Abstract
Cnidarian Hydra polyps escape senescence, most likely due to the robust activity of their three stem cell populations. These stem cells continuously self-renew in the body column and differentiate at the extremities following a tightly coordinated spatial pattern. Paul Brien showed in 1953 that in one particular species, Hydra oligactis, cold-dependent sexual differentiation leads to rapid aging and death. Here, we review the features of this inducible aging phenotype. These cellular alterations, detected several weeks after aging was induced, are characterized by a decreasing density of somatic interstitial cell derivatives, a disorganization of the apical nervous system, and a disorganization of myofibers of the epithelial cells. Consequently, tissue replacement required to maintain homeostasis, feeding behavior, and contractility of the animal are dramatically affected. Interestingly, this aging phenotype is not observed in all H. oligactis strains, thus providing a powerful experimental model for investigations of the genetic control of aging. Given the presence in the cnidarian genome of a large number of human orthologs that have been lost in ecdysozoans, such approaches might help uncover novel regulators of aging in vertebrates.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 11-16 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Invertebrate Reproduction and Development |
| Volume | 59 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 30 2015 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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Keywords
- Cold-sensitive strain
- Hydra oligactis
- inducible aging
- loss of somatic stem cells
- neurodegeneration
- sexual differentiation
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Animal Science and Zoology
- Developmental Biology
Cite this
Hydra, a powerful model for aging studies. / Tomczyk, Szymon; Fischer, Kathleen; Austad, Steven; Galliot, Brigitte.
In: Invertebrate Reproduction and Development, Vol. 59, 30.01.2015, p. 11-16.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Hydra, a powerful model for aging studies
AU - Tomczyk, Szymon
AU - Fischer, Kathleen
AU - Austad, Steven
AU - Galliot, Brigitte
PY - 2015/1/30
Y1 - 2015/1/30
N2 - Cnidarian Hydra polyps escape senescence, most likely due to the robust activity of their three stem cell populations. These stem cells continuously self-renew in the body column and differentiate at the extremities following a tightly coordinated spatial pattern. Paul Brien showed in 1953 that in one particular species, Hydra oligactis, cold-dependent sexual differentiation leads to rapid aging and death. Here, we review the features of this inducible aging phenotype. These cellular alterations, detected several weeks after aging was induced, are characterized by a decreasing density of somatic interstitial cell derivatives, a disorganization of the apical nervous system, and a disorganization of myofibers of the epithelial cells. Consequently, tissue replacement required to maintain homeostasis, feeding behavior, and contractility of the animal are dramatically affected. Interestingly, this aging phenotype is not observed in all H. oligactis strains, thus providing a powerful experimental model for investigations of the genetic control of aging. Given the presence in the cnidarian genome of a large number of human orthologs that have been lost in ecdysozoans, such approaches might help uncover novel regulators of aging in vertebrates.
AB - Cnidarian Hydra polyps escape senescence, most likely due to the robust activity of their three stem cell populations. These stem cells continuously self-renew in the body column and differentiate at the extremities following a tightly coordinated spatial pattern. Paul Brien showed in 1953 that in one particular species, Hydra oligactis, cold-dependent sexual differentiation leads to rapid aging and death. Here, we review the features of this inducible aging phenotype. These cellular alterations, detected several weeks after aging was induced, are characterized by a decreasing density of somatic interstitial cell derivatives, a disorganization of the apical nervous system, and a disorganization of myofibers of the epithelial cells. Consequently, tissue replacement required to maintain homeostasis, feeding behavior, and contractility of the animal are dramatically affected. Interestingly, this aging phenotype is not observed in all H. oligactis strains, thus providing a powerful experimental model for investigations of the genetic control of aging. Given the presence in the cnidarian genome of a large number of human orthologs that have been lost in ecdysozoans, such approaches might help uncover novel regulators of aging in vertebrates.
KW - Cold-sensitive strain
KW - Hydra oligactis
KW - inducible aging
KW - loss of somatic stem cells
KW - neurodegeneration
KW - sexual differentiation
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U2 - 10.1080/07924259.2014.927805
DO - 10.1080/07924259.2014.927805
M3 - Article
VL - 59
SP - 11
EP - 16
JO - Invertebrate Reproduction and Development
JF - Invertebrate Reproduction and Development
SN - 0792-4259
ER -