Characterisation of the dynamic nature of lipids throughout the lifespan of genetically identical female and male Daphnia magna

Sci Rep. 2020 Mar 27;10(1):5576. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-62476-z.

Abstract

Lipids play a significant role in regulation of health and disease. To enhance our understanding of the role of lipids in regulation of lifespan and healthspan additional studies are required. Here, UHPLC-MS/MS lipidomics was used to measure dynamic changes in lipid composition as a function of age and gender in genetically identical male and female Daphnia magna with different average lifespans. We demonstrate statistically significant age-related changes in triglycerides (TG), diglycerides (DG), phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, ceramide and sphingomyelin lipid groups, for example, in males, 17.04% of TG lipid species decline with age whilst 37.86% increase in relative intensity with age. In females, 23.16% decrease and 25.31% increase in relative intensity with age. Most interestingly, the rate and direction of change can differ between genetically identical female and male Daphnia magna, which could be the cause and/or the consequence of the different average lifespans between the two genetically identical genders. This study provides a benchmark dataset to understand how lipids alter as a function of age in genetically identical female and male species with different average lifespan and ageing rate.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aging / metabolism*
  • Animals
  • Daphnia / metabolism*
  • Daphnia / physiology*
  • Diglycerides / metabolism
  • Female
  • Lipid Metabolism / physiology*
  • Longevity / physiology*
  • Male
  • Phosphatidylcholines / metabolism
  • Sphingomyelins / metabolism
  • Triglycerides / metabolism

Substances

  • Diglycerides
  • Phosphatidylcholines
  • Sphingomyelins
  • Triglycerides