A research team from Bologna believes that oysters may hold the secret to a longer life. But not in the way that first comes to mind…
People are living longer than ever before, and average life expectancy worldwide has increased by at least two decades in the last 60 years alone. However, compared to some other species, we still die at very early ages. We are surrounded by giant turtles that can live for at least 191 years, whales that can survive for more than 200 years, and Greenland sharks that can easily reach 400 years old.
The reason why researchers looked at oysters is that, interestingly, instead of all bivalve mollusks being long-lived, they have been found to live from one year to 500 years, depending on the species.
“I have always been fascinated by the extremely long lifespan of some bivalve species,” co-author Mariangela Iannello, a researcher at the Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences at the University of Bologna, said in a statement. “When I realized that no one had investigated this extraordinary longevity within the framework of molecular evolution,” she said in a statement. “I knew we had to start investigating longevity in these animals.”
To investigate the reason for the exceptionally long lives of some bivalves (Bivalvia), the team decided to examine the genomes of four species. In addition to the Arctica islandica species, which belongs to the Ming Clam, the longest-lived non-colonial animal recorded thanks to its 507 years on the planet, Margaritifera margaritifera, Elliptio complanata and Lampsilis siliquoidea species ranging in age from 150 to 190 years were examined. Then 29 more species, whose lifespans were not so impressive, were examined.
Researchers state that the Bivalvia class, which also has very long-lived members, is at the center of their study because it provides “the widest life range within a class”: “The presence of both short- and long-lived species in the same taxon makes bivalve molluscs capable of aging, maturation and long life.” “This makes it an excellent model system for investigating its duration.”
By comparing genomic data from different species, the team was able to isolate genes that differentiate long-lived bivalves from short-lived ones. The research turned up some familiar names that have previously been associated with longevity in other species. Iannello said it was an “exciting” discovery: “An important implication of this finding is that lifespan extension may involve common genetic factors in very distantly related species.”
For example, long-lived bivalves had similar genes involved in things like DNA damage response, regulation of cell death and apoptotic pathways, cellular responses to abiotic stimuli, and hypoxia tolerance, all of which are known to be associated with longevity through previous research.
But this study also found a handful of proteins previously unknown to regulate longevity. “We believe these genes are new and exciting candidates to test for a role in lifespan extension not only in bivalves but also in other species,” Iannello said.
Unfortunately, although these findings are very important and incredibly impressive, you should not expect the human lifespan to increase severalfold in a few years. Still, this could be a big step toward better understanding the aging process and how we might one day manipulate it to our advantage.
The research paper was published in the journal Genome Biology and Evolution.
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