De novo assembly and characterization of the Chinese three-keeled pond turtle (Mauremys reevesii) transcriptome: presence of longevity-related genes

Mauremys reevesii (Geoemydidae) is one of the most common and widespread semi-aquatic turtles in East Asia. The unusually long lifespan of some individuals makes this turtle species a potentially useful model organism for studying the molecular basis of longevity. In this study, pooled total RNA extracted from liver, spleen and skeletal-muscle of three adult individuals were sequenced using Illumina Hiseq 2500 platform. A set of telomere-related genes were found in the transcriptome, including tert, tep1, and six shelterin complex proteins coding genes (trf1, trf2, tpp1, pot1, tin2 and rap1). These genes products protect chromosome ends from deterioration and therefore significantly contribute to turtle longevity. The transcriptome data generated in this study provides a comprehensive reference for future molecular studies in the turtle.