由韓國梨花女子大學(xué)和華大基因共同主導(dǎo)完成的裸鼴鼠基因組研究成果，10月13日在國際頂尖雜志《自然》(Nature)上在線發(fā)表,。
中韓研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn),，TERT等衰老調(diào)控基因的穩(wěn)定表達(dá)，可能與裸鼴鼠的長壽相關(guān),；p16Ink4a與p19Arf的獨(dú)特調(diào)控機(jī)制可能是裸鼴鼠抗癌的重要因素,；HIF1a和VHL的特異突變可能是裸鼴鼠具有低氧耐受性的原因之一。
科學(xué)家們希望通過多組學(xué)研究揭開其“長生不老”的秘笈,，挖掘裸鼴鼠“抗痛抗癌”機(jī)理,，為人類抗衰老、抗癌癥等生物醫(yī)學(xué)研究作出更多貢獻(xiàn),。
研究人員還發(fā)現(xiàn)在裸鼴鼠基因組中有200多個(gè)基因發(fā)生功能缺失,，其中有10多個(gè)基因與視覺相關(guān)，這可能與裸鼴鼠視力的退化有重要關(guān)系,。這些基因的缺失為研究人員從分子水平上深入探討裸鼴鼠視力退化,、體溫調(diào)節(jié)發(fā)生障礙、無疼痛感,、無毛等奇特生物適應(yīng)性退化研究奠定科研基礎(chǔ),。
華大基因該項(xiàng)目負(fù)責(zé)人方曉東說，該研究首次從基因組,、轉(zhuǎn)錄組水平上對(duì)裸鼴鼠奇特的生物學(xué)特性進(jìn)行詮釋,，不僅有助于科學(xué)家們更加清楚地闡明裸鼴鼠能在黑暗、低氧等惡劣環(huán)境中生存并且能夠保持長壽和抗癌的生理機(jī)理,，同時(shí)對(duì)促進(jìn)其他生物學(xué)和生物醫(yī)學(xué)研究也具有十分重要的意義,。
裸鼴鼠是一種分布于東非部分地區(qū)的挖掘類嚙齒目動(dòng)物，也是目前僅有的兩種真社會(huì)性哺乳動(dòng)物之一,。它們居住在地下洞穴,，全身無毛，牙齒外突,，狀如香腸,，是世界上最丑陋的動(dòng)物之一。由于它們終生生活在黑暗的地下,，眼睛高度退化,，幾乎完全喪失視覺,，僅依靠身體兩側(cè)的觸須來辨認(rèn)方向,，然其壽命長達(dá)30年，并能像冷血?jiǎng)游镆粯樱ㄟ^與環(huán)境的熱交換來調(diào)節(jié)體溫,。(生物谷 Bioon.com)
doi:10.1038/nature10533
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Genome sequencing reveals insights into physiology and longevity of the naked mole rat
Eun Bae Kim, Xiaodong Fang, Alexey A. Fushan,Zhiyong Huang,Alexei V. Lobanov, Lijuan Han,Stefano M. Marino, Xiaoqing Sun,Anton A. Turanov,Pengcheng Yang, Sun Hee Yim, Xiang Zhao, Marina V. Kasaikina, Nina Stoletzki, Chunfang Peng, Paz Polak, Zhiqiang Xiong, Adam Kiezun,Yabing Zhu, Yuanxin Chen, Gregory V. Kryukov,, Qiang Zhang,Leonid Peshkin, Lan Yang, Roderick T. Bronson,Rochelle Buffenstein,Bo Wang,Changlei Han,Qiye Li,Li Chen,Wei Zhao,Shamil R. Sunyaev,, 4Thomas J. Park,Guojie Zhang,Jun Wang, 10& Vadim N. Gladyshev ,，et al.
The naked mole rat (Heterocephalus glaber) is a strictly subterranean, extraordinarily long-lived eusocial mammal. Although it is the size of a mouse, its maximum lifespan exceeds 30 years, making this animal the longest-living rodent. Naked mole rats show negligible senescence, no age-related increase in mortality, and high fecundity until death. In addition to delayed ageing, they are resistant to both spontaneous cancer and experimentally induced tumorigenesis. Naked mole rats pose a challenge to the theories that link ageing, cancer and redox homeostasis. Although characterized by significant oxidative stress, the naked mole rat proteome does not show age-related susceptibility to oxidative damage or increased ubiquitination. Naked mole rats naturally reside in large colonies with a single breeding female, the ‘queen’, who suppresses the sexual maturity of her subordinates. They also live in full darkness, at low oxygen and high carbon dioxide concentrations, and are unable to sustain thermogenesis nor feel certain types of pain10, 11. Here we report the sequencing and analysis of the naked mole rat genome, which reveals unique genome features and molecular adaptations consistent with cancer resistance, poikilothermy, hairlessness and insensitivity to low oxygen, and altered visual function, circadian rythms and taste sensing. This information provides insights into the naked mole rat’s exceptional longevity and ability to live in hostile conditions, in the dark and at low oxygen. The extreme traits of the naked mole rat, together with the reported genome and transcriptome information, offer opportunities for understanding ageing and advancing other areas of biological and biomedical research.
