Nature is incredible. The proof with this animal species, which has the distinction of being immortal! In case of danger of death, she is able to rejuvenate and then start a new life cycle. And this, endlessly!
Who hasn’t already wanted to be immortal? This dream, old as well as the world, has inspired many myths, such as the philosopher’s stone of Nicolas Flamel or the figure of the vampire. Even today, he continues to obsess humanity. Scientists are tirelessly looking for how to deceive death. The solution may well be on the side of the animal world.
There is indeed a creature which, when it approaches a little too much of death, has the capacity to rejuvenate. This is the Turritopsis nutriculaa sort of jellyfish from the Hydrozo family who was discovered in 1857 by scientist John McCrady. Measuring 4 to 5 mm, it has the shape of a transparent bell in the middle of which you can see a bright red stomach, and has long tentacles which can have a hundred filaments.
This small jellyfish is capable of transforming its cells from the state of maturity to the state of immaturity: in other words, it is able to rejuvenate. Although this capacity is extremely rare, it is nevertheless not the only one to own it since it is also the case of its cousin Turritopsis dohrniia jellyfish about 1 cm in diameter discovered in 1988 by Christian Sommer, a German student in marine biology, and present in Mediterranean waters. This is explained by the fact that the Turritopsis is a type of jellyfish that has spread through the globe and adapted to many habitats, hence its different names.
The life of these jellyfish consists of two stages: the primitive stage of polyp, hanging on the seabed, and the adult stage, where they move in the oceans and the seas. After their sexual maturation and mating, they have the opportunity to return to the primitive polyp stage. This process called trans-differentiation allows them to reconfigure their faulty cells into new cells, and thus reverse the aging process. This happens for example when they are injured, they lack food or are too old.
In just a few days, these animals return to the juvenile phase, and then transform into a jellyfish, and so on. This cycle could take place indefinitely, as long as the Medusa is not the victim of a predator. In 2011, Shin Kubota, a marine biology researcher at the University of Kyoto, observed the rejuvenation of a Turritopsis nutricula Ten times in a row in two years of experience! A record!
However, this immortality begins to be a problem since these two Turritopsis proliferate abnormally in the waters of the world. In addition to being immortal, they have the capacity to adapt to their environment. So much so that scientists speak “of silent world invasion” for ten years now …
These mechanisms are of interest to researchers, who see an opportunity to better understand aging processes, in jellyfish, but also in humans. The idea is to be able to identify the genes responsible for this phenomenon to be able to treat age -related diseases, such as cancers or neurodegeneration. But we are still far away!