Whales and … naked mole rats?
By: Ava Leaphart (Trinity '25)
November 2022
In a recent meeting with Dr. Ken Storey about how dolphins may adapt to hypoxic conditions - one of the most highly cited scientists in the world - he discussed how he is conducting similar research on a completely different mammal, the Naked mole-rat (NMR). To me, the connection was not immediately clear on how NMRs related to dolphins in any sense, especially in regards to their ability to undergo hypoxic conditions for extended periods, however, his concise elaboration on the nature of their habitat (underground where at times, oxygen is not readily available at the same quantity above ground) quickly cleared up a lot of confusion and opened a new pathway of interest.
Naked Mole Rat (Sartore)
In reading through Dr. Storey’s website (“The Storey Lab: Cell and Molecular Responses to Stress.”), I found that NMRs can survive for days at low oxygen levels (8%) and up to 18 minutes in complete anoxia, all the while undergoing minimal to negligible damage (Hawkins et al. 2019). A specific article, in particular, caught my eye looking at the expression of neuroprotective proteins in the brains of NMRs during hypoxic states allowing them to live long lives despite the frequency of these states. This discussion reminded me of the team’s, and the world’s astonishment with the diving capabilities of Cuvier’s beaked whales (CBW) who have hypoxic dives besting most whales in both depth and duration and also appear resistant to any long-term damage despite the frequency in repetition of these hypoxic states.
Cuvier's Beaked Whale (Holt)
In the NMRs, the research to study the shift in regulation in the proteins to protect their neural capabilities was much easier to measure by simply submitting the NMRs to different states, and then taking samples immediately after. However in CBWs, it becomes significantly more difficult because they would have to be sampled directly after their dives which can last up to 222 minutes assuming they surface in the same area. If possible however, I think a comparison between the signaling pathways which sustain NMRs and CBWs during their hypoxic states could illuminate common or similar pathways which Mammalian cells utilize to prevent cell death and preserve function.
Relative expression (fold-change) (Hawkins et al., 2019)
Hawkins, Liam J., et al. “Naked Mole Rats Activate Neuroprotective Proteins during Hypoxia.” Journal of Experimental Zoology Part A: Ecological and Integrative Physiology, vol. 331, no. 10, 2019, pp. 571–576., https://doi.org/10.1002/jez.2321.
“The Storey Lab: Cell and Molecular Responses to Stress.” The Storey Lab: Cell and Molecular Responses to Stress | Comparative and Adaptational Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, http://www.kenstoreylab.com/.
Sartore, J. (n.d.). Naked Mole Rat. National Geographic. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nationalgeographic.com%2Fanimals%2Fmammals%2Ffacts%2Fnaked-mole-rat&psig=AOvVaw0C09frHSlZNUlLQhGrYjvX&ust=1673977508666000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA4QjRxqFwoTCJDXvKfSzPwCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE.
Holt, R. (n.d.). Cuvier's Beaked Whale. NOAA Fisheries. Retrieved from https://media.fisheries.noaa.gov/styles/full_width/s3/2021-07/750x500%20-%20SEFSC%20-%20Cuvier%27s%20beaked%20whale.jpg?itok=18DdoIi0.
Liam , H., Hadj‐Moussa, H., Nguyen, V., Pamenter, M., & Storey, K. (n.d.). Relative Expression (fold-change). Naked mole rats activate neuroprotective proteins during hypoxia. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/jez.2321.