Naked Moles Rats Don’t Get Cancer [Thoughts & Science]
This is the best piece of news I’ve seen in a year.
Gorbunova and Andrei Seluanov, professors of biology at the University of Rochester, and funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Ellison Medical Foundation, have found a gene present in naked mole rats that they believe prevents the rodents from ever getting cancer. Specifically, a gene that suppresses the reproduction of cells under certain conditions. This really could be a give a first glimmer of hope in finding a treatment for people like myself who are in remission of cancer… or better still, a way to fight cancer before it even gets a chance to sink it’s claws into someone.
Link To Source From The Source:
Despite a 30-year lifespan that gives ample time for cells to grow cancerous, a small rodent species called a naked mole rat has never been found with tumors of any kind—and now biologists at the University of Rochester think they know why.
The findings, presented in today’s issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, show that the mole rat’s cells express a gene called p16 that makes the cells “claustrophobic,” stopping the cells’ proliferation when too many of them crowd together, cutting off runaway growth before it can start. The effect of p16 is so pronounced that when researchers mutated the cells to induce a tumor, the cells’ growth barely changed, whereas regular mouse cells became fully cancerous.
“We think we’ve found the reason these mole rats don’t get cancer, and it’s a bit of a surprise,” say Vera Gorbunova and Andrei Seluanov, professors of biology at the University of Rochester and lead investigators on the discovery. “It’s very early to speculate about the implications, but if the effect of p16 can be simulated in humans we might have a way to halt cancer before it starts.”
Naked mole rats are strange, ugly, nearly hairless mouse-like creatures that live in underground communities. Unlike any other mammal, these communities consist of queens and workers more reminiscent of bees than rodents. Naked mole rats can live up to 30 years, which is exceptionally long for a small rodent. Despite large numbers of naked mole-rats under observation, there has never been a single recorded case of a mole rat contracting cancer, says Gorbunova. Adding to their mystery is the fact that mole rats appear to age very little until the very end of their lives.