image: Figure 1. Lower housing densities in the juvenile stage accelerate body growth. (A) Schematic diagram showing the housing conditions. The hatched fish were kept at five different densities until three wph: 1, 2, 4, 10, and 40 fish per tank. (B) The graph shows their body weight at 3 wph under the housing conditions represented in (A). Each point represents an individual fish. The data were obtained for 13-28 fish at each density from a single experiment. The data are shown as the mean ± S.D. **, p < 0.01 by Tukey test. (C) Images are representative images of three-week-old fish under the group housing (40 fish per tank) and single housing (one fish per tank). The lower panels show higher magnification images of the boxed areas in the middle panels. The black arrows indicate fin coloration. The black lines in the images are drawn at 1 cm intervals. Blue scale bars, 1 cm. (D) Body weights at six different juvenile growth stages from 9 days posthatching (dph) to the onset of sexual maturity (group-housed fish; 35 dph, single-housed fish; 21 dph). The data were obtained from four samples at each stage. The data are shown as the mean ± S.D. Each point represents an individual fish. The blue and pink italic numbers represent the six weight-based stages of body growth in group- and single-housed fish, respectively (see methods section for detail). Representative images of fish at each weight-based growth stage under group housing (40 fish per tank) and single housing (one fish per tank). The black lines in the images are drawn at 1 cm intervals. Blue scale bars, 1 cm. Sex was confirmed by the expression level of a female-specific gene, zona pellucida sperm-binding protein 3 (XM_015945764.2). (A–D) G: group-housed fish, S: single-housed fish.
Credit: 2024 Takahashi et al.
“The whole-life history traits might be influenced by the degree of early-life cohabitation with others.”
BUFFALO, NY- September 30, 2024 – A new research paper was published on the cover of Aging (listed by MEDLINE/PubMed as "Aging (Albany NY)" and "Aging-US" by Web of Science), Volume 16, Issue 18 on September 16, 2024, entitled, “Single housing of juveniles accelerates early-stage growth but extends adult lifespan in African turquoise killifish.”
As noted in the abstract, individuals of the same species that exhibit faster growth tend to have shorter lifespans, even when rapid growth is induced by early-life pharmacological interventions. However, in vertebrates, the impact of early-life environmental factors on growth rate and lifespan remains unclear.
In this research, Chika Takahashi, Emiko Okabe, Masanori Nono, Saya Kishimoto, Hideaki Matsui, Tohru Ishitani, Takuya Yamamoto, Masaharu Uno, and Eisuke Nishida from RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR) in Hyogo, Japan; Brain Research Institute, Niigata University in Niigata, Japan; Research Institute for Microbial Diseases at Osaka University in Osaka, Japan; Kyoto University in Kyoto, Japan; and RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence Project (AIP) in Kyoto, Japan, studied short-lived African turquoise killifish. This species is well-suited for comprehensive life-stage analysis over a short timeframe. The team explored the effects of housing density during the juvenile stage on various life traits.
"As a result, we found that lower housing densities resulted in faster growth, but led to longer adult lifespan, which was contrary to the common notion.”
Furthermore, single-housed adult fish exhibited a longer egg-laying period compared to their group-housed counterparts. Transcriptome analysis revealed that the progression of life stages and the aging process were slower in single-housed fish, as reflected in their internal transcriptional programs. These findings suggest that early-life social environment may influence life-long attributes, potentially shaping specific life history traits beyond the typical relationship between growth rate and lifespan.
“The whole-life history traits might be influenced by the degree of early-life cohabitation with others.”
Continue reading: DOI: https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.206111
Corresponding Authors: Chika Takahashi - chika.takahashi@riken.jp, and Eisuke Nishida - eisuke.nishida@riken.jp
Keywords: aging, lifespan, growth, housing density, African turquoise killifish
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Journal
Aging-US
Method of Research
News article
Subject of Research
Animals
Article Title
Single housing of juveniles accelerates early-stage growth but extends adult lifespan in African turquoise killifish
Article Publication Date
16-Sep-2024
COI Statement
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.