Comparative genomics of mortal and immortal cnidarians unveils novel keys behind rejuvenation

While aging affects most living organisms, the hydrozoan Turritopsis dohrnii is the only species able to rejuvenate repeatedly after sexual reproduction, becoming biologically immortal. Setting the whole-genome of this metazoan is indispensable to study in depth mechanisms responsible for its immortal phenotype. Here, we report the genome assembly of T. dohrnii and its congeneric species Turritopsis rubra, incapable of rejuvenating at mature stages. Further, we compare a set of almost 1,000 genes related to aging and DNA repair between both Turritopsis and other cnidarians and present a stage-specific transcriptome of life cycle reversal process of T. dohrnii. Altogether, these results unveil key molecular mechanisms behind rejuvenation of T. dohrnii.