Long-lived termite kings and queens activate telomerase in somatic organs
| Autor: | Tomáš Jehlík, Marek Jankásek, Ondřej Lukšan, Jan Křivánek, Justina Koubová, Pavel Jedlička, Radmila Čapková Frydrychová, Marie Pangrácová, Robert Hanus, Jana Brabcová |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Development and Physiology Telomerase Prorhinotermes simplex Somatic cell media_common.quotation_subject termites Zoology Isoptera Biology telomerase 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences General Biochemistry Genetics and Molecular Biology 03 medical and health sciences longevity Animals Research Articles 030304 developmental biology General Environmental Science media_common Ribonucleoprotein 0303 health sciences social insects General Immunology and Microbiology Reproduction Longevity General Medicine telomeres Phenotype Eusociality Telomere General Agricultural and Biological Sciences kings and queens |
| Zdroj: | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |
| ISSN: | 1471-2954 0962-8452 |
| DOI: | 10.1098/rspb.2021.0511 |
| Popis: | Kings and queens of termites, like queens of other advanced eusocial insects, are endowed with admirable longevity, which dramatically exceeds the life expectancies of their non-reproducing nest-mates and related solitary insects. In the quest to find the mechanisms underlying the longevity of termite reproductives, we focused on somatic maintenance mediated by telomerase. This ribonucleoprotein is well established for pro-longevity functions in vertebrates, thanks primarily to its ability of telomere extension. However, its participation in lifespan regulation of insects, including the eusocial taxa, remains understudied. Here, we report a conspicuous increase of telomerase abundance and catalytic activity in the somatic organs of primary and secondary reproductives of the termite Prorhinotermes simplex and confirm a similar pattern in two other termite species. These observations stand in contrast with the telomerase downregulation characteristic for most adult somatic tissues in vertebrates and also in solitary insects and non-reproducing castes of termites. At the same time, we did not observe caste-specific differences in telomere lengths that might explain the differential longevity of termite castes. We conclude that although the telomerase activation in termite reproductives is in line with the broadly assumed association between telomerase and longevity, its direct phenotypic impact remains to be elucidated. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|