Nemo, long live! New animal model in aging research?
Clownfish can live up to 20 years in an aquarium. Researchers from the Scuola Superiore di Pisa in Italy have studied the genetics of the clownfish’s longevity in collaboration with researchers at the Leibniz Institute on Aging in Jena in Germany. They were able, by comparing sequences to other species and sequencing the genome, to prove that the secret behind the longevity of clownfish lies in its mitochondria and lysosomes. Clownfish are an ideal animal model to study longevity because they can be easily kept and bred. The results have been published in BMC Evolutionary Biology.
Clownfish are brightly colored fish that have three stripes. They can be found in the Indian and Western Pacific Oceans. Clownfish have a symbiotic relation with sea anemone. In their natural habitat they are dependent on the sea anemone, which offers protection to the fish through its tentacles. Clownfish mucus protects them from being stung. This survival strategy allows clownfish to live longer and have a lower death rate than other species of fish. Up until now, little was known about this fascinating sea dweller’s lifespan.
Source:
https://phys.org/news/2019-04-nemo-animal-aging.html
