The African Turquoise Killifish Genome Provides Insights into Evolution and Genetic Architecture of Lifespan

Dario Riccardo Valenzano, Bérénice A. Benayoun, Param Priya Singh, Elisa Zhang, Paul D. Etter, Chi Kuo Hu, Mathieu Clément-Ziza, David Willemsen, Rongfeng Cui, Itamar Harel, Ben E. MacHado, Muh Ching Yee, Sabrina C. Sharp, Carlos D. Bustamante, Andreas Beyer, Eric A. Johnson, Anne Brunet

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

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.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1539-1554
Number of pages16
JournalCell
Volume163
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - 3 Dec 2015
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Biochemistry,Genetics and Molecular Biology

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