Life span of common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) at CLEA Japan breeding colony

Abstract

The life span and survival parameters of the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) in a breeding colony at CLEA Japan, Inc. were investigated. The average life span of male marmosets was 148.5 ± 6.1 (mean ± SE) months of age (M), which was significantly longer (P < 0.01) than that of females (111.7 ± 6.0 M). Additionally, the male population reached 25-, 50-, 75- and 90 %-mortality at an older age than the female population. However, the maximum life span in males (259.9 M) was shorter than in females (262.5 M). The survival of females shows a relatively continuous decline; however, the male marmosets show a slight decline in survival during the first 7-9 years and then a dramatic decrease and another slight decline after 14-16 year of age in survival, i.e., a lifespan curve similar to what is observed in colonies of aging rodents and humans. The sex-associated difference in life span was caused by reproductive burden on the females. The present study reported a longer than expected life span of the marmoset, and a long-lived animal can be a powerful model for senescence and longevity sciences.

Overcoming barriers to reprogramming and differentiation in nonhuman primate induced pluripotent stem cells

“…Networks of transcription factors that maintain a specific differentiated state can be disrupted during reprogramming and reset to an embryonic state; this was the initial hypothesis tested during the first reprogramming experiments, and the validity of this process as the basis of reprogramming has been extensively validated (Takahashi and Yamanaka, 2006). However, the ability to reprogram cells by the forced expression of transcription factors may not be limitless (Polo et al, 2010). Nuclear mutations accumulate as a function of donor age and of course cannot be reversed by reprogramming (Sardo et al, 2017).…”

“…The plasmids were introduced into the fibroblasts via electroporation using a Nucleofector instrument (Lonza). Following infection or transfection, cells were treated over the next several weeks as previously described and as shown in outline Curve derived by smoothing the graphs reported by Nishijima et al (2012). Dashed vertical lines indicate the ages of marmoset donors used to generate iPS cells in these studies.…”

“…Although experiments have primarily been done using iPS cells derived from young animals or human subjects, various investigations have addressed the effect of cellular changes associated with aging with regard to reprogramming efficiency (Mahmoudi and Brunet, 2012), mitochondrial structure (Prigione et al, 2010), telomere length (Yu et al, 2007), epigenetic memory (Polo et al, 2010) and somatic mutations (Sardo et al, 2017). To our knowledge, no study to date has addressed the differentiation potential of iPS cells generated from aged versus young NHP donors.…”

Reprogramming non-human primate somatic cells into functional neuronal cells by defined factors

“…These in vivo models are expected to faithfully recapitulate pathophysiology of human diseases, and thus provide for the missing link between mouse and human disease research with subsequent drug development. However, results of studies from these models may require an extended period because of the longer lifespan of common marmosets compared with mice [5]. Moreover, detailed in vitro analyses using primary neuronal cultures of the affected area of the common marmoset transgenic models are not realistic.…”

Five-sixth Nephrectomy in Female Common Marmosets (<i>Callithrix jacchus</i>) as a Chronic Renal Failure Model

“…The common marmoset, a new world primate, is the shortest-lived of the primates, with an average lifespan of nine to 13 years and a maximum life span of 22 years 10 . Due to its small size and its relatively easy adaptation to laboratory conditions, the marmoset is increasingly used in many fields of biomedical research, including fundamental biology, pharmacology and toxicology studies 11 , 12 .…”