A team led by Professor Li Dapeng from the College of Fisheries at Huazhong Agricultural University recently published a research paper titled "The role of pyruvate dehydrogenase in the lifespan determination of daphnids" in the journal Nature Communications.

Cladoceran, colloquially referred to as daphnid, is a vital group of planktonic animals in freshwater ecosystems.

The study found that the basal metabolic rate of the Simocephalus vetulus with a special attachment habit was nearly 30 percent lower than the plankton-eating Daphnia sinensis, yet their average lifespan was 50 percent longer.

Metabolomics analysis in the study identified pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) as a potential target responsible for the metabolic differences between the two types. Further drug experiments revealed a negative correlation between PDH activity and lifespan: the reduction in PDH activity not only limited energy supply by regulating glucose metabolism to inhibit the mobility of Simocephalus vetulus, but also extended their lifespan by modulating the metabolic rate.

PDH is involved in regulating the locomotor performance and lifespan of cladoceran. [Photo/news.hzau.edu.cn]

The research also found that octopamine, which plays important roles as a neurotransmitter and hormone in invertebrates, and temperature significantly affect PDH activity and can regulate the lifespan of cladoceran. However, when the effects of temperature or octopamine on PDH activity were counteracted by inhibitors or agonists, their impact on lifespan was nullified.

These research findings provide a new invertebrate model for unraveling the molecular mechanisms of exercise promoting longevity and offer new insights into the key molecular mechanisms regulating energy metabolism and lifespan.