RNA analysis of the longest living vertebrate Greenland shark revealed an abundance of LINE-like elements in its transcriptome

Abstract

The Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) is an enigmatic species known for its exceptional longevity and extraordinary adaptations to the cold environment. This animal lives in the arctic and subarctic regions of the North Atlantic Ocean. Surprisingly, even though it is a vertebrate with the longest known lifespan, its transcriptome has not been studied yet. Therefore, we isolated and analyzed RNA in the Greenland shark samples. Our findings reveal some important information about the possible genetic mechanisms that could contribute to its longevity. We identified a highly expressed long interspersed nuclear element-like transcript (LINE-like) that is supposed to be associated with extended lifespan and resilience to age-related diseases, possibly through an improved telomere maintenance mechanism. This research not only contributes to our understanding of the biology and evolution of the Greenland shark but could also have implications for human longevity research.