The longest-lived species of bats
(Myotis) in which telomeres don't shorten with age Credit: UCD
Scientists have identified part
of the molecular mechanism that gives long-lived bat species their
extraordinary lifespans compared to other animals. The findings published in
the journal Science Advances point to the protective structures at
the end of chromosomes, called telomeres.
According to the international
team of scientists, in the longest-lived species of bats (Myotis) telomeres don't
shorten with age. Whereas in other bats species, humans and other animals they
do, causing the age-related breakdown of cells that over the course of a
lifetime can drive tissue deterioration and ultimately death.
To conduct the study, researchers
took 3-mm wing biopsies from some 500 wild bats from across four species that
they captured, marked and released. The samples were flash frozen in liquid
nitrogen or desiccated using silica beads, high-molecular DNA was extracted,
and change in telomere length
was assessed.
"Our results show that
telomeres shorten with age in two of the bat species (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum and Miniopterus schreibersii), typical of most mammals," says Dr.
Nicole Foley of University College Dublin, Ireland, the lead author of the
study.
"But in the longest-lived
species of bats (Myotis), we did not detect any evidence that their telomeres
shorten with age, contrary to all expectations."
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