Lipidome and Maximal Lifespan of Mammals

Numerous studies in the field of gerontology show the link between lifespans of animal species and differences in their genomes, transcriptomes, proteomes. What about lipidome? Researchers from China, Germany, Russia, France, USA, and South Africa examined the relationship between lipid composition and maximum lifespan of 35 mammalian species.

​Authors: Katarzyna Bozek, Ekaterina E. Khrameeva, Jane Reznick, Damir Omerbašić, Nigel C. Bennett, Gary R. Lewin, Jorge Azpurua, Vera Gorbunova, Andrei Seluanov, Pierrick Regnard, Fanelie Wanert, Julia Marchal, Fabien Pifferi, Fabienne Aujard, Zhen Liu, Peng Shi, Svante Pääbo, Florian Schroeder, Lothar Willmitzer, Patrick Giavalisco, and Philipp Khaitovich

Abstract

Maximal lifespan of mammalian species, even if closely related, may differ more than 10-fold, however the nature of the mechanisms that determine this variability is unresolved. Here, we assess the relationship between maximal lifespan duration and concentrations of more than 20,000 lipid compounds, measured in 669 tissue samples from 6 tissues of 35 species representing three mammalian clades: primates, rodents and bats. We identify lipids associated with species' longevity across the three clades, uncoupled from other parameters, such as basal metabolic rate, body size, or body temperature. These lipids clustered in specific lipid classes and pathways, and enzymes linked to them display signatures of greater stabilizing selection in long-living species, and cluster in functional groups related to signaling and protein-modification processes. These findings point towards the existence of defined molecular mechanisms underlying variation in maximal lifespan among mammals.