A team led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Oceanology, with
collaborators at The Chinese University of Hong Kong and Northwestern
Polytechnical University, used multi-omics analysis and functional validation to
link the extreme fasting tolerance of a deep-sea giant isopod—able to survive up
to five years without stable food—to an energy-metabolism gene ND1 of bacterial
origin. The study reports genetic and epigenetic regulation that enables
efficient energy use at low metabolic rates and describes a mechanism balancing
large body size with low metabolism. Findings were published in Cell on June 5
and are presented as potential new leads for obesity intervention and longevity
research.
