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Ageless Animals and Plants Richa Banthia BIOL 4097 September 9 th , 2014

Ageless Animals and Plants

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Page 1: Ageless Animals and Plants

Ageless Animals and Plants

Richa BanthiaBIOL 4097

September 9th, 2014

Page 2: Ageless Animals and Plants

Introduction & Outline

• Ageless Plants and Animals – Where is this research heading? Is aging not a requirement?

• What is Aging?

– Mechanisms of Aging

– Theories of Aging

• What is Negligible Senescence?

• Review of Plants & Animals displaying NS

• Conclusion and modern day Research

Page 3: Ageless Animals and Plants

Survivorship vs. Age

http://poseidonsciences.scienceblog.com/files/2010/08/Aging-Scienceblog-Survivorship-curve-2006-Census.jpg

Page 4: Ageless Animals and Plants

Average Life Span in the US

• Current Life Expectancy

78.74 years

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/01/09/article-2259763-16D65AD6000005DC-767_306x423.jpg

Page 5: Ageless Animals and Plants

Supercentenarians

• Jeanne Calment (1875-1997)

• Longest living person at 122 years old

• Met Vincent van Goh, ate 2 lbs. of chocolate EVERY week, rubbed her skin with olive oil

http://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/05/world/jeanne-calment-world-s-elder-dies-at-122.html

Page 6: Ageless Animals and Plants

Supercentenarians: 127 year old Leandra Lumbreras

http://metrouk2.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/166.png

Page 7: Ageless Animals and Plants

Supercentenarians

• Mexican woman Leandra Becerra Lumbreras turned 127 years old on Sunday, August 31st.

• Born: August 31st, 1887 (no birth certificate)

• 73 great-grand children

• 55 great-great grand children

• Secrets to long life: sing, eat chocolate, sleep and don’t get married

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2739036/Mexican-woman-Leandra-Becerra-Lumbreras-oldest-person-lived-127.html

Page 8: Ageless Animals and Plants

What is aging?

• Defined as “the condition or process of deterioration with age” and “the loss of a cell’s power of division and growth.”

• Involves deterioration of cardiovascular, digestive, nervous, reproductive and urinary systems.

• More prone to development of age related diseases

http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2002/704240/abs/

Page 9: Ageless Animals and Plants

Challenges of Aging

Age Related Diseases

• Arthritis

• Cancer

• Alzheimer’s

• Diabetes

• Heart Disease

• Depression

Age Related Conditions

• Loss of hearing, vision, etc.

• Loss of coordination

• Increased proportion of fat to muscle

• Loss of bone density

Page 10: Ageless Animals and Plants

Three Classical Theories of Aging

1. Mutation Accumulation Theory Sir Peter Medawar 1952

• Suggests that random mutations accumulate later in life such that they cannot be selected against

• Why? By this time, you will have already passed your genes to offspring.

• Over time, these mutations accumulate leading to increased mortality in later life.

http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2002/704240/abs/

Page 11: Ageless Animals and Plants

Three Classical Theories of Aging

2. Antagonistic Pleiotropy TheoryGeorge C. Williams 1957

• Pleiotropy: one gene influences multiple phenotypic traits

• Tradeoff between fertility and longevity

• Genes that are beneficial early in life in order to reproduce, become harmful later in life

• Suggests that if the benefits outweigh the negatives, the gene will always be selected for.

http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2002/704240/abs/

Page 12: Ageless Animals and Plants

2. Antagonistic Pleiotropy TheoryGeorge C. Williams 1957

Example: Testosterone production in males

In early life, production of testosterone controls sex drive, sperm production, muscle mass, etc. Later in

life, this same action can cause prostate issues.

http://awarnach.mathstat.dal.ca/~joeb/biol3046/projects/AGE2/Antagonistic%20Pleiotropy%20Theory.htm

Page 13: Ageless Animals and Plants

Three Classical Theories of Aging

3. Programmed Death Theory August Weismann 1882

• Aging of cells is genetically programmed

• Supported by the idea that within species, life span is fairly constant

• Suggested that life span of species is dependent on the number of somatic cell regenerations

• Other evidence: “senescent cells are resistant to apoptosis” by inhibiting caspase 3 (part of programmed cell death pathway) which causes dysfunction of various tissues

http://www.discoverymedicine.com/Jie-Shen/2009/11/24/programmed-cell-death-and-apoptosis-in-aging-and-life-span-regulation/

Page 14: Ageless Animals and Plants

Programmed Cell Death Pathway

http://www.bumc.bu.edu/phys-biophys/files/2010/04/intrinsic-apoptotic-pathway.jpg

Page 15: Ageless Animals and Plants

Hayflick’s Limit: Molecular Clock Leonard Hayflick 1961

• A cell can multiply a limited number of times

• 3 phases of cell growth:

– Phase 1: Rapid cell division

– Phase 2: Cell division slows

– Phase 3: Cells stop dividing : “senescence” and cell death occurs.

• Human cell’s stop dividing after 50 divisions

http://longevity-science.org/Evolution.htm

Page 16: Ageless Animals and Plants

Hayflick’s Limit

http://www.nature.com/nrm/journal/v1/n1/fig_tab/nrm1000_072a_F3.html

Page 17: Ageless Animals and Plants

Mechanisms of Aging

http://cubocube.com/files/images/e/2/e2ebd42c8333191ad90b0db81f44957566f1961b.jpg

Page 18: Ageless Animals and Plants

Closer Look: Telomere Shortening

• Telomere length and telomere capping both contribute to cellular senescence

• DNA Polymerase cannot fully synthesize 3’ end of lagging strand: End Replication Problem

• Telomerase synthesizes short repeating sequence TTAGGG added to 3’ end of DNA lagging strand

• Telomere shortening could act as a cellular time keeper

http://www.senescence.info/telomeres_telomerase.html

Page 19: Ageless Animals and Plants

Telomerase length vs. Age

http://www.nature.com/nrg/journal/v13/n10/images/nrg3246-f2.jpg

Page 20: Ageless Animals and Plants

Closer Look: Telomere Capping

• Structure via electron microscopy

• Telomeres form T-loops that contains TRF-1 and TRF-2 (Telomere repeat binding factor)

• Loops prevent telomeres from being identified as damaged DNA.

• Also provide stability.

http://www.senescence.info/telomeres_telomerase.html http://web.pdx.edu/~newmanl/TelomereLoop.gif

Page 21: Ageless Animals and Plants

TRF Length (Capping) vs. Age

http://www.anti-agingfirewalls.com/2014/02/03/nuclear-aging-the-view-from-the-telomere-end-of-the-chromsome-part-1-context-history-and-about-telomere-lengths-2/

Page 22: Ageless Animals and Plants

Fin? Noggin’? DUUUUDE!

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YkxZvdCvYM

Page 23: Ageless Animals and Plants

What is negligible senescence?

• What is it? And what does it mean? According to John C. Guerin…Director of the Centenarian Rockfish Project at Oregon State University

• “not only long lived, but they don’t grow old”

• “Chronological aging without increased mortality”

• “Continue to grow and reproduce after reaching maturity but show no evidence of senescence. In fact fecundity often increases with increasing age.”

http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag99/june99-report4.htm

Page 24: Ageless Animals and Plants

Research and Measurement Techniques

• Determining the age of animals:

• Whales

– Harpoon points

– Otolith growth rings

– Otolith: structure in inner ear

• Fish

– Otolith growth rings

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/gallery/images/images/photos/20110404_5589334674.jpg

Page 25: Ageless Animals and Plants

Research and Measurement Techniques

• Turtles

– Mark and recapture methods

• Lobster

– Estimation of body size

• Mollusks

– Growth rings in shell

Page 26: Ageless Animals and Plants

ANIMALS DISPLAYING NEGLIGIBLE SENESCENCE

Page 27: Ageless Animals and Plants

Yellow Rockfish

• Known to live up to 205 years old.

• 2013 Fishing controversy!

• Found from San Diego to the Bering Sea

• 16% sold are over the age of 50

Page 28: Ageless Animals and Plants

Yellow Rockfish

• Hypothesis: Don’t age due to telomerase expression that doesn’t decrease with age

• Age measured by examining the otolith, a structure in the inner ear.

• Study by Dr. Guido Krupp shows that telomerase levels are independent of age.

http://www.agelessanimals.org/research2.htm

Page 29: Ageless Animals and Plants

Aldabra, the giant tortoise

• Aldabra, the giant Tortoise

• Calculated life span of 255 years

• Died early in a zoo in India due to liver failure and infection – NOT AGE.

http://io9.com/5618046/the-mystery-of-why-turtles-never-grow-old---and-how-we-can-learn-from-it http://www.sciencephoto.com/image/378918/350wm/Z7520265-Aldabra_Giant_Tortoise-SPL.jpg

Page 30: Ageless Animals and Plants

Aldabra, the giant tortoise• Hypothesis: Don’t age due to reactive oxygen

species/ oocyte regeneration/ high telomerase expression

• ROS: “chemically active free radicals” that are formed by metabolic energy production. Animals with slower metabolism have better control of ROS, thus less likely to have DNA damage.

http://90ways.com/sciarchive/sci61.php

Page 31: Ageless Animals and Plants

Antarctic giant Sponge

• Antarctic sponge estimated to be 10, 000 years old• Average water temper of 4˚ Celsius slows biochemical

processes• “Slow motion” living• Lower rates of respiration, reproduction and

metabolism

http://www.montereyinstitute.org/noaa/lesson06/l6text.htm

Page 32: Ageless Animals and Plants

Jellyfish

• Turritopsis dohrnii

• Benjamin Button jellyfish

• Found in Mediterranean sea and waters near Japan

• “Immortal” in the sense that it reverts back to embryonic form under stress…keeps rewinding life cycle.

http://www.ibtimes.com/immortal-jellyfish-ageless-aspen-trees-animals-plants-who-found-fountain-youth-998646

Page 33: Ageless Animals and Plants

How does it work?

• Jellyfish forms cyst

• Develops into polyp colony

• Jellyfish cells are often totally transformed in this process.

https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2011/04/ageless-animals-the-jellyfish-edition.php

Page 34: Ageless Animals and Plants

Bowhead Whales

- Discovered to be up to 210 years old- Age is estimated by investigating the types of

harpoon found in the whale blubber

http://img-fotki.yandex.ru/get/6713/207833497.1/0_ab022_6b3333a5_XL.jpg

Page 35: Ageless Animals and Plants

Lobsters

• Age is difficult to measure due to molting

• Only way to estimate age is based on size observation

• Some over 3 feet long

• Longevity could be due to telomerase activity

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/dont-listen-to-the-buzz-lobsters-arent-actually-immortal-88450872/?no-ist

Page 36: Ageless Animals and Plants

Leach’s Storm Petrel

• Small seabird

• Average Life Span: 20 years

• Maximum recorded lifespan of 36 years.

• How? Telomere length increases with age.

http://www.bucknell.edu/x45446.xml

Page 37: Ageless Animals and Plants

Leach’s Storm Petrel

Elongation hypothesis: Long lived birds tend to have increasing length of telomeresSelection hypothesis: Long lived birds start off with the longest telomeres http://mbe.oxfordjournals.org/content/25/

1/220.full.pdf+html

Page 38: Ageless Animals and Plants

Naked mole rat

• Only mammal to show negligible senescence

• Live to 28 years old

• Most rodents of similar size only live 1-3 years

Page 39: Ageless Animals and Plants

Quahog Clam

• Artica islandica

• Can live up to 400 years

• Found off the coast of Iceland

• Suggested that maintained antioxidant activity increases life span

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/10/071029-oldest-clam.html

Page 40: Ageless Animals and Plants

PLANTS DISPLAYING NEGLIGIBLE SENESCENCE

Page 41: Ageless Animals and Plants

World’s Oldest Tree: Old Djikko in Dalarna Province, Sweden

• Spruce tree estimated to be 9,500 years old

• Dating back to last ice age using C-14 dating

• Current tree is a clone

Page 42: Ageless Animals and Plants

Pando – The Trembling Giant

• Clonal colony of aspen trees made up of 50,000 clones

• Located in Utah

• 80, 000 year old root system

• Common root system spans 110 acres

http://www.leaflimb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Pando1.jpg

Page 43: Ageless Animals and Plants

The Senator

• Bald cypress in Seminole County, FL

• Tardium distichum

• Was the oldest known Cyprus tree at 3500 years old

• Burned down in 2012

https://www.gunandgame.com/attachments/gen-sherman-jpg.46821/

Page 44: Ageless Animals and Plants

Methuselah

• Oldest non-clonal tree estimated to be 4,841 years old

• Bristlecone pine

• White Mountains, California

• Precise location is a secret to prevent damage

http://www.mnn.com/sites/default/files/styles/featured_blog/public/METHUSELAH.jpg

Page 45: Ageless Animals and Plants

Chestnut Tree of One Hundred Horses

• Chestnut tree on Mount Etna in Sicily – 5 miles from an active volcano.

• Estimated to be between 2,000 – 4,000 years old • Circumference of 190 feet – “greatest tree girth” according

to Guinness World Records• Name comes from a legend where a queen and her 100

knights were able to take shelter under this tree during a storm.

https://yy2.staticflickr.com/3291/2817869138_30eb23d70d.jpg

Page 46: Ageless Animals and Plants

Mediterranean Sea Grass

• Posidonia oceanica

• Grass like plants that is found at the bottom of the ocean

• Found near Ibiza, Spain

• Spans 5 miles

• Estimated to be 100,000 years old –world’s oldest organism

http://science.time.com/2014/02/25/worlds-oldest-things/photo/08_sussman_seagrass_0910_0753_1068px/

Page 47: Ageless Animals and Plants

Olive Tree of Vouves

• Found in the island of Crete in the Greek isles

• Age: 3200 years

• Continues to produce high quantity of olives

• Resistant to stressors such as insects, droughts, fire, etc.

Page 48: Ageless Animals and Plants

Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence (SENS)

• Dr. Aubrey de Grey• CEO of SENS• “master plan to cure aging” by

proposing engineering solutions to the 7 types of cell damage

• SENS is an extremely controversial topic

• Goal directed organization to prevent aging by bringing together scientists from various fields –gerontology and engineering.

• Results to completely defeat aging are still far off in the foreseeable future

http://mavericksofthemind.com/dr-aubrey-de-grey/6

Page 49: Ageless Animals and Plants

SENS

http://www.sens.org/research/introduction-to-sens-research

Page 50: Ageless Animals and Plants

Conclusion

• Aging is not a requirement and there are many organisms that display negligible senescence

• Many hypotheses involving telomere length –continued focus in research.

• Still a controversial topic to apply goals of negligible senescence to humans

• So for now….eat as much chocolate as possible!• Questions?

Page 51: Ageless Animals and Plants

Referenceshttp://www.smart-publications.com/interviews/mavericks-of-medicine/john-guerin

http://genetics.thetech.org/original_news/news10

http://www.agelessanimals.org/

http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2002/704240/abs/

http://awarnach.mathstat.dal.ca/~joeb/biol3046/projects/AGE2/Antagonistic%20Pleiotropy%20Theory.htm

http://www.programmed-aging.org/theories/antagonistic_pleiotropy.html

http://poseidonsciences.scienceblog.com/files/2010/08/Aging-Scienceblog-Survivorship-curve-2006-Census.jpg

http://books.google.com/books?id=X5Po92PzOtAC&pg=PA79&lpg=PA79&dq=depletion+of+follicle+and+antagonistic+pleiotropy&source=bl&ots=Nh_xGTzbDz&sig=VrQcJUMAcI0EDKkYstp1bCwNG5M&hl=en&sa=X&ei=K_oIVOadB4PgiwK414CgDQ&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=depletion%20of%20follicle%20and%20antagonistic%20pleiotropy&f=false

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2739036/Mexican-woman-Leandra-Becerra-Lumbreras-oldest-person-lived-127.html

http://www.discoverymedicine.com/Jie-Shen/2009/11/24/programmed-cell-death-and-apoptosis-in-aging-and-life-span-regulation/

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/gallery/images/images/photos/20110404_5589334674.jpg

http://www.mnn.com/sites/default/files/styles/featured_blog/public/METHUSELAH.jpg

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/dont-listen-to-the-buzz-lobsters-arent-actually-immortal-88450872/?no-ist

https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2011/04/ageless-animals-the-jellyfish-edition.php

http://www.ibtimes.com/immortal-jellyfish-ageless-aspen-trees-animals-plants-who-found-fountain-youth-998646

http://www.mavericksofthemind.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/John-Guerin-Photo.jpg

http://www.senescence.info/telomeres_telomerase.html

http://longevity-science.org/Evolution.htm

http://www.sens.org/research/introduction-to-sens-research

http://mavericksofthemind.com/dr-aubrey-de-grey/6

http://science.time.com/2014/02/25/worlds-oldest-things/photo/08_sussman_seagrass_0910_0753_1068px/