In 2017, it was discovered that naked mole rats (Heterocephalus glaber) could survive up to 18 minutes in an anoxic (0% oxygen) environment without any permanent damage to the organism. The normal body temperature of naked mole rats is 30°C, making them poikilothermic animals that are able to operate at a range of body temperatures and to alter its body temperature based upon the environment. Even if the animals are warmed to 37°C, they still survive 6 minutes in an anoxic environment, which is still more than 5 minutes longer than the survival of other rodents like mice. You are already familiar with the H. glaber hemoglobin, but as usual, this does not fully explain the naked mole rat ability to survive anoxia.
Blood glucose concentrations during anoxia were found to be similar in mice and mole rats, but during normoxic (normal oxygen levels) conditions, naked mole rate had a blood glucose concentration of 3.49mM while mice had 6.66mM, making them appear hypoglycemic compared to other rodents and mammals.
Consider the regulation of glycolysis. What are the advantages or disadvantages of using fructose as an energy source for a human? What are the potential advantages for the naked mole rat during anoxia?
Both quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot reveal that there are higher levels of GLUT5, but not GLUT2 or GLUT1, in the liver, kidney, brain and heart of naked mole rats compared to mice. Why was this important to test? Does this confirm your supposition from above about how naked mole rats survive anoxia?
In 2017, it was discovered that naked mole rats (Heterocephalus glaber) could survive up to 18 minutes in an anoxic (0% oxygen) environment without any permanent damage to the organism. The normal body temperature of naked mole rats is 30°C, making them poikilothermic animals that are able to operate at a range of body temperatures and to alter its body temperature based upon the environment. Even if the animals are warmed to 37°C, they still survive 6 minutes in an anoxic environment, which is still more than 5 minutes longer than the survival of other rodents like mice. You are already familiar with the H. glaber hemoglobin, but as usual, this does not fully explain the naked mole rat ability to survive anoxia.
Blood glucose concentrations during anoxia were found to be similar in mice and mole rats, but during normoxic (normal oxygen levels) conditions, naked mole rate had a blood glucose concentration of 3.49mM while mice had 6.66mM, making them appear hypoglycemic compared to other rodents and mammals.
Consider the regulation of glycolysis. What are the advantages or disadvantages of using fructose as an energy source for a human? What are the potential advantages for the naked mole rat during anoxia?
Both quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot reveal that there are higher levels of GLUT5, but not GLUT2 or GLUT1, in the liver, kidney, brain and heart of naked mole rats compared to mice. Why was this important to test? Does this confirm your supposition from above about how naked mole rats survive anoxia?
