Emerging Fish Models for Vertebrate Aging: Genetics, Omics, and Interventions

Small laboratory fish offer powerful and increasingly accessible systems to study the biology of aging. Species such as guppies support evolutionary and life-history analyses of aging, killifish provide naturally short lifespans that enable rapid lifespan and intervention studies, and zebrafish bring a strong toolkit and community resources from their broad use in vertebrate biology. Together, these models enable investigation of key processes linked to aging—such as insulin/IGF signaling, oxidative stress, cellular stress responses, and comparisons across species or strains with different longevities—complementing established aging models such as yeast, Caenorhabditis elegans, and Drosophila. With the growing use of genome editing and functional genomics, models such as zebrafish, Nothobranchius furzeri, and related species are well suited to explore genes, pathways, and interactions that shape vertebrate aging, including epigenetics, metabolism, immune function, regeneration, and behavior, as well as the role of the microbiome and environmental exposures. These models also offer a foundation for high-throughput genetic and pharmacological screening to identify factors that modulate aging trajectories and aging-associated conditions.The goal of this collection is to gather high-quality research using fish and other emerging vertebrate models to advance our understanding of the molecular, genetic, and systems-level mechanisms of aging, in both physiological and disease-relevant contextsWe welcome Original Research, Systematic Reviews, Meta-analyses, Reviews, and other article types aligned with the Topic scope. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:• Use of genome editing and functional tools to study genes, pathways, and gene regulatory networks relevant to aging• Analysis of multi-omics data (bulk and single-cell), including integrative and comparative approaches• Pharmacological and genetic intervention studies, including high-throughput screens• Metabolic, endocrine, and mitochondrial changes during aging• Effects of nutrition, environment, and the microbiome on aging and healthspan• Brain aging, cognitive decline, and neurodegenerative disease mechanisms• Modeling and mechanistic study of aging-associated diseases using killifish, zebrafish, and other vertebrate systems• Cross-species or population/strain comparisons to understand the evolution and diversity of aging processes Topic editors: Marina Paolucci, Livia D'Angelo, Tyrone Genade Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/77720/emerging-fish-models-for-vertebrate-aging-genetics-omics-and-interventions