Clam Species With 500-Year Lifespan Could Help Search for Longevity

Researchers have been looking for the answer to extend our lifespan. However, a potential solution could reportedly be found in one species of clam.

Longevity Research To Expand Human Lifespan

Numerous investigations on the topic of longevity centered on the study of worms, fruit flies, and yeasts. These species have a minimal life history, although they offer numerous advantages in biology research. For instance, they are easy to handle, and researchers thoroughly understand many elements of their biology. According to Mariangela Iannello, a research fellow in the university's Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, studying them to investigate lifespan may be paradoxical.

Research conducted on these animals has demonstrated that the buildup of cellular damage over time is a major cause of aging. Furthermore, genetic code alterations and a reduction in the length of our DNA's protective caps bring a significant portion of this harm. But, these short-lived animals do not represent the best models to learn how to delay this aging process.

"An alternative approach to better understanding the mechanisms responsible for the extension of longevity can be studying animals with particularly long life spans," Iannello explained.

Among these long-lived creatures are the bivalve mollusks, soft-bodied invertebrates with a two-part hinged shell. Clams, oysters, mussels, and scallops are among the seafood in this category.

Based on a recent study from the University of Bologna in Italy, a set of genes that give these animals a long lifespan-many of which could contribute to human aging-have been found.

"Longevity research can aim not only to extend human lifespan but also to increase the healthy period of life span and delay the development of diseases," Iannello added.

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Clam Species With 500-Year Lifespan

Certain animals evolved with the capacity for prolonged lifespans. Their genomes include the characteristics that enable such longevity, and examining these characteristics may assist in finding important regulators that support lifespan extension.

Among these long-lived creatures are the bivalve mollusks, soft-bodied invertebrates with a two-part hinged shell. Clams, oysters, mussels, and scallops are among the seafood in this category.

Bivalve mollusks are known to include species that live exceptionally lengthy lives. A clam species known as Arctic islandica, which has a life expectancy of almost 500 years, is the most remarkable example. This species is the longest-living non-colonial animal known for its exceptional life span. In spite of this, research on bivalves has received little attention in the field of longevity.

Iannello and her team studied the DNA of four species of long-lived mollusks, including Arctic islandica. They then compared the genes in these species to those in their short-lived counterparts.

The analysis of such interacting genes is a new step toward comprehensively characterizing the complex genetic pathways underlying longevity, per Iannello. They discovered that many of the genetic variations seen in the long-living species were involved in the upkeep and repair of the animals' DNA.

It is intriguing because one of the leading indicators of aging is the buildup of cell mistakes, which can be brought on by increased DNA mutations or the buildup of damaged proteins, for example.

They added that a key factor in [delaying] aging and, thus, increasing lifespan may be genes that can counteract such mistake buildup. In many organisms, regulation of cell proliferation is an essential mechanism because it stops the growth of tumor cells.

Interestingly, long-lived bivalves seldom develop cancers. The discovery of new genes may contribute to the survival of these species by suppressing the recurrence of tumors.