PUBLICATION
High tandem repeat content in the genome of the short-lived annual fish Nothobranchius furzeri: a new vertebrate model for aging research
- Authors
- Reichwald, K., Lauber, C., Nanda, I., Kirschner, J., Hartmann, N., Schories, S., Gausmann, U., Taudien, S., Schilhabel, M.B., Szafranski, K., Glockner, G., Schmid, M., Cellerino, A., Schartl, M., Englert, C., and Platzer, M.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-090218-1
- Date
- 2009
- Source
- Genome biology 10(2): R16 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Cellerino, Alessandro, Englert, Christoph, Schartl, Manfred
- Keywords
- none
- MeSH Terms
-
- Aging/genetics*
- Animals
- Antioxidants/pharmacology
- Cold Temperature
- Fishes
- Genetic Markers
- Genome/genetics*
- Longevity/genetics*
- Models, Animal
- Phylogeny
- Stilbenes/pharmacology
- Tandem Repeat Sequences*
- PubMed
- 19210790 Full text @ Genome Biol.
Citation
Reichwald, K., Lauber, C., Nanda, I., Kirschner, J., Hartmann, N., Schories, S., Gausmann, U., Taudien, S., Schilhabel, M.B., Szafranski, K., Glockner, G., Schmid, M., Cellerino, A., Schartl, M., Englert, C., and Platzer, M. (2009) High tandem repeat content in the genome of the short-lived annual fish Nothobranchius furzeri: a new vertebrate model for aging research. Genome biology. 10(2):R16.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The annual fish Nothobranchius furzeri is the vertebrate with the shortest known life span in captivity. Fish of the GRZ strain live only three to four months under optimal laboratory conditions, show an explosive growth, early sexual maturation, age-dependent physiological and behavioral decline, and express aging related biomarkers. Treatment with resveratrol and low temperature significantly extends the maximum life span. These features make N. furzeri a promising new vertebrate model for age research. RESULTS: To contribute to establishing N. furzeri as a new model organism, we provide a first insight into its genome and a comparison to medaka, stickleback, tetraodon and zebrafish. The N. furzeri genome contains 19 chromosomes (2n=38). Its genome of between 1.6-1.9 Gb is the largest among the analyzed fish and has, at 45%, the highest repeat content. Remarkably, tandem repeats comprise 21%, which is 4-12 times more than in the other four fish species. In addition, G+C rich tandem repeats preferentially localize to centromeric regions. Phylogenetic analysis based on coding sequences identifies medaka as the closest relative. Genotyping of an initial set of 27 markers and multi-locus fingerprinting of one microsatellite provides the first molecular evidence that the GRZ strain is highly inbred. CONCLUSIONS: Our work presents a first basis for systematic genomic and genetic analyses aimed at understanding the mechanisms of life span determination in N. furzeri.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping