Extreme lifespan of the human fish (Proteus anguinus): a challenge for ageing mechanisms

Theories of extreme lifespan evolution in vertebrates commonly implicate large size and predator-free environments together with physiological characteristics like low metabolism and high protection against oxidative damages. Here, we show that the ‘human fish’ (olm, Proteus anguinus), a small cave...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biology letters (2005) 2011-02, Vol.7 (1), p.105-107
Main Authors: Voituron, Yann, de Fraipont, Michelle, Issartel, Julien, Guillaume, Olivier, Clobert, Jean
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amphibian
Animals
Biodiversity and Ecology
Caudata
Energy Metabolism
Environmental Sciences
Evolutionary Biology
Longevity
Longevity - physiology
Metabolism
Proteus anguinus
Reproduction
Sexual Maturation
Subterranean Environment
Urodela - physiology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
cited_by cdi_FETCH-LOGICAL-c592t-667798f0cf7851fbc411a2af392d1950c981c82cb3f947b82cd4337c98cbdcfd3
cites cdi_FETCH-LOGICAL-c592t-667798f0cf7851fbc411a2af392d1950c981c82cb3f947b82cd4337c98cbdcfd3
container_end_page 107
container_issue 1
container_start_page 105
container_title Biology letters (2005)
container_volume 7
creator Voituron, Yann
de Fraipont, Michelle
Issartel, Julien
Guillaume, Olivier
Clobert, Jean
description Theories of extreme lifespan evolution in vertebrates commonly implicate large size and predator-free environments together with physiological characteristics like low metabolism and high protection against oxidative damages. Here, we show that the ‘human fish’ (olm, Proteus anguinus), a small cave salamander (weighing 15–20 g), has evolved an extreme life-history strategy with a predicted maximum lifespan of over 100 years, an adult average lifespan of 68.5 years, an age at sexual maturity of 15.6 years and lays, on average, 35 eggs every 12.5 years. Surprisingly, neither its basal metabolism nor antioxidant activities explain why this animal sits as an outlier in the amphibian size/longevity relationship. This species thus raises questions regarding ageing processes and constitutes a promising model for discovering mechanisms preventing senescence in vertebrates.
doi_str_mv 10.1098/rsbl.2010.0539
format article
fullrecord <record><control><sourceid>proquest_cross</sourceid><recordid>TN_cdi_crossref_primary_10_1098_rsbl_2010_0539</recordid><sourceformat>XML</sourceformat><sourcesystem>PC</sourcesystem><sourcerecordid>907157779</sourcerecordid><originalsourceid>FETCH-LOGICAL-c592t-667798f0cf7851fbc411a2af392d1950c981c82cb3f947b82cd4337c98cbdcfd3</originalsourceid><addsrcrecordid>eNp9kd-L1DAQx4so3nn66qPkTQV3nSTNprkH4TxOT1hQ_AH3FtI0aXO0yZq0i-tfb5aeiy7oU2Ym3_lMJt-ieIphiUFUr2Oq-yWBnAKj4l5xinlZLgTjN_cP8QqfFI9SugWgnAN7WJwQWDEhCJwWN1c_xmgGg3pnTdooj4JFY2dQNw05sS516MWnGEYzJaR8Ozk_pZfnSCHdqb43vjXIhohUa5xv0WBy2bs0pMfFA6v6ZJ7cnWfFt3dXXy-vF-uP7z9cXqwXmgkyLlYrzkVlQVteMWxrXWKsiLJUkAYLBlpUWFdE19SKktc5akpKeS7rutG2oWfFm5m7merBNNr4MapebqIbVNzJoJz8-8a7TrZhKylQqCqSAa9mQHfUdn2xlrmWGiMB8icCF1uc5c_v5sXwfTJplINL2vS98iZMSQrgmPG8VFYuZ6WOIaVo7IGOQe7Nk3vz5N48uTcvNzz7c5WD_LdbWUBnQQy7_LCgnRl38jZM0ef031j1v67PX96ut9xhCRXFwBghIH-6zUzh0qU0GYmPoMczfgFPpcje</addsrcrecordid><sourcetype>Open Access Repository</sourcetype><iscdi>true</iscdi><recordtype>article</recordtype><pqid>907157779</pqid></control><display><type>article</type><title>Extreme lifespan of the human fish (Proteus anguinus): a challenge for ageing mechanisms</title><source>PubMed Central (Open Access)</source><source>Royal Society Publishing Jisc Collections Royal Society Journals Read &amp; Publish Transitional Agreement 2025 (reading list)</source><creator>Voituron, Yann ; de Fraipont, Michelle ; Issartel, Julien ; Guillaume, Olivier ; Clobert, Jean</creator><creatorcontrib>Voituron, Yann ; de Fraipont, Michelle ; Issartel, Julien ; Guillaume, Olivier ; Clobert, Jean</creatorcontrib><description>Theories of extreme lifespan evolution in vertebrates commonly implicate large size and predator-free environments together with physiological characteristics like low metabolism and high protection against oxidative damages. Here, we show that the ‘human fish’ (olm, Proteus anguinus), a small cave salamander (weighing 15–20 g), has evolved an extreme life-history strategy with a predicted maximum lifespan of over 100 years, an adult average lifespan of 68.5 years, an age at sexual maturity of 15.6 years and lays, on average, 35 eggs every 12.5 years. Surprisingly, neither its basal metabolism nor antioxidant activities explain why this animal sits as an outlier in the amphibian size/longevity relationship. This species thus raises questions regarding ageing processes and constitutes a promising model for discovering mechanisms preventing senescence in vertebrates.</description><identifier>ISSN: 1744-9561</identifier><identifier>EISSN: 1744-957X</identifier><identifier>DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2010.0539</identifier><identifier>PMID: 20659920</identifier><language>eng</language><publisher>England: The Royal Society</publisher><subject>Amphibian ; Animals ; Biodiversity and Ecology ; Caudata ; Energy Metabolism ; Environmental Sciences ; Evolutionary Biology ; Longevity ; Longevity - physiology ; Metabolism ; Proteus anguinus ; Reproduction ; Sexual Maturation ; Subterranean Environment ; Urodela - physiology</subject><ispartof>Biology letters (2005), 2011-02, Vol.7 (1), p.105-107</ispartof><rights>This Journal is © 2010 The Royal Society</rights><rights>Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License</rights><rights>This Journal is © 2010 The Royal Society 2010</rights><lds50>peer_reviewed</lds50><oa>free_for_read</oa><woscitedreferencessubscribed>false</woscitedreferencessubscribed><citedby>FETCH-LOGICAL-c592t-667798f0cf7851fbc411a2af392d1950c981c82cb3f947b82cd4337c98cbdcfd3</citedby><cites>FETCH-LOGICAL-c592t-667798f0cf7851fbc411a2af392d1950c981c82cb3f947b82cd4337c98cbdcfd3</cites><orcidid>0000-0002-8198-0009 ; 0000-0002-8865-5428 ; 0000-0001-5238-4331</orcidid></display><links><openurl>$$Topenurl_article</openurl><openurlfulltext>$$Topenurlfull_article</openurlfulltext><thumbnail>$$Tsyndetics_thumb_exl</thumbnail><linktopdf>$$Uhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3030882/pdf/$$EPDF$$P50$$Gpubmedcentral$$H</linktopdf><linktohtml>$$Uhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3030882/$$EHTML$$P50$$Gpubmedcentral$$H</linktohtml><link.rule.ids>230,314,727,780,784,885,27924,27925,53791,53793</link.rule.ids><backlink>$$Uhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20659920$$D View this record in MEDLINE/PubMed$$Hfree_for_read</backlink><backlink>$$Uhttps://hal.science/halsde-00561079$$DView record in HAL$$Hfree_for_read</backlink></links><search><creatorcontrib>Voituron, Yann</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>de Fraipont, Michelle</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Issartel, Julien</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Guillaume, Olivier</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Clobert, Jean</creatorcontrib><title>Extreme lifespan of the human fish (Proteus anguinus): a challenge for ageing mechanisms</title><title>Biology letters (2005)</title><addtitle>Biol. Lett</addtitle><addtitle>Biol Lett</addtitle><description>Theories of extreme lifespan evolution in vertebrates commonly implicate large size and predator-free environments together with physiological characteristics like low metabolism and high protection against oxidative damages. Here, we show that the ‘human fish’ (olm, Proteus anguinus), a small cave salamander (weighing 15–20 g), has evolved an extreme life-history strategy with a predicted maximum lifespan of over 100 years, an adult average lifespan of 68.5 years, an age at sexual maturity of 15.6 years and lays, on average, 35 eggs every 12.5 years. Surprisingly, neither its basal metabolism nor antioxidant activities explain why this animal sits as an outlier in the amphibian size/longevity relationship. This species thus raises questions regarding ageing processes and constitutes a promising model for discovering mechanisms preventing senescence in vertebrates.</description><subject>Amphibian</subject><subject>Animals</subject><subject>Biodiversity and Ecology</subject><subject>Caudata</subject><subject>Energy Metabolism</subject><subject>Environmental Sciences</subject><subject>Evolutionary Biology</subject><subject>Longevity</subject><subject>Longevity - physiology</subject><subject>Metabolism</subject><subject>Proteus anguinus</subject><subject>Reproduction</subject><subject>Sexual Maturation</subject><subject>Subterranean Environment</subject><subject>Urodela - physiology</subject><issn>1744-9561</issn><issn>1744-957X</issn><fulltext>true</fulltext><rsrctype>article</rsrctype><creationdate>2011</creationdate><recordtype>article</recordtype><recordid>eNp9kd-L1DAQx4so3nn66qPkTQV3nSTNprkH4TxOT1hQ_AH3FtI0aXO0yZq0i-tfb5aeiy7oU2Ym3_lMJt-ieIphiUFUr2Oq-yWBnAKj4l5xinlZLgTjN_cP8QqfFI9SugWgnAN7WJwQWDEhCJwWN1c_xmgGg3pnTdooj4JFY2dQNw05sS516MWnGEYzJaR8Ozk_pZfnSCHdqb43vjXIhohUa5xv0WBy2bs0pMfFA6v6ZJ7cnWfFt3dXXy-vF-uP7z9cXqwXmgkyLlYrzkVlQVteMWxrXWKsiLJUkAYLBlpUWFdE19SKktc5akpKeS7rutG2oWfFm5m7merBNNr4MapebqIbVNzJoJz8-8a7TrZhKylQqCqSAa9mQHfUdn2xlrmWGiMB8icCF1uc5c_v5sXwfTJplINL2vS98iZMSQrgmPG8VFYuZ6WOIaVo7IGOQe7Nk3vz5N48uTcvNzz7c5WD_LdbWUBnQQy7_LCgnRl38jZM0ef031j1v67PX96ut9xhCRXFwBghIH-6zUzh0qU0GYmPoMczfgFPpcje</recordid><startdate>20110223</startdate><enddate>20110223</enddate><creator>Voituron, Yann</creator><creator>de Fraipont, Michelle</creator><creator>Issartel, Julien</creator><creator>Guillaume, Olivier</creator><creator>Clobert, Jean</creator><general>The Royal Society</general><general>Royal Society, The</general><scope>CGR</scope><scope>CUY</scope><scope>CVF</scope><scope>ECM</scope><scope>EIF</scope><scope>NPM</scope><scope>AAYXX</scope><scope>CITATION</scope><scope>7SN</scope><scope>C1K</scope><scope>F1W</scope><scope>H95</scope><scope>L.G</scope><scope>1XC</scope><scope>5PM</scope><orcidid>https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8198-0009</orcidid><orcidid>https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8865-5428</orcidid><orcidid>https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5238-4331</orcidid></search><sort><creationdate>20110223</creationdate><title>Extreme lifespan of the human fish (Proteus anguinus): a challenge for ageing mechanisms</title><author>Voituron, Yann ; de Fraipont, Michelle ; Issartel, Julien ; Guillaume, Olivier ; Clobert, Jean</author></sort><facets><frbrtype>5</frbrtype><frbrgroupid>cdi_FETCH-LOGICAL-c592t-667798f0cf7851fbc411a2af392d1950c981c82cb3f947b82cd4337c98cbdcfd3</frbrgroupid><rsrctype>articles</rsrctype><prefilter>articles</prefilter><language>eng</language><creationdate>2011</creationdate><topic>Amphibian</topic><topic>Animals</topic><topic>Biodiversity and Ecology</topic><topic>Caudata</topic><topic>Energy Metabolism</topic><topic>Environmental Sciences</topic><topic>Evolutionary Biology</topic><topic>Longevity</topic><topic>Longevity - physiology</topic><topic>Metabolism</topic><topic>Proteus anguinus</topic><topic>Reproduction</topic><topic>Sexual Maturation</topic><topic>Subterranean Environment</topic><topic>Urodela - physiology</topic><toplevel>peer_reviewed</toplevel><toplevel>online_resources</toplevel><creatorcontrib>Voituron, Yann</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>de Fraipont, Michelle</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Issartel, Julien</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Guillaume, Olivier</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Clobert, Jean</creatorcontrib><collection>Medline</collection><collection>MEDLINE</collection><collection>MEDLINE (Ovid)</collection><collection>MEDLINE</collection><collection>MEDLINE</collection><collection>PubMed</collection><collection>CrossRef</collection><collection>Ecology Abstracts</collection><collection>Environmental Sciences and Pollution Management</collection><collection>ASFA: Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts</collection><collection>Aquatic Science &amp; Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA) 1: Biological Sciences &amp; Living Resources</collection><collection>Aquatic Science &amp; Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA) Professional</collection><collection>Hyper Article en Ligne (HAL)</collection><collection>PubMed Central (Full Participant titles)</collection><jtitle>Biology letters (2005)</jtitle></facets><delivery><delcategory>Remote Search Resource</delcategory><fulltext>fulltext</fulltext></delivery><addata><au>Voituron, Yann</au><au>de Fraipont, Michelle</au><au>Issartel, Julien</au><au>Guillaume, Olivier</au><au>Clobert, Jean</au><format>journal</format><genre>article</genre><ristype>JOUR</ristype><atitle>Extreme lifespan of the human fish (Proteus anguinus): a challenge for ageing mechanisms</atitle><jtitle>Biology letters (2005)</jtitle><stitle>Biol. Lett</stitle><addtitle>Biol Lett</addtitle><date>2011-02-23</date><risdate>2011</risdate><volume>7</volume><issue>1</issue><spage>105</spage><epage>107</epage><pages>105-107</pages><issn>1744-9561</issn><eissn>1744-957X</eissn><abstract>Theories of extreme lifespan evolution in vertebrates commonly implicate large size and predator-free environments together with physiological characteristics like low metabolism and high protection against oxidative damages. Here, we show that the ‘human fish’ (olm, Proteus anguinus), a small cave salamander (weighing 15–20 g), has evolved an extreme life-history strategy with a predicted maximum lifespan of over 100 years, an adult average lifespan of 68.5 years, an age at sexual maturity of 15.6 years and lays, on average, 35 eggs every 12.5 years. Surprisingly, neither its basal metabolism nor antioxidant activities explain why this animal sits as an outlier in the amphibian size/longevity relationship. This species thus raises questions regarding ageing processes and constitutes a promising model for discovering mechanisms preventing senescence in vertebrates.</abstract><cop>England</cop><pub>The Royal Society</pub><pmid>20659920</pmid><doi>10.1098/rsbl.2010.0539</doi><tpages>3</tpages><orcidid>https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8198-0009</orcidid><orcidid>https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8865-5428</orcidid><orcidid>https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5238-4331</orcidid><oa>free_for_read</oa></addata></record>
fulltext fulltext
identifier ISSN: 1744-9561
ispartof Biology letters (2005), 2011-02, Vol.7 (1), p.105-107
issn 1744-9561
1744-957X
language eng
recordid cdi_crossref_primary_10_1098_rsbl_2010_0539
source PubMed Central (Open Access); Royal Society Publishing Jisc Collections Royal Society Journals Read & Publish Transitional Agreement 2025 (reading list)
subjects Amphibian
Animals
Biodiversity and Ecology
Caudata
Energy Metabolism
Environmental Sciences
Evolutionary Biology
Longevity
Longevity - physiology
Metabolism
Proteus anguinus
Reproduction
Sexual Maturation
Subterranean Environment
Urodela - physiology
title Extreme lifespan of the human fish (Proteus anguinus): a challenge for ageing mechanisms
url http://sfxeu10.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/loughborough?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&ctx_tim=2024-12-29T06%3A58%3A14IST&url_ver=Z39.88-2004&url_ctx_fmt=infofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rfr_id=info:sid/primo.exlibrisgroup.com:primo3-Article-proquest_cross&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Extreme%20lifespan%20of%20the%20human%20fish%20(Proteus%20anguinus):%20a%20challenge%20for%20ageing%20mechanisms&rft.jtitle=Biology%20letters%20(2005)&rft.au=Voituron,%20Yann&rft.date=2011-02-23&rft.volume=7&rft.issue=1&rft.spage=105&rft.epage=107&rft.pages=105-107&rft.issn=1744-9561&rft.eissn=1744-957X&rft_id=info:doi/10.1098/rsbl.2010.0539&rft_dat=%3Cproquest_cross%3E907157779%3C/proquest_cross%3E%3Cgrp_id%3Ecdi_FETCH-LOGICAL-c592t-667798f0cf7851fbc411a2af392d1950c981c82cb3f947b82cd4337c98cbdcfd3%3C/grp_id%3E%3Coa%3E%3C/oa%3E%3Curl%3E%3C/url%3E&rft_id=info:oai/&rft_pqid=907157779&rft_id=info:pmid/20659920&rfr_iscdi=true