Analysis of the Content of Membrane Lipids of Mytilid Bivalve Mollusks and Strongylocentrotid Sea Urchins with Different Lifespans

Objective: In order to understand whether the lipid composition of the plasma membrane is related to the lifespan, we conducted a comparative study of the profiles of molecular species of four main classes of plasma membrane phospholipids (phosphatidylcholines (PC), phosphatidylethanolamines (PE), phosphatidylserines (PS), and phosphatidylinositols (PI)) for the long-lived mussel Crenomytilus grayanus and the long-lived sea urchin Mesocentrotus nudus and the short-lived mussel Mytilus trossulus and sea urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius. Methods: The molecular profiles of these membrane lipids were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography in combination with high-resolution mass spectrometry. Results and Discussion: It was shown that the profile of PI molecular species is not related to the lifespan of the mussels and the sea urchins, in contrast to the profiles of PC, PE, and PS molecular species. Sea urchins M. nudus and mussel C. grayanus with longer lifespans were characterized by an increased content of PC, PE, and PS with odd-numbered alkyl/acyl chains, as well as of molecular species with arachidonic acid (20:4n-6), whose higher content can contribute to a better adaptation of the mussel C. grayanus and of the sea urchin M. nudus and, thereby, to a longer lifespan. Conclusions: The lipidomic approach to studying the gerontological problem using sea urchins and bivalves as an example has revealed a clear relationship between the profile of molecular species of the membrane lipids and the lifespan. The exact mechanisms of this relationship need to be further clarified.