Tag: Vera Gorbunova
‘Selfish’ genetics amplify inflammation, age-related diseases
Research from Rochester biologists shows that a class of genomic parasites may cause more harm than previously thought, triggering inflammation that causes age-related diseases.
Why do naked mole rats live long, cancer-free lives?
Rochester biologists were surprised to see that despite its remarkable longevity, the naked mole rat still has cells that undergo senescence, like the cells in much shorter-lived mice.
Protein found that initiates DNA repair
Researchers who specialize in the study of aging have identified a protein that may serve as a first responder, activating a “longevity gene” known as sirtuin 6 and setting in motion a cascade of molecular first responders to repair damaged DNA.
The animal that doesn’t get cancer
Vera Gorbunova of the University of Rochester in New York, US, keeps bowhead whale cells in her lab. So far, she has not found a way to make them cancerous. “It’s easier to make human cells cancerous than bowhead whale cells. We don’t know why.”
How elephants crush cancer
So far, researchers have made little progress in solving the mystery or determining how other long-lived species beat cancer. One exception involves naked mole rats.
Do naked mole rats hold the key to defeating cancer? Ugly rodents produce hybrid protein that prevents tumour growth
The researchers hope it may now be possible to use this newly discovered protein to develop new treatments that can help stop cancers from spreading or even developing in the first place.
An extra protein gives naked mole rats more power to stop cancer
Naked mole rats are small, hairless, subterranean rodents that have never been known to get cancer despite having a 30-year lifespan. A new protein discovered by biologist Vera Gorbunova may help explain why.
Connections: Science Roundtable
We check in with the research world’s biggest star, the naked mole rat. What are we learning about the science of aging, and curing disease?
Parasitic DNA stops “jumping” when protein takes charge
Biology researchers Vera Gorbunova and Andrei Seluanov report that the “jumping genes” in mice become active as the mice age when a multi-function protein stops keeping them in check in order to take on another role. A protein called Sirt6 is needed to keep the jumping genes—technically known as retrotransposons—inactive.
Absurd Creature of the Week: The naked mole rat could one day save your life
Biologist Vera Gorbunova studies these creatures at the University of Rochester. She says naked mole rat societies, which can reach 300 individuals, are more like dictatorships than monarchies because anyone with the gumption can ascend the throne.