During her PhD studies, Aysevil Pektas investigated the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying aging and longevity using two contrasting vertebrate models: the Greenland shark, known for its extraordinary lifespan, and the African turquoise killifish, the shortest-lived vertebrate. Aysevil Pektas developed a novel bioinformatics pipeline, TrAnnoScope, to generate and analyze high-quality transcriptomes for non-model organisms. Using this approach, she generated a full-length transcriptome of the Greenland shark, providing valuable resources for genome annotation and insights into the molecular basis of its extreme longevity. She also applied CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing to study genes linked to aging hallmarks in killifish, successfully generating HDAC1 mutants.

The new research findings offer valuable insights into aging pathways and establish resources for advancing longevity and age-related disease research.

The PhD study was completed at Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Aarhus University.

This summary was prepared by the PhD student.

Time: Tuesday 1 April 2025 at
Place: Building 1872, room 547, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Universitetsbyen 81, 8000, Aarhus
Title of PhD thesis: From Long-Lived Sharks to Short-Lived Fish: Advancing Aging and Longevity Research Through Transcriptomics and Gene Editing
Contact information: Aysevil Pektas e-mail: aysevilpektas@mbg.au.dk, tel.: +45 52 72 09 87
Members of the assessment committee:
Professor Kåre Lehmann Nielsen, Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Denmark.
Researcher Bjørn Høyheim, Department of Preclinical Sciences and Pathology, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Norway.
Senior Researcher Jan Trige Rasmussen (chair), Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Denmark
Main supervisor:
Associate Professor Bo Thomsen , Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Denmark
Co-supervisor:
Senior Scientist Frank Panitz Applied Statistical Methods, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), 20520 Turku, Finland
Language: The PhD dissertation will be defended in English

The defence is public.
The PhD thesis is available for reading at the Graduate School of Natural Sciences/GSNS, Ny Munkegade 120, building 1521, 8000 Aarhus C