title: Sensitivity of primary fibroblasts in culture to atmospheric oxygen does not correlate with species lifespan.
abstract: Differences in the way human and mouse fibroblasts experience senescence in culture had long puzzled researchers. While senescence of human cells is mediated by telomere shortening, Parrinello et al. demonstrated that senescence of mouse cells is caused by extreme oxygen sensitivity. It was hypothesized that the striking difference in oxygen sensitivity between mouse and human cells explains their different rates of aging. To test if this hypothesis is broadly applicable, we cultured cells from 16 rodent species with diverse lifespans in 3% and 21% oxygen and compared their growth rates. Unexpectedly, fibroblasts derived from laboratory mouse strains were the only cells demonstrating extreme sensitivity to oxygen. Cells from hamster, muskrat, woodchuck, capybara, blind mole rat, paca, squirrel, beaver, naked mole rat and wild-caught mice were mildly sensitive to oxygen, while cells from rat, gerbil, deer mouse, chipmunk, guinea pig and chinchilla showed no difference in the growth rate between 3% and 21% oxygen. We conclude that, although the growth of primary fibroblasts is generally improved by maintaining cells in 3% oxygen, the extreme oxygen sensitivity is a peculiarity of laboratory mouse strains, possibly related to their very long telomeres, and fibroblast oxygen sensitivity does not directly correlate with species' lifespan.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Patrick
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Seluanov
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
authors.forename: Chaewon
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tam
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
authors.forename: Tanya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
authors.forename: Ari
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morgenstern
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wiener
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
authors.forename: Juan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Vazquez
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
authors.forename: Hiba
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zafar
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
authors.forename: Malika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Muratkalyeva
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Doerig
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zagorulya
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cole
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
authors.forename: Sophia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Catalano
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Stochastic Stereology and Chemical Anatomy (LSSCA), Department of Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Aliny Ab
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Lobo Ladd
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, UK.
authors.forename: A Augusto
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Coppi
authors.affiliation: Science Faculty, Biology Department, Dicle University, 21280 Diyarbakır, Turkey.
authors.forename: Yüksel
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Coşkun
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
authors.forename: Xiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ablaeva
authors.affiliation: Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa 31905, Israel.
authors.forename: Eviatar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nevo
authors.affiliation: Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Vadim N
authors.initials: VN
authors.lastname: Gladyshev
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
authors.forename: Zhengdong D
authors.initials: ZD
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vijg
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
authors.forename: Andrei
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Seluanov
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
authors.forename: Vera
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gorbunova
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016922:Cellular Senescence / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D008136:Longevity / Q000502:physiology*; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D010100:Oxygen / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D013045:Species Specificity; D016615:Telomere / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen
keywords: fibroblasts; human; oxygen; rodents; senescence