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The immortal jellyfish (Turritopsis dohrnii).

The immortal jellyfish opens the door to the fight against aging

A team of researchers from the University of Oviedo has deciphered the genome of the immortal jellyfish (Turritopsis dohrnii) and has defined various keys that contribute to extending its longevity to the point of avoiding its death, as reported by the institution.

The study, directed by Carlos López-Otín, was published this Monday in the American journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA), as reported by the Asturian institution.

The tiny jellyfish under study, only a few millimeters long, has the ability to reverse the direction of its life cycle towards an earlier asexual stage called a polyp.

The vast majority of living beings, after the reproductive stage, advance in a characteristic process of cellular and tissue aging that culminates in the death of the organism. However, Turritopsis dohrnii has the ability to choose another path: reverse its life cycle and rejuvenate.

Identify genes amplified or with differential variants

The sequencing of the genome of Turritopsis dohrnii, together with that of its deadly sister Turritopsis rubra, and the use of bioinformatics and comparative genomics tools have allowed researchers to identify genes that are amplified or have differential variants characteristic of the immortal jellyfish.

These genes are associated with DNA replication and repair, telomere maintenance, renewal of the stem cell population, intercellular communication, and reduction of the oxidative cellular environment. All of them affect processes that in humans have been associated with longevity and healthy aging.

In addition, the exhaustive study of the changes in gene expression during the rejuvenation process in this immortal jellyfish has made it possible to discover gene silencing signals mediated by the so-called 'Polycomb' pathway and the increased expression of genes related to cell pluripotency.

Both processes are necessary for specialized cells to dedifferentiate and be able to become any type of cell, thus forming the new organism. These results suggest that these two biochemical pathways are fundamental mediators of the cyclical rejuvenation of this jellyfish.

Responses to diseases linked to aging

In this sense, Maria Pascual-Torner, a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Oviedo and the first author of the article together with Dido Carrero, points out: "Rather than having a single key to rejuvenation and immortality, the various mechanisms found in our work would act synergistically as a whole, thus orchestrating the process to ensure the successful rejuvenation of the immortal jellyfish."

Finally, Carlos López-Otín, professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Asturian university, indicates that "this work does not pursue the search for strategies to achieve the dreams of human immortality that some announce, but to understand the keys and limits of the fascinating cellular plasticity that allows some organisms to be able to travel back in time." From this knowledge we hope to find better answers to the many diseases associated with aging that overwhelm us today," he deepens.

Dido Carrero, José G. Pérez-Silva, Diana Álvarez-Puente, David Roiz-Valle, Gabriel Bretones, David Rodríguez, Daniel Maeso, Elena Mateo-González, Yaiza Español, Guillermo Mariño, José Luís Acuña and Víctor Quesada, from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, of the University Institute of Oncology of the Principality of Asturias (IUOPA), of the Health Research Institute of the Principality of Asturias (ISPA) and the Asturias Marine Observatory (OMA).

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