Transposon-Mediated Transgenesis in the Short-Lived African Killifish Nothobranchius furzeri, a Vertebrate Model for Aging

The African killifish Nothobranchius furzeri is the shortest-lived vertebrate that can be bred in captivity. N. furzeri comprises several wild-derived strains with striking differences in longevity ranging from 3 to 9 months, which makes it a powerful vertebrate model for aging research. The short life cycle of N. furzeri should also facilitate studies on adult traits that are specific to vertebrates. Although progress has been made to generate a genetic linkage map and to start sequencing the genome of N. furzeri, tools to genetically manipulate this species of fish have not yet been developed. Here, we report the first establishment of transgenesis in N. furzeri. We use the Tol2 transposase system to generate transgenic N. furzeri that express green fluorescent protein driven by the Xenopus cytoskeletal actin promoter or the zebrafish heat-shock protein 70 promoter. We successfully generate stable transgenic lines of N. furzeri with germline transmission of integrated transgene. The development of transgenesis in N. furzeri provides a powerful tool to investigate the mechanisms underlying aging and longevity in a short-lived vertebrate model. Transgenesis in this fish will also facilitate the study of other phenotypes, including adult tissue regeneration and cognitive behavior.