secrets of longevity. They’ve been digging into the DNA of
long-lived animals, including the naked mole rat. As might
be expected for a species with such a weird lifestyle and
biology, mole rats have plenty of fascinating genetic
adaptations for life in stuffy, pitch-black burrows. They also
have some intriguing traits that might help to explain their
lifespan, right down to the cellular level.
“We find differences in genes involved in the response to
DNA damage associated with ageing, compared with other
animals,” says de Magalhães, “and we know that cells from
naked mole rats are more resistant to stress and damage.”
This explains how mole rat cells seem to shrug off toxic
chemicals and other assaults on their DNA. And if that fails,
there’s a further defence mechanism: just kill off any
damaged cells as quickly as possible.
“Mouse cells continue to divide even with DNA damage,
which can cause cancer, but naked mole rat cells don’t,”
he says. “In mice, this damage doesn’t really matter
because their evolutionary priority is to reproduce very
quickly and then die. But because naked mole rats live for
longer, even a cell with a little bit of DNA damage has to be
prevented from dividing and killed off.”
Now, de Magalhães wants to use genetic engineering
to create mice carrying naked mole rat versions of
certain genes. This would help him to find out whether
these genes affect the mice’s ability to repair damaged
DNA or other processes that could contribute to a long
and healthy life. And once we find out, we might be able
to use these effects for ourselves. “We may be able to
apply these biological tricks to retard ageing or age-
related diseases in humans,” he says.
With their amazing ability to cheat death and stay
spritely for years, it’s unsurprising that naked mole rats
have caught the eye of companies and entrepreneurs,
particularly Silicon Valley tech gurus who seem
determined to live forever. Google’s secretive Calico Labs
has reportedly established its own colony, hoping to
develop new anti-ageing drugs based on its discoveries.
Whatever they find, some of it may already have rubbed
off on Faulkes. “One of my friends told me I looked 10
years younger than my age,” he laughs. “I told them it
must be something coming from the mole rats!” ßABOVE: Only the
mole rat queen
gives birth to
babies, but the
workers will
help care for
the youngKat Arney is a London-based science writer and broadcaster. Her
book Herding Hemingway’s Cats: Understanding How Our Genes
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