Scientists from two institutes of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences have established that the legendary longevity of a rodent inhabiting Africa - the naked mole rat (Heterocephalus glaber) may be due to its unique DNA recovery (repair) system, the SB RAS publication Science in Siberia reported on Friday.
Scientists have long been trying to solve the mystery of the naked mole rat living in East Africa, whose average life expectancy is almost 30 years, while the average mouse has a year and a half. It was found that with age, he does not reveal the changes inherent in aging, does not change his appearance and reproductive function. In addition, it is insensitive to chemical or radiological effects, and is not very susceptible to the formation of cancerous tumors. In terms of human life span, the naked mole rat lives for 600 years.
Researchers from the Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences have compared how the nuclear extract of connective tissue cells (fibroblasts) of a naked mole rat and a mouse reacts to ultraviolet radiation that generates DNA damage. Then the activity of DNA repair in a mole rat and a mouse was investigated.
“We have found that the activity of repairing damaged bases and nucleotides in naked mole rat cells is much higher than in mouse cells. We believe that effective repair can be responsible for the fact that the rodent lives for so long,”Olga Lavrik, the head of the laboratory of bioorganic chemistry of enzymes at the ICBFM SB RAS, quoted in the message.
Scientists hope that further research on DNA repair in naked mole rats will find new ways to get rid of cancer and diseases associated with aging, as well as increase the duration and quality of life.
The naked mole rat is a small burrowing rodent of the mole rat family that does not have a thick hairline with a body length of 8-10 centimeters. The species is distinguished by features that are unique for mammals: the complex social organization of the colony, weak susceptibility to external stimuli, and the fact that its body practically does not age. The habitat of the naked mole rat is the countries of East Africa (Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia).
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