Age-related markers assayed at different developmental stages of the annual fish Nothobranchius rachovii

Although short-lived vertebrates can serve as model animals for understanding the mechanism of aging, whether the annual fish Nothobranchius rachovii is suitable for studying aging remains an open question. In this study, histochemical, biochemical, and genetic techniques were used to determine the age-related markers at three different developmental stages of the annual fish N. rachovii. Histochemical studies revealed that the expression of senescence-associated beta-galactosidase and accumulation of lipofuscin increased with age. In biochemical assays, lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation increased with age, whereas the activities of catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase decreased with age. Genetic analysis established that the activities of telomerase had no apparent relationship with age, but telomere lengths reduced with age from 11.5 +/- 1.98 to 3.58 +/- 0.74 kb. Taken together, these results indicate that the annual fish N. rachovii may be useful as an animal model for the study of aging.