Naked mole rats' DNA could hold key to long life 12 hours ago Share Save Victoria Gill Science correspondent, BBC News Share Save Washington Post via Getty Images Naked mole rats live for up to 40 years, compared to about three years for a mouse 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. These burrow-dwelling rats have a maximum life span of nearly 40 years, making them the world's longest-lived rodent. 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. The animals are resistant to cancer, deterioration of the brain and spinal cord, and arthritis, so many scientists want to understand more about how their bodies work. 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. When strands of DNA - our genetic building blocks - are damaged, a mechanism is triggered whereby another undamaged strand of DNA is used as a template to repair the break. The focus of this research was on a particular protein that is involved in that system of damage sensing and repair. When a cell senses the damage, one of the substances it produces is a protein called c-GAS. That plays several roles, but what was of interest to these scientists is that in humans, it interferes with and hampers the process by which DNA is knitted back together. Scientists think that this interference could promote cancer and shorten our lifespan. In naked mole rats though, the researchers found that the exact same protein does the opposite. It helps the body mend strands of DNA and keeps the genetic code in each cell intact. Whale menopause linked to longer lifespan Mutations across species reveal clue to ageing BBC Future: What naked mole rats can teach us about treating cancer Chicago Tribune via Getty Images Naked mole rats live in a network of underground tunnels and chambers
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