Telomerase Expression and its Role in Aging in Adult Sea Stars

As humans age, they are at an increased risk of developing many diseases such as cancer. This is in part due to the shortening of our telomeres, the protective ends of chromosomes that shorten with every cell division. Some organisms, such as sea urchins and flatworms, exhibit healthy mechanisms of aging- in other words, they contain unique biological mechanisms that prevent them from contracting age-related diseases. Understanding telomere biology in animals with healthy mechanisms of aging, can help develop new therapeutics aimed to increase human lifespan. One animal that remains largely unexplored and may be able to resist contracting age-related diseases, is the sea star, Patiria miniata. Our aim is to study telomere biology in P. miniata to determine if they have molecular mechanisms that allow them to age in a healthy manner. Telomerase is an enzyme that has the ability to make telomeres longer. It is not found in most adult human somatic cells, which likely contributes to the increased risk of disease as humans get older. We used quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to determine telomerase expression levels in adult sea star tissues and early development stages. This allowed telomerase levels to be measured in different tissue types, from both adult and juvenile sea stars. The results indicate telomerase is expressed at relatively high levels in all three tissue types and developmental stages. Overall, our results are consistent with our hypothesis that Patiria miniata have molecular mechanisms that prevent them from contracting diseases as they get older.