title: Telomere-independent ageing in the longest-lived non-colonial animal, Arctica islandica.
abstract: The shortening of telomeres as a causative factor in ageing is a widely discussed hypothesis in ageing research. The study of telomere length and its regenerating enzyme telomerase in the longest-lived non-colonial animal on earth, Arctica islandica, should inform whether the maintenance of telomere length plays a role in reaching the extreme maximum lifespan (MLSP) of >500years in this species. Since longitudinal measurements on living animals cannot be achieved, a cross-sectional analysis of a short-lived (MLSP 40years from the Baltic Sea) and a long-lived population (MLSP 226years Northeast of Iceland) and in different tissues of young and old animals from the Irish Sea was performed. A high heterogeneity of telomere length was observed in investigated A. islandica over a wide age range (10-36years for the Baltic Sea, 11-194years for Irish Sea, 6-226years for Iceland). Constant telomerase activity and telomere lengths were detected at any age and in different tissues; neither correlated with age or population habitat. Stable telomere maintenance might contribute to the long lifespan of A. islandica. Telomere dynamics are no explanation for the distinct MLSPs of the examined populations and thus the cause of it remains to be investigated.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Germany; Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany. Electronic address: h.gruber@ikmb.uni-kiel.de.
authors.forename: Heike
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gruber
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany. Electronic address: schaible@demogr.mpg.de.
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schaible
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany; School of Ocean Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge, Anglesey, LL59 5AB, Wales, United Kingdom. Electronic address: ridgway@demogr.mpg.de.
authors.forename: Iain D
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Ridgway
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA. Electronic address: tracy.Chow@ucsf.edu.
authors.forename: Tracy T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Chow
authors.affiliation: Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Functional Ecology, Bremerhaven, Germany. Electronic address: christoph.held@awi.de.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Held
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Germany. Electronic address: e.philipp@ikmb.uni-kiel.de.
authors.forename: Eva E R
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Philipp
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D049872:Bivalvia / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis; D016678:Genome / Q000235:genetics; D008136:Longevity / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D019098:Telomerase / Q000378:metabolism; D016615:Telomere / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D059505:Telomere Homeostasis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D004247:DNA; D019098:Telomerase
keywords: Arctica islandica; Longevity; Maintenance; Telomerase; Telomere