Cloning and expression of the sponge longevity gene SDLAGL

Porifera show a characteristic Bauplan in spite of the fact that (almost) all cells are telomerase-positive and presumably provided with an unlimited potency for cell proliferation. One gene, SDLAGL, was identified in the marine sponge Suberites domuncula whose deduced polypeptide showed high sequence similarity to the longevity assurance genes from other Metazoa. While in single cells no transcripts of SDLAGL could be identified, high expression was seen after re-aggregation of single cells and in proliferating cells of primmorphs.