Nothobranchius kwalensis) coexisted in secondary contact zones, but possessed clear spatial pattern. Main river channels did not form apparent barriers to dispersal. The most widespread lineage had strong signal of recent population expansion. Conclusions We conclude that dispersal of a Nothobranchius species from a wet part of the genus distribution (tropical lowland) is not constrained by main river channels and closely related lineages frequently coexist in secondary contact zones. We also demonstrate contemporary connection between the Ruvu and Rufiji river basins. Our data do not provide genetic support for existence of recently described cryptic species from N. melanospilus complex, but cannot resolve this issue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronika Bartáková
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Květná 8, 603 65, Brno, Czech Republic
| | | | - Matej Polačik
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Květná 8, 603 65, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Radim Blažek
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Květná 8, 603 65, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Hieromin Lamtane
- Department of Animal, Aquaculture and Range Sciences, Sokoine University of Agriculture, P.O. Box 3004, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Martin Reichard
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Květná 8, 603 65, Brno, Czech Republic.
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32
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Silva GG, Weber V, Green AJ, Hoffmann P, Silva VS, Volcan MV, Lanés LEK, Stenert C, Reichard M, Maltchik L. Killifish eggs can disperse via gut passage through waterfowl. Ecology 2019; 100:e02774. [DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2019] [Revised: 04/22/2019] [Accepted: 05/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Giliandro G. Silva
- Laboratory of Ecology and Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos—UNISINOS 950 Unisinos Avenue São Leopoldo Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Vinícius Weber
- Laboratory of Ecology and Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos—UNISINOS 950 Unisinos Avenue São Leopoldo Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Andy J. Green
- Department of Wetland Ecology Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD‐CSIC) C/Américo Vespucio 26 Sevilla 41092 Spain
| | - Pedro Hoffmann
- Laboratory of Ecology and Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos—UNISINOS 950 Unisinos Avenue São Leopoldo Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Vanessa S. Silva
- Parque Zoológico da Fundação Zoobotânica do Rio Grande do Sul BR‐116 Road, km 252 Sapucaia do Sul Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Matheus V. Volcan
- Laboratory of Ichthyology Instituto Pró‐Pampa—IPPampa 1242 Uruguay Street Pelotas Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Luis Esteban K. Lanés
- Laboratory of Ichthyology Instituto Pró‐Pampa—IPPampa 1242 Uruguay Street Pelotas Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Cristina Stenert
- Laboratory of Ecology and Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos—UNISINOS 950 Unisinos Avenue São Leopoldo Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Martin Reichard
- Czech Academy of Sciences Institute of Vertebrate Biology Květná 8 Brno 603 65 Czech Republic
| | - Leonardo Maltchik
- Laboratory of Ecology and Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos—UNISINOS 950 Unisinos Avenue São Leopoldo Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
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