Scientists unlock genetic code of creature capable of repeatedly reverting to juvenile state
30 August 2022 - 08:53
byJulie Steenhuysen
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Jellyfish are seen near a boat by the coast of Haifa at the Mediterranean sea, Israel on July 25 2022. File PIcture: REUTERS/NIR ELIAS
Chicago — Scientists in Spain have unlocked the genetic code of the immortal jellyfish — a creature capable of repeatedly reverting into a juvenile state — in hopes of unearthing the secret to their unique longevity, and find new clues to human ageing.
In their study, published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Maria Pascual-Torner, Victor Quesada and colleagues at the University of Oviedo mapped the genetic sequence of Turritopsis dohrnii, the only known species of jellyfish able to repeatedly revert to a larval stage after sexual reproduction.
Like other types of jellyfish, the T. dohrnii goes through a two-part life cycle, living on the sea floor during an asexual phase, where its chief role is to stay alive during times of food scarcity. When conditions are right, jellyfish reproduce sexually.
Though many types of jellyfish have some capacity to reverse ageing and revert to a larval stage, most lose this ability once they reach sexual maturity, the authors wrote. Not so for T. dohrnii.
“We’ve known about this species being able to do a little evolutionary trickery for maybe 15-20 years,” said Monty Graham, a jellyfish expert and director of the Florida Institute of Oceanography, who was not involved in the research.
This trick earned the species its nickname as the immortal jellyfish, a term Graham admits is a bit hyperbolic.
The study was aimed at understanding what made this jellyfish different by comparing the genetic sequence of T. dohrnii to that of Turritopsis rubra, a close genetic cousin that lacks the ability to rejuvenate after sexual reproduction.
What they found is that T. dohrnii has variations in its genome that may make it better at copying and repairing DNA. They also appear to be better at maintaining the ends of chromosomes called telomeres. In humans and other species, telomere length has been shown to shorten with age.
Graham said the research has no immediate commercial value.
“We can’t look at it as, hey, we are going to harvest these jellyfish and turn it into a skin cream,” he said.
It has more to do with understanding the processes and protein functionality that helps these jellyfish cheat death.
“It’s one of those papers that I do think will open up a door to a new line of study that’s worth pursuing.”
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
What makes ‘immortal jellyfish’ immortal
Scientists unlock genetic code of creature capable of repeatedly reverting to juvenile state
Chicago — Scientists in Spain have unlocked the genetic code of the immortal jellyfish — a creature capable of repeatedly reverting into a juvenile state — in hopes of unearthing the secret to their unique longevity, and find new clues to human ageing.
In their study, published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Maria Pascual-Torner, Victor Quesada and colleagues at the University of Oviedo mapped the genetic sequence of Turritopsis dohrnii, the only known species of jellyfish able to repeatedly revert to a larval stage after sexual reproduction.
Like other types of jellyfish, the T. dohrnii goes through a two-part life cycle, living on the sea floor during an asexual phase, where its chief role is to stay alive during times of food scarcity. When conditions are right, jellyfish reproduce sexually.
Though many types of jellyfish have some capacity to reverse ageing and revert to a larval stage, most lose this ability once they reach sexual maturity, the authors wrote. Not so for T. dohrnii.
“We’ve known about this species being able to do a little evolutionary trickery for maybe 15-20 years,” said Monty Graham, a jellyfish expert and director of the Florida Institute of Oceanography, who was not involved in the research.
This trick earned the species its nickname as the immortal jellyfish, a term Graham admits is a bit hyperbolic.
The study was aimed at understanding what made this jellyfish different by comparing the genetic sequence of T. dohrnii to that of Turritopsis rubra, a close genetic cousin that lacks the ability to rejuvenate after sexual reproduction.
What they found is that T. dohrnii has variations in its genome that may make it better at copying and repairing DNA. They also appear to be better at maintaining the ends of chromosomes called telomeres. In humans and other species, telomere length has been shown to shorten with age.
Graham said the research has no immediate commercial value.
“We can’t look at it as, hey, we are going to harvest these jellyfish and turn it into a skin cream,” he said.
It has more to do with understanding the processes and protein functionality that helps these jellyfish cheat death.
“It’s one of those papers that I do think will open up a door to a new line of study that’s worth pursuing.”
Reuters
Komodo dragon and sharks in danger of extinction, new red list shows
South Korea’s ‘sea women’ find ‘more golf balls than sea cucumbers now’
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Most Read
Related Articles
Australia slammed for allowing shipping of plastic waste as fuel
Rwanda reopens border crossing with Uganda, but animosity lingers
California’s unprecedented effort to save the salmon
Zanzibar’s women sponge off the sea — in a good way
Published by Arena Holdings and distributed with the Financial Mail on the last Thursday of every month except December and January.