New paper in Nature Communications elucidates how naked mole-rats turn off thermoregulation to save energy in hypoxia

I’m excited to announce our latest publication, which details how naked mole-rats turn off non-shivering thermogenesis in intrascapular brown adipose tissue to save energy in hypoxia. Our study demonstrates that not only are naked mole-rats heterothermic, but that they can rapidly modulate heat production in hypoxia via a novel mechanism that decreases expression of the key thermogenic protein UCP1. Furthermore, similar changes were observed in other social mole-rat species but not a solitary species, suggesting this adaptation may have evolved preferentially in social rodents.

This work was funded by a National Geographic Explorers Grant and was the result of an exciting collaboration with Dr. Nigel Bennett of the University of Pretoria, Glenn Tattersall of Brock University, and Mary-Ellen Harper and Baptiste Lacoste of uOttawa.

 

Read the full study here: https://rdcu.be/cBR7d

 

Read a commentary here:

https://tattersalllab.com/2021/11/24/naked-mole-rats-rapidly-decrease-ucp1-in-hypoxia/ 

 

Read some press coverage here:

https://thefulcrum.ca/sciencetech/u-of-o-professor-studies-hypoxia-tolerance-in-naked-mole-rats/

https://todayuknews.com/health/hypoxia-tolerance-naked-mole-rats-may-provide-secret-to-low-oxygen-survival/

https://floridanewstimes.com/the-naked-mole-rat-may-provide-the-secret-of-hypoxic-survival/382511/

https://medicalxpress.com/visualstories/2021-11-hypoxia-tolerance-naked-mole-rats-secret.amp

CSZ2019 – Windsor

Last week the lab attended the annual meeting of the Canadian Society of Zoologists in sunny Windsor, Ontario. Six team members gave excellent presentations, highlighted by Dan’s participation in the President’s award competition and Kenny’s poster competing for the Holeton Award. Great job everyone!!