By Jocelyn Kaiser
ScienceNOW Daily News
26 October 2009
With its wrinkled skin and bucked teeth, the naked mole rat isn't going to win any beauty contests. But the burrowing, desert rodent is exceptional in another way: It doesn't get cancer. The naked mole rat's cells hate to be crowded, it turns out, so they stop growing before they can form tumors. The details could someday lead to a new strategy for treating cancer in people.
In search of clues to aging, cell biologists Vera Gorbunova, Andrei Seluanov, and colleagues at the University of Rochester have been comparing rodents that vary in size and life span, from mice to beavers. The naked mole rat stands out because it's small yet can live more than 28 years--seven times as long as a house mouse. Resistance to cancer could be a major factor; whereas most laboratory mice and rats die from the disease, it has never been observed in naked mole rats.
Gorbunova's team looked at the mole rat's cells for an answer. Normal human and mouse cells will grow and divide in a petri dish until they mash tightly against one another in a single, dense layer--a mechanism known as "contact inhibition." Naked mole rat cells are even more sensitive to their neighbors, the researchers found. The cells stop growing as soon as they touch. The strategy likely helps keep the rodents cancer-free, as contact inhibition fails in cancerous cells, causing them to pile up.
The reason, the researchers discovered, is that naked mole rat cells rely on two proteins--named p27Kip1 and p16Ink4a--to stop cell growth when they touch, whereas human and mouse cells rely mainly on p27Kip1. "They use an additional checkpoint," says Gorbunova, whose study appears online today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). When the team mutated the naked mole rat cells so that they grew much closer together than they had before, levels of p16Ink4a dropped.
The naked mole rat's kind of cancer prevention may prove relevant to humans because the same genes are involved, says Brown University cancer biologist John Sedivy. The rat's defenses "evolved separately but use the same nuts and bolts," he says. Sedivy writes in an accompanying commentary in PNAS that it may be possible to "tweak the entire network [of tumor-suppressing pathways] to develop new prevention strategies."
The next step, Gorbunova says, is to find other proteins and molecules that make up this new contact inhibition pathway. One obstacle is that little is known about the naked mole rat's genes. The critter has been proposed for genome sequencing but so far has been turned down. "I hope Vera's study will put the naked mole rate higher up in the queue," says George Martin, a researcher who studies aging and a professor emeritus at the University of Washington.
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38 comments:
Who would've thought a small,weird looking mole rat could be living on earth with the cure for cancer that is desperately needed. Millions of people have died of cruel cancers and without a victorius fight. Weird how the naked mole rat's cells hate to be crowded, but our cells just keep on growing. After reading this I bet scientist and researchers will use the information they have learned to help those unfortunate ones who have been diagnosed with cancer. The naked mole rat should be used for genome sequencing instead of being turned down; you never know maybe something good will come out of this.
After reading this aticle i learned that mole rats have cells that hate to be crowded and do to this they dont get cancer. Mole rat cells don't like to be crowded and human cells do. Mole rats can live for about 28 years which is about 7 times as much as a house mouse. This life span of mole rats might be because of cancer resistance. I think this article is interesting because it shows that maybe there is a chance for find a cure for cancer. I think that is pretty cool that mole rats can't get cancer and they can live for a long time. If scientists look at these mole rats maybe they will find a cure for cancer or at least something that will help control it. These mole rats maybe the key to life to some people and well scientists should really start studing them.
whoa! How amazing! I would have never thought that a naked mole rat may or will be the solution to no more cancer. It is so cool how God created an animal that can't get cancer. He specifically created its cells to stop replicating as soon as they touched each other. That in its self is so mind blowing! In this article I learned that the life span of the naked mole rat is seven times longer than a house mouse and that may be due to the fact that they can't get cancer. Although these hairless little creatures aren't the best looking, they may actually be the solution to a mystery that no one has been able to solve.
I learned that naked mole rats do not get cancer. Their cells are sensitive and do not get close enough to form a tumor. This is very intersting to read about. Who would have thought that these rodents could contain such an incredible cell trait. I feel if researchers and scinetists continue to study these animals, they will find a way to stop cancer from growing in people. This could be a huge impact on our world.
I found this article quite interesting. It just so happens that through research of aging, the naked mole rat- usually thought of as a small, weird looking thing- just might be our only hope leading to the cure for cancer. Because of the sensitivity of the rodents' cells, they stop multiplying as soon as they make contact with other cells, leading to their cancer-free species. Scientists should really reconsider. If they really think about it, they have nothing to loose and wonders to gain.
First of all, I think that these nake mole rats are very lucky and our cells should function like theirs. The main reason they do though is because of the two type of proteins the more rat relies on. I learned that when human and mouse cells mash tightly against each other, it is a mechanism called contact inhibition. I think this article may be the start to a solution many humans need. Cancer is a very deadly disease no one wants. If scientists are able to get human cells to react as the mole rat's cells, maybe something can be done to stop cancer.
While reading this article i learned that humans have one type of cell(p27Kip1) while the naked mole rat has two types of cells, one being the same as humans and the other being "p16Ink4a" which stops cell growth and pile up. This cell however maybe the reason why they are cancer-free, for humans and mice that don't have this cell has their cells piling all over the place, the naked mole rats have that special cell that just makes sure that the cells stop growing when they touch one another (it was studied by Garbunova's team). That was just wow. I'm speechless like completely. I never thought that i might have to look up to a naked mole rat for something that may somewhat become a cure someday and help those that have been or had just become cancerous. This article may be very useful to scientists or anyone willing to find a cure out there.
"The looks doesn't matter what matters is the inside" in this case the cells. Who would have thought that the naked mole rat would be play an important part in resolving a battle in which people unfortunately are the most affected. This blog was of a big interest learning that a naked mole rat cells hate to be crowded so they STOP growing before they can form tumors and also that they rely on two proteins p27Kip1 and p16Ink4a.This will be the missing piece of the unfinished puzzel because knowing that the only difference between the naked mole rat and the human is that one protein p16Ink4a can be the most helpful thing to help scientist finish finding the piece of the unfinished puzzle "cancer".
It's amazing how an ugly looking creature like that has the immunity to cancer.Who would of thought that after all these years of trying to fight cancer, a tiny little creature could help millions of people fight off cancer. I learned that these mole rats have the ability to stop producing cells once they feel crowded to each other. It would be totally awsome if humans had the power to control the amount of cells inside ones body and that way no one would have to go through the pain of cancer waiting to die.
In this article I’ve learned that the naked mole rat does not get cancer. The reason for this is because of the way their cells work and some special kind of proteins in their bodies. The cells in their bodies hate to be crowded and stop growing when they touch. These incredible little creatures can live up to 28 years, which is seven times more than the average house mouse. The reason could be that their cells are immune to cancer. John Sedivy from the University of Brown believes that the mole rats prevention may be relevant to humans because the same genes are involved. If this is true I sure do hope that the mole rats are put in for a genome sequencing experiment since it can help save many lives. So far it has been turn down. (A very interesting article)
Well to be honest before reading this article I thought only humans could get cancer, and now I wonder are there any other animals besides the naked mole rat that can't get cancer? This article is pretty cool because it shed some light on to a possible cure for cancer, we can isolate and study the 2 proteins that the naked mole rats use and learn from them. We should also include them in more laboratory experiments alongside mice. This is pretty interesting and gives people a lot of hope but also raises more questions as well.
For many years,scientist have focused their experients and studies on rats and chimpanzee because of their close relation to humans.The naked mole rat wouldn't have been my first choice either but with their ability to stop growing cells before tumors can form is amazing. I believe that this is going to be another step in finding a cure for cancer. There are many scientist that have their own technique but this one sounds very effective. The future of us humans is looking pretty bright thanks to these hairless creatures. Now that one animal is resistant to cancers, hopefully not too long from now there will be an experimental drug for cancer patients to try.
Karla Trevino 1st Pd
Who would have known that a rat could become a new hope for the horrible sickness of cancer. This article was really interesting and it caught my attention just by reading the title. I think scientists should really look into these rats, eventhough I'm against animal testing. But if it could help the war against cancer in animals and people then I think it is acceptable aslong as there's no torturing of any sort. I hope this type of discoveries change our world for the better.
Who would have thought that one of the most feared and hated animals in the world could hold the key to possibly curing cancer? Scientists should really concentrate on studying the naked mole rat in order to help people who have cancer. Who cares if they are little rodents, if they can help us then it don't matter.
It is quite amazing how such and infectious animal can have such an impact on biologist. This is pretty awesome how they may have found a cure. I think this is going to be cool because for the first time in many years we may have found a cure for the deadly virus many people have been fighting for. This will bring many hopes for the needy ones and hopely there will be a chance to cure the virus in later years.
This new naked mole rat investigation is really astonishing, because out of all the animals and creatures out there the naked mole rat is the one that is immune to cancer, that is random. In a more clear point of view this could lead to a really BIG discovery for the cure on cancer, which can help all human kind in general. This discovery can be analyzed in better depth and gives us one step closer to where we should be doing our research for cancer.
I learned that mole rats have cells that don't like be crowded and because of these cells they can't get cancer. Mole rats can live for about 28 years. It is very interesting how these mole rats are like immuned to this awful desease which has killed millions of people. By knowing that these mole rats don't get cancer it can help us know that their might be a chance out there of discovering something that can help cure cancer.
W-O-W!!! Besides being naked, weird and funny looking, these rats obtain an amazing immunity towards cancer! This article was extremely interesting, their cells are amazing not just because they are too sensitive and will not grow larger to access cancer but because they control their size and make sure this illness won't build up in their tiny bodies. I believe that researchers have their eyes wide open in this case and will continue to investigate and make an advancement out of this. This could change our way of living and help those with cancer. AMAZING.... :)
After reading this article I discovered one of the most amazing interesting thing ever,that the naked mole rats don't deveplop cancer.Woah! How amazing,right?Another interesting fact that caught my attention was that because naked mole rat's hate to be crowded so they stop growing caused by their cells which involves a protein called p16lnk4a which we don't have. Which causes them to stop growing before any tumors can develope (form).I also discovered that their life span is like about 7 times longer than that of a regular mouse it, it might be due to their resistence towards cancer.This is beyond amazing because it can lead us into finding the cure to stop cancer and all thanks to a little mole rat.Who would have ever imagined the creatures we detest are maybe going to be the solution and heroes to many. This article is very interesting.
After reading this article I discovered one of the most amazing interesting thing ever,that the naked mole rats don't deveplop cancer.Woah! How amazing,right?Another interesting fact that caught my attention was that because naked mole rat's hate to be crowded so they stop growing caused by their cells which involves a protein called p16lnk4a which we don't have. Which causes them to stop growing before any tumors can develope (form).I also discovered that their life span is like about 7 times longer than that of a regular mouse it, it might be due to their resistence towards cancer.This is beyond amazing because it can lead us into finding the cure to stop cancer and all thanks to a little mole rat.Who would have ever imagined the creatures we detest are maybe going to be the solution and heroes to many. This article is very interesting.
The irony of the naked mole rat, looking to me, like it already has cancer but is cancer resistant just blows my mind. I thought all cells liked to be together. I also never knew the life span of a naked mole rat. I didn't expect them to live such long lives. They should allow them to study on naked mole rats, because they could miss out on a important clue to help cure or prevent cancer! I think that the more they study these rats the closer we will be to finding a answer to curing cancer.
-Amy Benavidez 1st pd.
Just like the saying, small things can accomplish great things. A rat with the cure for cancer, im pretty sure we are all jealous, and i surely wish i knew this before others, then i would have been rich haha. I also wish i had known that the moles cells stop growing so it doesnt get any tumors. This is the way of the naked moles rat due to cancer cells, as for humans, cells will grow and divide wheareas therin lies the problem.
i feel that this blog is surprising in every sense of the meaning. Who knew that a nasty naked mole rat would get the honors of being the winner in the fight against cancer? I also feel that the naked mole rat should be praised for its source of inspiration and knowledge.
Readers of this blog will be in shock and awe, they wont believe this at all. I still dont believe that a naked mole rat, a nasty lookin rat, and a small character on Kim Possible would get the win over cancer. I also feel that readers will suddenly feel and say "if a rat can do it why cant we" and soon scientists are going to try all they can to make this possible. Who knows maybe it will happen in a few years.
Chris Sanchez 3rd Period
Naked mole rats are the coolest. After watching a million and one episodes of Kim Possible, I have learned that naked mole rats are not just useful as pocket pets, but they are also great to be experimented on. I would've never thought that a naked mole rat may possibly be the answer to finding a cure for cancer. I learned that these mole rats have to different types of cells, as opposed to us humans that have just one. One of the naked mole rats cell types is the same as that of a human, and the other one is a cell type that stops and controls the clustering of cells, it can be considered a cancer preventing cell if you think about it. It's incredible, not just how mole rats can't develop cancer, but also how their cells function. The mole rats cells do not like to be crowded and in effect to this mole rats can't develop cancer, like us humans. I think mole rats should be examined in more detail and we should really pay attention to how these molerats develop and any possible side effects. Maybe we can use them to find out cures for other life threatining diseases. I also learned that mole rats live up to 28 years that's about 7 times more than the average mouse. This may also be due to the fact that these naked mole rats cannot develop cancer, and well mice can.
I would've never guessed that naked mole rats are immune to cancer. I also didn't know naked mole rats life span is seven times as long as a house mouse. I found this article really really interesting. I think this is the best article I have ever read. I think this article would shock other readers as it did to me. I'm more than sure that eventually we will find the cure for cancer to save millions of lives.
Its incredible how such and unexpected creature may contain the tool to battle of of our species greatest weakness.Cancer. Cancer is one of the top causes of death and the cause lies in the inability in our own sales to stop growing once they reach a certain checkpoint. It is incredible how such an unlikely fellow has evolved cells that are Claustrophobic to each other. By having 2 stop ways in contrast to humans and most other species it prevents itself from getting cancer. By studying what lies in the bottom of such and evolutionary adjustment we may understand what trigerd the sales to act like that and may be able to use the same for human sale development.
From this aricle I learned that the naked mole rats cannot get cancer due to the fact that they rely on two proteins that make it imposible for them to grow cancer. I also learned that unlike human cells the naked mole rat cells stop growing as soon as they come in contact with other cells, therefore making it impossible for the cells to create a tumor. This aricle was interesting to me because the way the naked mole rats have a natural protection against cancer is turely amazing. Also because it makes me wonder about all the possiblities there is of finally finding a cure for cancer. In the future i honestly believe that by studing these amazing creatures, scientists will be able to creat some kind of protection against cancer for humans. Not to mention this might be only the beginning, I mean if they can possibly hold the cure for cancer who knows what other cures we can find.
(maggie Castillo 3rd pd.)
Why can't our cells be like that? I want my cells to be "claustraphobic"! (I bet i spelled that wrong) So let me get this straight...this rat thing, that we in life never actually payed attention to, can contribute to our discovery of the 'cure for cancer'? ...and i don't know if anyone here agrees with me, but i don't think we should do anymore gene mixing, or whatever. I think we have already played with that enough
In this article is mention that the naked mole rat isn't going to win any beauty contests and it is true. lol but like God creates everything for a reason and in this case the ugliness of a naked rat was given a genetic factor that they can’t obtain cancer. =)
What Ive learned about this article is that how can a small, funny looking rat have this "gift" like being cancer-free. How many people that already have cancer would want to have this trait. It is interesting to know that these naked mole rats could stop cell growth if the cells make contact. They rely on two proteins rather than just one like us. This new information could lead to a cure in the future if they keep investigating and studying it.
This is actually good for us, we can finally find a cure for cancer. I learned, which is super cool, that all this is coming from a mole rat. I also found out that this animals live up to twenty eight years, i didn't know that haha. All hail naked mole rats!
Wow! that was so cool, but come to think about it. When one person is diagnosed for cancer don't they treat them with chemo. And doesn't that cause us human to start losing our hair. What a coincidence that mole rats have no hair. Wow great discovery, what if that p16thingy they said that the mole rat had that mice didn't. What if it's the same as chemo it has the same side effect no hair, what a great theory , maybe the researchers should think about that.
It's funny how most solutions in life can either be found by accident or by looking where you would have never thought to look. A mole rat would have never been a place I would look in for the potential cure to cancer. Luckily someone did find the time to look. The irony is that something so small and not cellularly complex could save the life of someone as big as a human is and as cellularly complex as us
i learned that the cells of naked mole rats stop growing as soon as they touch each other because of the p16Ink4a that they produce.
Wow!! The naked mole rat can't get cancer because their cells stop growing so they don't create a tumor because they don't like being crowded?... Man if scientist know why the reason of this is, then they should get started to figure out a way to get rid of cancer in humans to save our family members and friends.
This article caught my eye just by the fact that a mole rat could possibly link to a cure for cancer. It's amazing how the naked mole rat's cells will stop growing when it could create a tumor. I learned how contact inhibition plays a big part in how this mole rat is unable to develop cancer. Cancer is terrible and life threataning and with the amazing discoveries researchers have found, a cure for cancer may be coming in the near future.
All I can say is wow, its amazing to know that there is an animal on the face of the earth that isn't affected by the horrible thing that is cancer. More research should be done on the naked mole rat so that maybe we can find an effective curevfor cancer. But, who would think that the possible cure for cancer could reside in a little rodent like a naked mole rat.
After reading this aticle i learned that mole rats have cells that hate to be crowded and do to this they dont get cancer.It would be totally awsome if humans had the power to control the amount of cells inside ones body and that way no one would have to go through the pain of cancer waiting to die. if human had this ability my uncle wouldn't have died from cancer. :(
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