Nature – June 19th: The naked mole rat (Heterocephalus glaber) which lives in the dark - lives much longer (more than 30 years), than other mice (that only live 2–4 years). They can tolerate variable body temperatures, and both their skin and the upper respiratory tract are completely insensitive to chemical irritants such as acids and capsaicin (the spicy ingredient in chili peppers). They can survive periods of oxygen deprivation that would cause irreversible brain damage in other mammals, and they are also resistant to a broad spectrum of other stressors, such as the plant toxins and heavy metals found in the soils in which they live. Most surprisingly, naked mole-rats never get cancer!!! Why? A study published on June 19th in Nature suggests a mechanism for the phenomenon: a sugar in the spaces between naked mole-rat cells appears to lower the density of cell growth and prevent tumors from forming. The protective substance, called hyaluronan (HA), is part of the extracellular matrix in many animals, but naked mole-rats produce large amounts of an HA variant that has a high molecular weight. The researchers told Nature that their next step is to genetically engineer mice to produce HA like that of naked mole-rats, in an attempt to produce cancer-resistant mice. (Photograph courtesy : PiersonHill/Flickr).
Posted on: Sun, 23 Jun 2013 01:53:08 +0000
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