Naked mole rats - phenomenal long-livers share the secrets of "eternal youth".
Another secret of naked mole rats - creatures whose relative life expectancy is simply supernatural - was revealed by scientists from the A. N. Belozersky Moscow State University named after M. V. Lomonosov, who studied phenomenal animals together with their German and Swiss colleagues. Briefly, the youth Internet magazine of the University "Tatiana's Day" introduces the essence of their discovery, referring to the publication in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
The secret, it seems, lies in the mitochondria - the "power plants" of cells, which are equipped with efficient and trouble-free "treatment facilities" for legendary centenarians.
Mitochondria produce ATP - a universal "fuel" for all biochemical reactions in the body. During the production process, very harmful wastes are formed - reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are strong oxidants. They poison the "environment" - proteins, fats, and damage DNA. And this, as a result, ages the body, makes it unusable.
For naked mole rats, the production of "fuel" is also not waste-free. But it turned out to be much cleaner than that of other animals, including humans.
Scientists led by Mikhail Vysokikh, head of the Laboratory of Molecular Mechanisms of Aging at Moscow State University and professor at Moscow State University, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vladimir Skulachev, discovered that naked mole rats somehow reduce the electrical potential in their mitochondria to a level at which ATP production continues, and almost no ROS are formed.
Human "power plants" are equipped with similar "treatment facilities", but for some reason they quickly turn off - at an early age. Oxidants accumulate, damage both cells and mitochondria themselves, turning people into decrepit old people.
Scientists will not let go of naked mole rats.
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But naked mole rats hardly change with age - they look young to a ripe old age. They retain the ability and desire to reproduce, as well as a high level of gene expression. The animals are not affected by harmful chemicals. They are insensitive to radiation and can go without oxygen for a long time. And the most important thing: naked mole rats do not get cancer - they simply do not form malignant tumors.
The supernatural longevity demonstrated by naked mole rats, or, in a scientific way, Heterocephalus glaber, has long surprised scientists around the world. These natural wonders - whether moles or rats, completely devoid of any vegetation on the skin - live in Africa underground. The size of a mouse. And they live for almost 30 years. A kind of Duncan Macleodas. If not to say mafusaila. Compared to mice, of course, which are barely 3 years old. If a person had the health of a naked mole rat, he would live up to 800 years.
Several years ago, American researchers led by Rochelle Buffenstein from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio studied metabolic processes in underground rodents. And they found that the squirrels of mole rats practically do not change throughout life. Nothing damages them chemically. Could it be that the point is in the protective mechanism, which the scientists of the Moscow State University drew attention to?
The lifestyle of naked mole rats resembles that of moles.
The first secret of the naked mole rat
The first secret of the long-liver was also revealed by Russian scientists. Two years ago, Alexey Evdokimov and colleagues from the Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SB RAS) and the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of the SB RAS revealed amazing features in the operation of the DNA repair system of naked mole rats in a kind of workshop for the repair of genetic damage. The essence of research by Siberian scientists was reported by the Science in Siberia portal, which referred to an article in the Aging magazine.
Researchers ICBFM and IMKB irradiated naked mole rats and mice with hard ultraviolet light. Next, they compared their DNA repair processes.
- The activity of the repair of damaged bases and nucleotides in the cells of naked mole rats is much higher than in the cells of mice, said Olga Lavrik, Head of the Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry of Enzymes of the ICBFM SB RAS, RAS Corresponding Member.
According to the researcher, effective repair may well be responsible for the rodents' survival.
Interest in centenarians is understandable. Having identified and understood the mechanisms that allow them not to age, scientists expect to open new ways to get rid of cancer and senile ailments. It is possible that people will be able to extend their lives by improving its quality. To live without senile weakness until 800 years. Like naked mole rats.
Sooner or later, naked mole rats will admit everything.
Researchers from the Research Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology named after A. N. Belozersk Moscow State University joined the study of naked mole rats four years ago. The animals were presented to them by the Berlin Zoo. And for good reason.
reference
Repair (from the Latin reparatio - restoration) - the ability of cells to correct defects and breaks in DNA molecules damaged during its synthesis in a cell or as a result of some physical or chemical influence.
DNA repair is carried out by special enzyme systems of the cell.
All repair mechanisms are based on the fact that the DNA helix is double. And each cell has 2 copies of genetic information. If the nucleotide sequence of one of the two strands turns out to be damaged or altered, the information can be restored, since the second - correct - strand is preserved.
The repair takes place in several stages. On the first, damage is revealed. Further, the "wrong" piece of DNA is eliminated. Then comes the restoration of the integrity of the chain.
Depending on the type of damage, the number of steps and enzymes involved in its elimination can be different. As well as the success of the entire process as a whole.
VLADIMIR LAGOVSKY