Ageing research in vertebrates is hampered by the lack of short-lived models to be used for drug and genetic screening. Annual fishes of the genus Nothobranchius are a group of teleost fishes which successfully colonized seasonal ponds by producing desiccation-resistant eggs which survive the dry season. Before their seasonal habitat disappears, adults lay eggs which remain encased in the dry mud waiting for the next monsoon season to hatch. Their life expectancy in the wild is limited by the duration of the rain season and their lifespan in captivity is also short. Nothobranchius furzeri originates form the arid Lowveld of Southern Africa. This habitat is exceptionally dry and the duration of the rain season is limited to a few months. As a result, these fishes have evolved to show two important characteristics.
- Their growth and sexual maturation is extremely fast
- Their aging process is extremely accelerated
Fig.1 Comparison in size between a newly-hatched Nothobranchius furzeri and the same animal at 6 weeks of age. Each small box are 1mm2
The short lifespan in Nothobranchius furzeri is the secondary consequence of a biological adaptation for accelerated life cycle and not the result of spontaneous or targeted mutations which impair cellular repair as it is the case for the many short-lived mouse mutants that have been generated recently. Therefore, the short lifespan of Nothobranchius furzeri reflects a physiological accelerated aging process. Nothobranchius furzeri expresses a series of aging biomarkers at level of histology and behaviour which are typical of vertebrate aging. For this reason, research in this model system can provide answers on the effects of given compounds not only on longevity, but on functional parameters analogous to the aging-related dysfunctions which impact quality of life in the elderly including age-related cognitive deficits.
Finally, Nothobranchius furzeri has a small size (5-6 cm) and can be easily raised in the laboratory.
All this features makes it a very attractive model for screening of anti-aging compounds.
Lay Line Genomics is currently using Nothobranchius furzeri for screening natural compounds which increase longevity and retard functional aging (see Ageing Cell, 2005 and Current Biology, 2006).
In addition, other known species of Nothobranchius show a longer lifespan and slower aging than Nothobranchius furzeri. Lay Line Genomics has determined the survival curves of a large number of different Nothobranchius species under standard conditions. Comparative genomic analysis of these species can reveal the genes that control aging in natural populations of vertebrates.
HOW TO ACCESS Nothobranchius furzeri MODEL
- Licensing the model for your own internal research development
- Scientific collaboration with public Istitutions.
Public Institutions are granted free access to eggs of N.furzeri for use in basic research. Signature of a Material Transfer Agreement and payment of handling costs is required. Only limited number of eggs are available and priority will be given to requests from researchers who can demonstrate prior experience in breeding annual fish.
To enquire these possibilities, click here
We are seeking partners for a comparative genomic approach to Nothobranchius furzeri to accelerate the discovery of new aging-related targets; if you are interested click here.
