The Somatosensory World of the African Naked Mole-Rat

Lewin, Gary R; Smith, Ewan St J; Reznick, Jane; Debus, Karlien; Barker, Alison Joyce; Park , Thomas J

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-65943-1_7

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The Somatosensory World of the African Naked Mole-Rat

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Barker, Alison Joyce
Social Systems and Circuits Group, Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Max Planck Society;

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https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34424517/
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Citation

Lewin, G. R., Smith, E. S. J., Reznick, J., Debus, K., Barker, A. J., & Park, T. J. (2021). The Somatosensory World of the African Naked Mole-Rat. In R. Buffenstein (Ed.), The Extraordinary Biology of the Naked Mole-Rat. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology (pp. 197-220). Springer, Cham. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-65943-1_7.

Cite as: https://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-0009-7377-0

Abstract

The naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) is famous for its longevity and unusual physiology. This eusocial species that lives in highly ordered and hierarchical colonies with a single breeding queen, also discovered secrets enabling somewhat pain-free living around 20 million years ago. Unlike most mammals, naked mole-rats do not feel the burn of chili pepper's active ingredient, capsaicin, nor the sting of acid. Indeed, by accumulating mutations in genes encoding proteins that are only now being exploited as targets for new pain therapies (the nerve growth factor receptor TrkA and voltage-gated sodium channel, NaV1.7), this species mastered the art of analgesia before humans evolved. Recently, we have identified pain-insensitivity as a trait shared by several closely related African mole-rat species. In this chapter we will show how African mole-rats have evolved pain insensitivity as well as discussing what the proximate factors may have been that led to the evolution of pain-free traits.