CHICAGO: Researchers in Spain have deciphered the genetic code of the immortal jellyfish, which can continually revert to a juvenile condition, in an effort to learn the secret of their extraordinary longevity and discover new information about human ageing.
Maria Pascual-Torner, Victor Quesada, and colleagues from the University of Oviedo mapped the genetic sequence of Turritopsis dohrnii, the only known species capable of repeatedly reverting back into a larval stage following sexual reproduction, in their study, which was published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The T. dohrnii, like other varieties of jellyfish, has a two-part life cycle, spending its asexual phase on the ocean floor where its main objective is to survive during periods of food scarcity. Jellyfish can reproduce sexually if the circumstances are correct.The ability to stop ageing and return to a larval stage exists in many varieties of jellyfish, but most lose it once they reach sexual maturity, according to the authors.
Monty Graham, director of the Florida Institute of Oceanography and an authority on jellyfish, said: “We’ve known about this species being able to do a little evolutionary trickery for maybe 15-20 years.” Graham was not involved in the study.
