现年194岁的乔纳森象龟是已知最长寿的陆生动物12。科学家首次对这只古老生物进行了基因组测序，试图从其DNA中揭示长寿与抗衰老的生物学秘密3。
研究发现乔纳森具有独特的基因变异，涉及DNA修复、胰岛素调节、线粒体功能和低熵甲基化等多条衰老通路3。最引人瞩目的是，乔纳森的线粒体甲基组保持着异常年轻的状态——其甲基组与一只5岁象龟相似，尽管两者的实际年龄相差189年3。这一发现表明线粒体甲基化模式的维持可能是其极端长寿的关键3。
乔纳森约于1832年孵化于塞舌尔群岛3，1880年代在50多岁时被带到圣赫勒拿岛3。此次研究由Kallel基金会与科研团队合作完成，样本收集过程耗时数年，从2017年开始谈判，最终由美国太空军协助运送3。研究已发表于《科学进展》期刊3，研究团队的目标是利用这些发现来影响人类健康寿命和寿命3。
Jonathan the giant tortoise, at 194 years old, holds the distinction of being the world's oldest known land animal.12 Hatched around 1832 in the Seychelles, Jonathan was transported to the island of Saint Helena in the 1880s when he was in his fifties.3 Now researchers have completed the first-ever genome sequencing of this remarkable creature, unveiling genetic clues that may illuminate the mechanisms of aging and longevity.3
The research, published in Science Advances, reveals that Jonathan possesses unique genetic variations across multiple aging pathways, including DNA repair, insulin regulation, and mitochondrial function.3 Most strikingly, Jonathan's mitochondrial methylome—a chemical modification pattern typically associated with aging—remains remarkably youthful, resembling that of a five-year-old tortoise despite the 189-year age gap.3 This exceptional preservation of cellular youth at the molecular level may be a key factor explaining his unprecedented lifespan.3
The effort to obtain genetic material from Jonathan required years of negotiation beginning in 2017, with samples ultimately transported by the U.S. Space Force.3 The research team, working in collaboration with the nonprofit Kallel Foundation, aims to leverage these findings to advance understanding of healthy aging in humans and extend human healthspan and lifespan.3
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