Cell
Volume 163, Issue 6, 3 December 2015, Pages 1539-1554
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The African Turquoise Killifish Genome Provides Insights into Evolution and Genetic Architecture of Lifespan

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2015.11.008Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • De novo genome assembly and annotation of the African turquoise killifish

  • Key aging genes are under positive selection in the turquoise killifish

  • Differences in lifespan between killifish strains are genetically linked to sex

  • A resource for comparative genomics and experimental aging studies

Summary

Lifespan is a remarkably diverse trait ranging from a few days to several hundred years in nature, but the mechanisms underlying the evolution of lifespan differences remain elusive. Here we de novo assemble a reference genome for the naturally short-lived African turquoise killifish, providing a unique resource for comparative and experimental genomics. The identification of genes under positive selection in this fish reveals potential candidates to explain its compressed lifespan. Several aging genes are under positive selection in this short-lived fish and long-lived species, raising the intriguing possibility that the same gene could underlie evolution of both compressed and extended lifespans. Comparative genomics and linkage analysis identify candidate genes associated with lifespan differences between various turquoise killifish strains. Remarkably, these genes are clustered on the sex chromosome, suggesting that short lifespan might have co-evolved with sex determination. Our study provides insights into the evolutionary forces that shape lifespan in nature.

Cited by (0)

7

Co-first author

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Present address: Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Cologne, 50931, Germany

9

Present address: Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, California 94305, USA