They are weird, bald, subterranean rodents that look like sausages with teeth, and they have just revealed a genetic secret to long life.
A new study of the bizarre naked mole rat shows that the animals have evolved a DNA repair mechanism that could explain their longevity.
The new findings, published in the journal Science, could also shed light on why naked mole rats are resistant to a wide range of age-related diseases.
For this study, led by a team at Tonji University in Shanghai, China, the focus was DNA repair – a natural process in our bodies’ cells.
In naked mole rats though, the researchers found that the exact same protein does the opposite.
These peculiar, bald, underground rodents resemble sausages with teeth, and they recently disclosed a genetic key to longevity.
A novel investigation into the strange naked mole rat reveals that the creatures have developed a DNA repair system that may account for their long lifespan.
These burrow-dwelling rats are the longest-living rodents in the world, with a maximum lifespan of almost 40 years.
Publication of the new research in the journal Science may also help explain why naked mole rats are immune to a variety of age-related illnesses.
Many scientists are interested in learning more about the animals’ bodies because they are resistant to arthritis, cancer, and brain and spinal cord deterioration.
A team from Tonji University in Shanghai, China, conducted this study with the goal of examining DNA repair, which occurs naturally in the cells of our bodies. A mechanism that uses another intact strand of DNA as a template to mend the break is activated when strands of DNA, which are our genetic building blocks, are damaged.
A specific protein that is a part of that damage sensing and repair system was the subject of this study.
One substance that a cell produces when it detects damage is a protein known as c-GAS. There are a number of functions for that, but what these scientists were interested in was how it disrupts and interferes with the process of DNA repair in humans.
Researchers believe that this interference may shorten our lifespan and encourage cancer.
However, the same protein has the opposite effect in naked mole rats, the researchers discovered. It keeps each cell’s genetic code intact and aids in the body’s DNA repair.
Whale menopause is associated with length of life.
Species-wide mutations provide an indication of aging.
BBC Future: What we can learn about cancer treatment from naked mole rats.
Professor Gabriel Balmus of the University of Cambridge focuses on DNA repair and aging. According to him, the finding is “the tip of the iceberg” in terms of understanding why these animals live such remarkably long lives, and it is exciting.
Since naked mole-rats and humans share the same basic shape, cGAS can be compared to a biological Lego piece. However, in the mole-rat version, a few connectors are reversed, enabling it to assemble a completely different structure and function. “,”.
Prof. Balmus clarified that naked mole-rats seem to have “used it to their advantage” and rewired the same pathway over millions of years of evolution.
“This discovery poses important questions: what changed, how did evolution rewire the same protein to behave in reverse, and is this a singular instance or a component of a larger evolutionary pattern?”.
Scientists are primarily interested in learning how to enhance human health and prolong life expectancy by studying these rodents.
Professor Balmus stated, “I believe that if we could reverse-engineer the biology of the naked mole-rat, we might bring some much-needed therapies for an aging society.”. “.
