Small laboratory fish as models for aging research

doi:10.1016/j.arr.2007.02.007

Ageing Research Reviews

Volume 6, Issue 1, May 2007, Pages 64-72

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2007.02.007 Get rights and content

Abstract

Fish represent approximately half of all vertebrate species, yet have received little attention as models for aging research relative to invertebrate organisms or rodents. However, the basic gerontological characteristics of several fish species have been studied and provide compelling data for further investigation. In particular, guppies have proved to be an invaluable model for evolutionary analyses of aging, killifish are short-lived and may be exploitable for life span manipulation studies, and zebrafish come with a formidable armament of associated biological tools from their widespread use as a model of vertebrate development. These fish are well suited for the investigation of basic processes implicated in aging, such as insulin signaling, oxidative stress, and comparative studies of species with widely divergent longevities. Under-explored areas for which these fish may also provide unique research opportunities include their use as platforms for disease modeling, drug discovery, and regenerative medicine.

Section snippets

Aging studies of fish

The largest class of vertebrates are the fishes (Liem, 1995), whose members include some of the most experimentally versatile and shortest and longest lived vertebrates known (Finch, 1990). While several species have been studied over the past several decades from a gerontological perspective, the amount of resources directed to aging research using fish has been essentially absent when compared with invertebrate models (Gerhard et al., 2004). This stands in stark contrast to other fields,

Temperature reduction (TR) and caloric restriction (CR)

Body temperature has been reported as a predictor of longevity in primates and humans (Roth et al., 2002) and, in multivariate analyses, was found to be one of four variables that accounted for most of the variance in maximum life spans across 85 species (Finch, 1990). Such evidence indirectly implicates body temperature as a significant factor in aging. However, mechanistic studies on temperature reduction (TR) and life span have been almost exclusively performed in invertebrates, mainly

Age-related disease models

Specific age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer's, have also been studied in fish (Newman et al., 2007). For example, molecular studies on presenilins (Leimer et al., 1999) and beta amyloid (Musa et al., 2001), which play prominent roles in the molecular pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease, have been performed using zebrafish. Zebrafish lacking the presenilin enhancer 2 (Pen-2) protein demonstrate excessive p53-dependent apoptosis and neuronal loss (Campbell et al., 2006). Another age-related

Drug discovery

The search for elixirs of youth is centuries old, although the application of modern pharmacological approaches has only recently begun (Geesaman, 2006). Chemical genetic studies to identify and characterize compounds that delay aging and extend lifespan using invertebrate models have been reported (Gill et al., 2003, Bauer et al., 2004). Several anti-aging drug candidates have been identified and characterized (Collins et al., 2006, Evason et al., 2005). For example, resveratrol, a natural

Regenerative medicine

Tissue engineering, cell replacement therapy, and regenerative medicine are promising approaches to aging and age-related disorders (Gurtner et al., 2006) and have employed comparative approaches (Alvarado and Tsonis, 2006). Fish have been used for studies on organ regeneration for many years, including early work by Comfort on the effect of aging and temperature on fin regeneration in the guppy (Comfort and Doljanski, 1958, Comfort, 1969). Fin regeneration in fish has been studied for over a

Summary

Despite the dearth of attention paid to fish models in aging research, such species present tremendous scientific opportunities. The focus on three such fish in this review serves to highlight the potential of this class of organisms.

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ReviewSmall laboratory fish as models for aging research

Abstract

Section snippets

Aging studies of fish

Temperature reduction (TR) and caloric restriction (CR)

Age-related disease models

Drug discovery

Regenerative medicine

Summary

Trends Cell Biol.

Neurotoxicol. Teratol.

Exp. Gerontol.

Environ. Res.

Cell

Exp. Gerontol.

J. Biomol. Screen.

Am. J. Clin. Nutr.

Exp. Gerontol.

Exp. Gerontol.

Free Radic. Biol. Med.

Comp. Biochem. Physiol. Toxicol. Pharmacol.

Exp. Gerontol.

Cell

Exp. Gerontol.

Comp. Biochem. Physiol. C: Toxicol. Pharmacol.

Exp. Gerontol.

Exp. Gerontol.

Exp. Gerontol.

Exp. Gerontol.

Exp. Gerontol.

Biochim. Biophys. Acta.

Meth. Cell Biol.

Trends Genet.

Exp. Gerontol.

Exp. Gerontol.

Adv. Free Radic. Biol. Med.

Exp. Gerontol.

Mech. Ageing Dev.

Exp. Gerontol.

Curr. Biol.

Exp. Gerontol.

Comp. Biochem. Physiol. C

Exp. Gerontol.

Exp. Gerontol.

Exp. Gerontol.

Exp. Gerontol.

Old questions, new tools, and some answers to the mystery of fin regeneration

Dev. Dynam.

Bridging the regeneration gap: genetic insights from diverse animal models

Nat. Rev.

A rapid, high content, in vivo model of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis

Biotechnol. J.

Minireview: role of the growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor system in mammalian aging

Endocrinology

An accelerated assay for the identification of lifespan-extending interventions in Drosophila melanogaster

Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

Therapeutic potential of resveratrol: the in vivo evidence

Nat. Rev.

Mutations affecting development of the midline and general body shape during zebrafish embryogenesis

Development

p53-dependent neuronal cell death in a DJ-1-deficient zebrafish model of Parkinson's disease

J Neurochem.

Zebrafish lacking Alzheimer presenilin enhancer 2 (Pen-2) demonstrate excessive p53-dependent apoptosis and neuronal loss

J. Neurochem.

On the possible use of annual killifishes as models for aging research: a comment on Herrera and Jagadeeswaran

J. Gerontol.

The effect of age on growth resumption in fish (Lebistes) checked by food restriction

Gerontologia

The longevity and mortality of a fish (Lebistes reticularis Peters) in captivity

Gerontologia

Review
Small laboratory fish as models for aging research