Rodents have no standard protection against infections
Scientists from the V.A. Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology of the Russian Academy of Sciences have made an amazing discovery: naked mole rats, these amazing rodents that can live up to 40 years, have stopped producing CD1 proteins, key proteins in the fight against infections. These proteins play an important role in the immune system of most mammals, helping to fight infections. The discovery was published in the journal Biology Direct.
CD-1-mediated activation of T-killers. Source: A. Zamaraev
CD1 proteins act as signaling flags on the surface of immune system cells. They capture fragments of bacteria and viruses, putting them on display so that other cells of the immune system can recognize and destroy the threat.
As reported by MK at the Russian Science Foundation, a scientific team discovered that in naked mole rats the genes responsible for the production of CD1 do not function. This is the first known case of a mammal completely abandoning these important components of immunity.
According to one of the study participants, PhD in Biology Alexey Zamarayev, scientists were surprised that naked mole rats, which live in large colonies underground, where the risk of infection is especially high, had developed such an unconventional survival strategy.
The researchers suggest that the loss of CD1 is compensated for by other elements of the naked mole rat immune system, which continue to be actively studied. Perhaps the key role is played by myeloid cells and specific types of T-lymphocytes found in these animals. The scientists also plan to continue studying other proteins — MR1, which can perform functions similar to CD1.
This discovery not only sheds light on the amazing adaptability of naked mole rats, but may also be important for the development of new approaches to the treatment of infectious diseases in humans.
In addition to scientists from the Engelhardt Institute, specialists from the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow State University, and the Moscow Institute of Microbiology and Microbiology also took part in the study. M.V. Lomonosov and the Swedish Karolinska Institute.