Biologists from the University of Pittsburgh have determined why naked mole rats have unusual long-lived
In most mammals, including humans andmice, females are born with a finite number of eggs, which are produced in utero through a process called oogenesis. Because this supply is limited, fertility declines with age. In naked mole rats that live for more than 30 years, on the contrary, even an elderly queen retains the ability to give birth to a cub.
In the course of the study, scientists compared mice and nakeddiggers at different stages of development. The study showed that female naked mole rats have an exceptionally high number of eggs compared to mice and that the mortality rate of these cells is much lower.
In addition, the researchers found that oogenesisin naked mole rats it continues throughout life. They showed that progenitor cells from which eggs are formed were actively dividing in three-month-old animals. Similar "protocells" were found in ten-year-old female naked mole rats.
Naked mole rats live in colonies from severaltens to hundreds of individuals. Like bees or ants, only the dominant female in the colony can reproduce. At the same time, as it turned out, when a working female is removed from the colony, her reproductive function is restored so that she can become the new queen. The analysis showed that progenitor cells in working females are not active and begin to form eggs only after entering the uterus.
Although people live longer, menopausestill going on at the same age. We hope to use what we have learned about the naked mole rat to protect ovarian function later in life and prolong fertility.
Miguel Brieño-Enriquez, MD, University of Pittsburgh and study co-author
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