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The Naked mole rat has the longest life span of all rodents, is resistant to cancer, and can live up to 30 years! This is amazing as a mouse will only live about 2 years. This tells us that longevity must be under genetic control.
A new study wanted to determine if Naked mole rats have some sort of anti-cancer protection which gives them extended longevity.
Previous research showed cells die as they get older (a process called cellular senescence) and it is this accumulation of cell deaths that makes aging organisms die. The researchers hypothesized that Naked mole rats might have reduced cell deaths and that is why they can live longer.
What they found was unexpected as the Naked mole rats do experience cellular senescence, yet they continue to live long. This work shows that organism death is not simply caused by cells dying off in the organism.
So why do the Naked mole rats live so long?
Even though the cells are dying, they are dying differently. The Naked mole rat's dying cells have a unique transcriptional profile (fewer genes were changed when compared to a mouse) and it is this difference in gene regulation that may reduce the detrimental consequenes of cell death and may contribute to the increased longevity of the naked mole rat longevity and its cancer resistance.