Researchers sequenced the genome of the bowhead whale, which lives for up to 200 years, in hopes of gaining insight into the secrets of longevity.
The team compared the genetics of shorter-lived animals and the whale in order to pinpoint key differences, the University of Liverpool reported.
Large mammals such as whales have over 1,000 times more cells than humans, but are remarkably resistant to cancer; this suggests the animals have developed disease-fighting mechanisms. In their analysis, the researchers found evidence that bowhead whales had genetic changes related to cell division and DNA repair.
"Our understanding of species' differences in longevity is very poor, and thus our findings provide novel candidate genes for future studies," said João Pedro de Magalhães, from the University of Liverpool's Institute of Integrative Biology. "We believe that different species evolved different 'tricks' to have a long lifespan, and by discovering those used by the bowhead whale we may be able to apply these findings to humans in order to fight age-related diseases."
The findings could also provide insight into why some mammals have such a significant variation in size. The bowhead's genome is the first among large whales' to be sequenced, so the study offers the first steps towards learning these genetic secrets.
"Whale cells have a much lower metabolic rate than those of smaller mammals, and we found changes in one specific gene involved in thermoregulation (UCP1) that may be related to metabolic differences in whale cells. This might allow us to see how and why bowhead whales and other similar creatures have sustained such an enormous size," Magalhães concluded.
The findings were published in a recent edition of the journal Cell Reports.
