Invited speaker of the External EvoMG Seminar 2025 series.

Dario Valenzano (Leibniz Institute on Aging - FLI)

"Evolution and ecology of aging – insights from short-lived killifish"

Abstract:

African killifishes have emerged over the past few years as a powerful model system to answer open questions in biology of aging, developmental and evolutionary biology. Killifish evolved in a range of environments, from rainforest to savannah water holes that desiccate seasonally. Killifish survive periodic desiccation by evolving an annual life cycle, characterized by a specialized embryonic adaptation (embryonic diapause), where embryos suspend development in the dry mud until the external conditions are safe for them to hatch. Annual killifish that evolved in dry environments often display short natural lifespan and a wide range of age-related changes, including neurodegeneration, inflammation, fibrosis, immune decline and dysbiosis. In my talk, I will share that i) studying killifish ecology and evolution has opened new perspectives to understanding that species’ lifespan and aging evolve as a function of past demographic constraints, and that ii) an ecological perspective to killifish biology, which focuses on host-microbiome functional interactions, opens new insights into biology of aging, as well as offers novel opportunities for anti-aging interventions.

Host: Manuel Irimia (UPF-CRG)