Meeting Abstract
P2.73 Sunday, Jan. 5 15:30 Emerging Models in Nutrition and Aging Research: the short-lived Killifish Nothobranchius furzeri POWELL, M/L*; VALENZANO, D; ALLISON, D/B; WATTS, S/A; Univ, or Alabama at Birmingham; Max Plank Institute for Aging Biology; Univ, or Alabama at Birmingham; Univ, or Alabama at Birmingham mpowell@uab.edu
Fish species can offer advantages over more traditional mammalian model organisms for aging research. The ability to obtain large cohorts from a single mating, reasonably short life spans (relative to many mammalian species), and low husbandry costs make fish an attractive alternative to traditional mammalian aging models. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) have all these advantages as well as a fully sequenced genome and access to numerous mutant strains and transgenic lines. However, the lifespan of zebrafish is similar to that of mice (3-5 years). Nothobranchius furzeri is a fish species native to Africa that has recently been gaining interest as an aging model because of its extremely short life span and its rapid aging onset. N. furzeri reaches sexual maturity at 4 weeks and the life cycle is completed in only 12-16 weeks. During this time N. furzeri exhibit many of the phenotypes of aging including effects of dietary restriction on mortality, age-dependent cognitive/behavioral decline, expression of age-related biomarkers, and susceptibility to lifespan manipulation. The unique life cycle of N. furzeri allows eggs to be held for extended periods on a moist substrate and hatched within 24 hours of returning the eggs to water. Larvae begin feeding within 24 hours post hatch (ph). A live diet (Artemia nauplii) at first feed promotes high rates of growth compared to first feed with formulated diets. Growth rates are extremely rapid, with larval fish increasing over 34% in body length in only four days. Introduction of formulated feeds in combination with live diets at day 10 ph can increase growth rates further. We will test how early nutrition and resource allocation affect overall fish lifespan and modulates the progression of aging biomarkers.
