Long-lived termite kings and queens activate telomerase in somatic organs

0541936 - BFÚ 2022 RIV GB eng J - Journal Article
Koubová, J. - Pangrácová, M. - Jankásek, M. - Lukšan, O. - Jehlík, J. - Brabcová, J. - Jedlička, Pavel - Křivánek, J. - Capkova Frydrichova, R. - Hanus, R.
Long-lived termite kings and queens activate telomerase in somatic organs.
Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences. Roč. 288, č. 1949 (2021). ISSN 0962-8452. E-ISSN 1471-2954
Institutional support: RVO:68081707
Keywords : kings and queens * longevity * social insects * telomerase * telomeres * termites
OECD category: Other biological topics
Impact factor: 5.531, year: 2021
Method of publishing: Open access
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2021.0511#pane-pcw-details

Kings and queens of termites, like queens of other advanced eusocial insects, are endowed with admirable longevity, which dramatically exceeds the life expectancies of their non-reproducing nest-mates and related solitary insects. In the quest to find the mechanisms underlying the longevity of termite reproductives, we focused on somatic maintenance mediated by telomerase. This ribonucleoprotein is well established for pro-longevity functions in vertebrates, thanks primarily to its ability of telomere extension. However, its participation in lifespan regulation of insects, including the eusocial taxa, remains understudied. Here, we report a conspicuous increase of telomerase abundance and catalytic activity in the somatic organs of primary and secondary reproductives of the termite Prorhinotermes simplex and confirm a similar pattern in two other termite species. These observations stand in contrast with the telomerase downregulation characteristic for most adult somatic tissues in vertebrates and also in solitary insects and non-reproducing castes of termites. At the same time, we did not observe caste-specific differences in telomere lengths that might explain the differential longevity of termite castes. We conclude that although the telomerase activation in termite reproductives is in line with the broadly assumed association between telomerase and longevity, its direct phenotypic impact remains to be elucidated.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0319447