WASHINGTON: Bowhead whales are the longest lived mammals on the earth. These whales have a lifespan of about 200 years. According to scientists mapping the genomes of the bowhead whales, the mammal’s mapping could be used to prolong the life of humans.
This week, researchers at the University of Liverpool made the genome of the bowhead whale public on the Internet. The goal is to encourage other scientists to scour the code embedded in its DNA, looking for clues that explain how it lives so long.
“As you can imagine, we cannot do experiments on the bowhead,” said João Pedro de Magalhães, who studies aging at the University of Liverpool in Britain.
But by looking at its genome, and comparing it with other species with shorter life spans, he said, they may be able to identify some of the genetic pathways involved in its longevity.
Magalhães is the lead author of a study describing preliminary analysis of the genome published this week in Cell Reports. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, he said his team had already discovered some changes in bowhead genes that are known to be related to cell cycles, DNA repair, cancer and aging.
He believes these changes suggest bowhead whales may be better at preventing the accumulation of DNA damage over the course of their lives, which allows them to resist age-related diseases.
“But a lot more work is still necessary to prove this,” he said. “For example, by taking bowhead genes and studying them in cells or even in mice.”
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