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Amoroso VG, Zhao A, Vargas I, Park TJ. Naked Mole-Rats Demonstrate Profound Tolerance to Low Oxygen, High Carbon Dioxide, and Chemical Pain. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13050819. [PMID: 36899677 PMCID: PMC10000161 DOI: 10.3390/ani13050819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Naked mole-rats (Heterocephalus glaber) are very unusual among subterranean mammals in that they live in large colonies and are extremely social, spending large amounts of time gathered together in underground nests more than a meter below the surface. Many respiring individuals resting in deep, poorly ventilated nests deplete the oxygen supply and increase the concentration of carbon dioxide. Consistent with living in that atmosphere, naked mole-rats tolerate levels of low oxygen and high carbon dioxide that are deadly to most surface-dwelling mammals. Naked mole-rats appear to have evolved a number of remarkable adaptations to be able to thrive in this harsh atmosphere. In order to successfully survive low oxygen atmospheres, they conserve energy utilization by reducing the physiological activity of all organs, manifest by reduced heart rate and brain activity. Amazingly, they resort to the anaerobic metabolism of fructose rather than glucose as a fuel to generate energy when challenged by anoxia. Similarly, high carbon dioxide atmospheres normally cause tissue acidosis, while naked mole-rats have a genetic mutation preventing both acid-induced pain and pulmonary edema. Together, these putative adaptations and the tolerances they provide make the naked mole-rat an important model for studying a host of biomedical challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vince G Amoroso
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Aishi Zhao
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Isabel Vargas
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Thomas J Park
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
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Vice EN, Lagestee S, Browe BM, Deb D, Smith ESJ, Park TJ. Sensory Systems of the African Naked Mole-Rat. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021; 1319:137-156. [PMID: 34424515 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-65943-1_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Naked mole-rats share some sensory characteristics with other subterraneans, including lack of object vision, retention of the ability to entrain their circadian rhythm to light, and poor hearing. On the other hand, a characteristic that may be specialized in the naked mole-rat is their exquisite orienting responses to the touch of even a single body vibrissa. They have about 100 whisker-like body vibrissae on their otherwise furless bodies. They are also insensitive to chemical and inflammatory pain, likely an adaptation to living in an atmosphere that is high in carbon dioxide, a result of many respiring individuals driving carbon dioxide accumulation. Naked mole-rats have the highest population density among subterranean mammals. High levels of carbon dioxide cause tissue acidosis and associated pain. Remarkably, naked mole-rats are completely immune to carbon dioxide-induced pulmonary edema. However, they retain the ability to detect acid as a taste (sour). Finally, their ability to smell and discriminate odors is comparable to that of rats and mice, but their vomeronasal organ, associated with sensing pheromones, is extremely small and shows a complete lack of post-natal growth. In this chapter, we review what is known about the sensory systems of the naked mole-rat with emphasis on how they differ from other mammals, and even other subterraneans. More extensive accounts of the naked mole-rat's auditory and pain systems can be found in other chapters of this book.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily N Vice
- Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Samantha Lagestee
- Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Brigitte M Browe
- Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Deblina Deb
- Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.,Kids In Motion Pediatric Therapy Services, Highland, MI, USA
| | - Ewan St J Smith
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Thomas J Park
- Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
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The Idiosyncratic Physiological Traits of the Naked Mole-Rat; a Resilient Animal Model of Aging, Longevity, and Healthspan. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021; 1319:221-254. [PMID: 34424518 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-65943-1_8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The subterranean-dwelling naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) is an extremophilic rodent, able to thrive in the harsh underground conditions of sub-Saharan Northeast Africa. This pelage-free mammal exhibits numerous unusual ecophysiological features including pronounced tolerance of thermolability, hypoxia, hypercapnia and noxious substances. As a mammal, the naked mole-rat provides a proof-of-concept that age-related changes in physiology are avoidable. At ages far beyond their expected lifespans given both their body size and/or the timing of early developmental milestones, naked mole-rats fail to exhibit meaningful changes in physiological health or demographic mortality. Lack of physiological deterioration with age is also evident in lean and fat mass, bone quality, and reproductive capacity. Rather, regardless of age, under basal conditions naked mole-rats appear to "idle on low" with their "shields up" as is manifested by low body temperature, metabolic rate, cardiac output and kidney concentrating ability, enabling better protection of organs and cellular function. When needed, they can nevertheless ramp up these functions, increasing cardiac output and metabolism 2-5 fold. Here we review many unusual aspects of their physiology and examine how these attributes facilitate both tolerance of the diverse suite of hostile conditions encountered in their natural milieu as well as contribute to their extraordinary longevity and resistance to common, age-related chronic diseases.
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Park TJ, Smith ESJ, Reznick J, Bennett NC, Applegate DT, Larson J, Lewin GR. African Naked Mole-Rats Demonstrate Extreme Tolerance to Hypoxia and Hypercapnia. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021; 1319:255-269. [PMID: 34424519 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-65943-1_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Naked mole-rats are extremely tolerant to low concentrations of oxygen (hypoxia) and high concentrations of carbon dioxide (hypercapnia), which is consistent with the environment that they inhabit. Naked mole-rats combine subterranean living with living in very densely populated colonies where oxygen becomes depleted and carbon dioxide accumulates. In the laboratory, naked mole-rats fully recover from 5 h exposure to 5% O2 and 5 h exposure to 80% CO2, whereas both conditions are rapidly lethal to similarly sized laboratory mice. During anoxia (0% O2) naked mole-rats enter a suspended animation-like state and switch from aerobic metabolism of glucose to anaerobic metabolism of fructose. Additional fascinating characteristics include that naked mole-rats show intrinsic brain tolerance to anoxia; a complete lack of hypoxia-induced and CO2-induced pulmonary edema; and reduced aversion to high concentrations of CO2 and acidic fumes. Here we outline a constellation of physiological and molecular adaptations that correlate with the naked mole-rat's hypoxic/hypercapnic tolerance and which offer potential targets for ameliorating pathological conditions in humans, such as the damage caused during cerebral ischemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J Park
- Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
| | - Ewan St J Smith
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jane Reznick
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - N C Bennett
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Daniel T Applegate
- Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - John Larson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Gary R Lewin
- Molecular Physiology of Somatic Sensation, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
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Browe BM, Olsen AR, Ramirez C, Rickman RH, Smith ESJ, Park TJ. The naked mole-rat has a functional purinergic pain pathway despite having a non-functional peptidergic pain pathway. NEUROBIOLOGY OF PAIN (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2020; 8:100047. [PMID: 32478202 PMCID: PMC7248424 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynpai.2020.100047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Revised: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Naked mole-rats (Heterocephalus glaber) have adaptations within their pain pathway that are beneficial to survival in large colonies within poorly ventilated burrow systems, with lower O2 and higher CO2 ambient levels than ground-level environments. These adaptations ultimately lead to a partial disruption of the C-fiber pain pathway, which enables naked mole-rats to not feel pain from the acidosis associated with CO2 accumulation. One hallmark of this disruption is that naked mole-rats do not express neuropeptides, such as Substance P and calcitonin gene-related peptide in their cutaneous C-fibers, effectively making the peptidergic pain pathway hypofunctional. One C-fiber pathway that remains unstudied in the naked mole-rat is the non-peptidergic, purinergic pathway, despite this being a key pathway for inflammatory pain. The current study aimed to establish the functionality of the purinergic pathway in naked mole-rats and the effectiveness of cannabinoids in attenuating pain through this pathway. Cannabinoids can manage chronic inflammatory pain in both humans and mouse models, and studies suggest a major downstream role for the purinergic receptor, P2X3, in this treatment. Here we used Ca2+-imaging of cultured dorsal root ganglion neurons and in vivo behavioral testing to demonstrate that the P2X3 pathway is functional in naked mole-rats. Additionally, formalin-induced inflammatory pain was reduced by the cannabinoid receptor agonist, WIN55 (inflammatory, but not acute phase) and the P2X3 receptor antagonist A-317491 (acute and inflammatory phases). This study establishes that the purinergic C-fiber pathway is present and functional in naked mole-rats and that cannabinoid-mediated analgesia occurs in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brigitte M. Browe
- Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Abigail R. Olsen
- Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Cesar Ramirez
- Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Rebecca H. Rickman
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1PD, UK
| | | | - Thomas J. Park
- Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
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Clayson MS, Devereaux MEM, Pamenter ME. Neurokinin-1 receptor activation is sufficient to restore the hypercapnic ventilatory response in the Substance P-deficient naked mole-rat. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2020; 318:R712-R721. [PMID: 31967860 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00251.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Naked mole-rats (NMRs) live in large colonies within densely populated underground burrows. Their collective respiration generates significant metabolic carbon dioxide (CO2) that diffuses slowly out of the burrow network, creating a hypercapnic environment. Currently, the physiological mechanisms that underlie the ability of NMRs to tolerate environmental hypercapnia are largely unknown. To address this, we used whole-body plethysmography and respirometry to elucidate the hypercapnic ventilatory and metabolic responses of awake, freely behaving NMRs to 0%-10% CO2. We found that NMRs have a blunted hypercapnic ventilatory response (HCVR): ventilation increased only in 10% CO2. Conversely, metabolism was unaffected by hypercapnia. NMRs are insensitive to cutaneous acid-based pain caused by modified substance P (SP)-mediated peripheral neurotransmission, and SP is also an important neuromodulator of ventilation. Therefore, we re-evaluated physiological responses to hypercapnia in NMRs after an intraperitoneal injection of exogenous substance P (2 mg/kg) or a long-lived isoform of substance P {[pGlu5-MePhe8-MeGly9]SP(5-11), DiMe-C7; 40-400 μg/kg}. We found that both drugs restored hypercapnia sensitivity and unmasked an HCVR in animals breathing 2%-10% CO2. Taken together, our findings indicate that NMRs are remarkably tolerant of hypercapnic environments and have a blunted HCVR; however, the signaling network architecture required for a "normal" HCVR is retained but endogenously inactive. This muting of chemosensitivity likely suits the ecophysiology of this species, which presumably experiences hypercapnia regularly in their underground niche.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxwell S Clayson
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Matthew E Pamenter
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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Browe BM, Vice EN, Park TJ. Naked Mole‐Rats: Blind, Naked, and Feeling No Pain. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2018; 303:77-88. [PMID: 30365235 DOI: 10.1002/ar.23996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2017] [Revised: 01/15/2018] [Accepted: 01/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Brigitte M. Browe
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Illinois at Chicago, Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience 840 West Taylor St, Chicago Illinois
| | - Emily N. Vice
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Illinois at Chicago, Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience 840 West Taylor St, Chicago Illinois
| | - Thomas J. Park
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Illinois at Chicago, Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience 840 West Taylor St, Chicago Illinois
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Behavioural responses to environmental hypercapnia in two eusocial species of African mole rats. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2018; 204:811-819. [DOI: 10.1007/s00359-018-1283-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2018] [Revised: 08/19/2018] [Accepted: 08/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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Schuhmacher LN, Callejo G, Srivats S, Smith ESJ. Naked mole-rat acid-sensing ion channel 3 forms nonfunctional homomers, but functional heteromers. J Biol Chem 2017; 293:1756-1766. [PMID: 29237731 PMCID: PMC5798305 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m117.807859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2017] [Revised: 12/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) form both homotrimeric and heterotrimeric ion channels that are activated by extracellular protons and are involved in a wide range of physiological and pathophysiological processes, including pain and anxiety. ASIC proteins can form both homotrimeric and heterotrimeric ion channels. The ASIC3 subunit has been shown to be of particular importance in the peripheral nervous system with pharmacological and genetic manipulations demonstrating a role in pain. Naked mole-rats, despite having functional ASICs, are insensitive to acid as a noxious stimulus and show diminished avoidance of acidic fumes, ammonia, and carbon dioxide. Here we cloned naked mole-rat ASIC3 (nmrASIC3) and used a cell-surface biotinylation assay to demonstrate that it traffics to the plasma membrane, but using whole-cell patch clamp electrophysiology we observed that nmrASIC3 is insensitive to both protons and the non-proton ASIC3 agonist 2-guanidine-4-methylquinazoline. However, in line with previous reports of ASIC3 mRNA expression in dorsal root ganglia neurons, we found that the ASIC3 antagonist APETx2 reversibly inhibits ASIC-like currents in naked mole-rat dorsal root ganglia neurons. We further show that like the proton-insensitive ASIC2b and ASIC4, nmrASIC3 forms functional, proton-sensitive heteromers with other ASIC subunits. An amino acid alignment of ASIC3s between 9 relevant rodent species and human identified unique sequence differences that might underlie the proton insensitivity of nmrASIC3. However, introducing nmrASIC3 differences into rat ASIC3 (rASIC3) produced only minor differences in channel function, and replacing the nmrASIC3 sequence with that of rASIC3 did not produce a proton-sensitive ion channel. Our observation that nmrASIC3 forms nonfunctional homomers may reflect a further adaptation of the naked mole-rat to living in an environment with high-carbon dioxide levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura-Nadine Schuhmacher
- From the Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1PD, United Kingdom
| | - Gerard Callejo
- From the Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1PD, United Kingdom
| | - Shyam Srivats
- From the Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1PD, United Kingdom
| | - Ewan St John Smith
- From the Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1PD, United Kingdom
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Lewis KN, Soifer I, Melamud E, Roy M, McIsaac RS, Hibbs M, Buffenstein R. Unraveling the message: insights into comparative genomics of the naked mole-rat. Mamm Genome 2016; 27:259-78. [PMID: 27364349 PMCID: PMC4935753 DOI: 10.1007/s00335-016-9648-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2016] [Accepted: 05/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Animals have evolved to survive, and even thrive, in different environments. Genetic adaptations may have indirectly created phenotypes that also resulted in a longer lifespan. One example of this phenomenon is the preternaturally long-lived naked mole-rat. This strictly subterranean rodent tolerates hypoxia, hypercapnia, and soil-based toxins. Naked mole-rats also exhibit pronounced resistance to cancer and an attenuated decline of many physiological characteristics that often decline as mammals age. Elucidating mechanisms that give rise to their unique phenotypes will lead to better understanding of subterranean ecophysiology and biology of aging. Comparative genomics could be a useful tool in this regard. Since the publication of a naked mole-rat genome assembly in 2011, analyses of genomic and transcriptomic data have enabled a clearer understanding of mole-rat evolutionary history and suggested molecular pathways (e.g., NRF2-signaling activation and DNA damage repair mechanisms) that may explain the extraordinarily longevity and unique health traits of this species. However, careful scrutiny and re-analysis suggest that some identified features result from incorrect or imprecise annotation and assembly of the naked mole-rat genome: in addition, some of these conclusions (e.g., genes involved in cancer resistance and hairlessness) are rejected when the analysis includes additional, more closely related species. We describe how the combination of better study design, improved genomic sequencing techniques, and new bioinformatic and data analytical tools will improve comparative genomics and ultimately bridge the gap between traditional model and nonmodel organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaitlyn N Lewis
- Calico Life Sciences LLC, 1170 Veterans Blvd, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Ilya Soifer
- Calico Life Sciences LLC, 1170 Veterans Blvd, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Eugene Melamud
- Calico Life Sciences LLC, 1170 Veterans Blvd, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Margaret Roy
- Calico Life Sciences LLC, 1170 Veterans Blvd, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - R Scott McIsaac
- Calico Life Sciences LLC, 1170 Veterans Blvd, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Matthew Hibbs
- Computer Science Department, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX, 78212, USA
| | - Rochelle Buffenstein
- Calico Life Sciences LLC, 1170 Veterans Blvd, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA.
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Ma S, Lee SG, Kim EB, Park TJ, Seluanov A, Gorbunova V, Buffenstein R, Seravalli J, Gladyshev VN. Organization of the Mammalian Ionome According to Organ Origin, Lineage Specialization, and Longevity. Cell Rep 2015; 13:1319-1326. [PMID: 26549444 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2015.10.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2015] [Revised: 08/19/2015] [Accepted: 10/05/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Trace elements are essential to all mammals, but their distribution and utilization across species and organs remains unclear. Here, we examined 18 elements in the brain, heart, kidney, and liver of 26 mammalian species and report the elemental composition of these organs, the patterns of utilization across the species, and their correlation with body mass and longevity. Across the organs, we observed distinct distribution patterns for abundant elements, transition metals, and toxic elements. Some elements showed lineage-specific patterns, including reduced selenium utilization in African mole rats, and positive correlation between the number of selenocysteine residues in selenoprotein P and the selenium levels in liver and kidney across mammals. Body mass was linked positively to zinc levels, whereas species lifespan correlated positively with cadmium and negatively with selenium. This study provides insights into the variation of mammalian ionome by organ physiology, lineage specialization, body mass, and longevity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siming Ma
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Sang-Goo Lee
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Bioinspired Science, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 120-750, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun Bae Kim
- Department of Bioinspired Science, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 120-750, Republic of Korea; Department of Animal Life Science, College of Animal Life Sciences, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Kangwon-do 200-701, Republic of Korea
| | - Thomas J Park
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Andrei Seluanov
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
| | - Vera Gorbunova
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
| | - Rochelle Buffenstein
- Department of Physiology and The Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX 78245, USA
| | - Javier Seravalli
- Redox Biology Center and Department of Biochemistry, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
| | - Vadim N Gladyshev
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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Buffenstein R, Nelson OL, Corbit KC. Questioning the preclinical paradigm: natural, extreme biology as an alternative discovery platform. Aging (Albany NY) 2015; 6:913-20. [PMID: 25553771 PMCID: PMC4276785 DOI: 10.18632/aging.100704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The pace at which science continues to advance is astonishing. From cosmology, microprocessors, structural engineering, and DNA sequencing our lives are continually affected by science-based technology. However, progress in treating human ailments, especially age-related conditions such as cancer and Alzheimer's disease, moves at a relative snail's pace. Given that the amount of investment is not disproportionately low, one has to question why our hopes for the development of efficacious drugs for such grievous illnesses have been frustratingly unrealized. Here we discuss one aspect of drug development –rodent models – and propose an alternative approach to discovery research rooted in evolutionary experimentation. Our goal is to accelerate the conversation around how we can move towards more translative preclinical work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rochelle Buffenstein
- Barshop Institute for Aging and Longevity Studies, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, TX University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, TX USA
| | - O Lynne Nelson
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 9916, USA
| | - Kevin C Corbit
- Department of Metabolic Disorders, Amgen, Inc., Thousand Oaks, CA 91360, USA
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13
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Immunohistochemical characterization of the chemosensory pulmonary neuroepithelial bodies in the naked mole-rat reveals a unique adaptive phenotype. PLoS One 2014; 9:e112623. [PMID: 25409164 PMCID: PMC4237365 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0112623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2014] [Accepted: 10/09/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The pulmonary neuroepithelial bodies (NEBs) constitute polymodal airway chemosensors for monitoring and signaling ambient gas concentrations (pO2, pCO2/H+) via complex innervation to the brain stem controlling breathing. NEBs produce the bioactive amine, serotonin (5-HT), and a variety of peptides with multiple effects on lung physiology and other organ systems. NEBs in mammals appear prominent and numerous during fetal and neonatal periods, and decline in the post-natal period suggesting an important role during perinatal adaptation. The naked mole-rat (NMR), Heterocephalus glaber, has adapted to the extreme environmental conditions of living in subterranean burrows in large colonies (up to 300 colony mates). The crowded, unventilated burrows are environments of severe hypoxia and hypercapnia. However, NMRs adjust readily to above ground conditions. The chemosensory NEBs of this species were characterized and compared to those of the conventional Wistar rat (WR) to identify similarities and differences that could explain the NMR’s adaptability to environments. A multilabel immunohistochemical analysis combined with confocal microscopy revealed that the expression patterns of amine, peptide, neuroendocrine, innervation markers and chemosensor component proteins in NEBs of NMR were similar to that of WR. However, we found the following differences: 1) NEBs in both neonatal and adult NMR lungs were significantly larger and more numerous as compared to WR; 2) NEBs in NMR had a more variable compact cell organization and exhibited significant differences in the expression of adhesion proteins; 3) NMR NEBs showed a significantly greater ratio of 5-HT positive cells with an abundance of 5-HT; 4) NEBs in NMR expressed the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and the neurogenic gene (MASH1) indicating active proliferation and a state of persistent differentiation. Taken together our findings suggest that NEBs in lungs of NMR are in a hyperactive, functional and developmental state, reminiscent of a persistent fetal state that extends postnatally.
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Zakon H. Hibernating mammals pass the acid test: multiple independent evolutions of enhanced proton block of sodium channels in acid-sensing pain receptors. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2014; 83:245-6. [PMID: 24942359 DOI: 10.1159/000361037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Harold Zakon
- Department of Neuroscience University of Texas, Austin, Tex., USA
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