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Rochelle Buffenstein, PhD
Professor, Department of Physiology
University of Cape Town, South Africa, BSc (honors), PhD, Zoology
Tel: 210-562-5062
Email: Buffenstein@uthscsa.edu
Oldest naked mole-rat
known (> 28 years). |
15-year-old breeding female.
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Research Interests
I am a
comparative biologist, currently investigating aging processes in small
mammals that show differences in maximum lifespan. Most of my work has focused on mechanisms
of aging in the naked mole-rat (NMR). This mouse-size rodent lives
approximately 10 times longer (>28y) than predicted by body size and
continues to breed and maintain physiological function throughout its
long-life. Remarkably, these animals exhibit high levels of oxidative
stress from an early age yet appear to be resistant to cancer and their
cells appear to be impervious to most environmental stressors.
Using
highly integrative techniques at the organismic,
cellular, and molecular level, we compare and contrast mechanisms of aging
and cancer aversion in several rodent species with disparate longevity. We
hypothesize that an efficient DNA surveillance and repair system is an
integral component of slow aging.
Our hope
is to elucidate biological mechanisms that facilitate the prolonged
longevity and resistance to carcinogenesis of NMRs
and to determine if differences in these mechanisms underlie disparate
species longevity. |
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Naked mole-rats are highly
social, subterranean mammals found only in the horn of Africa.
The picture above, left is of the oldest naked mole-rat known, a
wild-caught male that lived more than 28 years. The upper right picture is
of a 15-year-old breeding female.
These animals show no age-related changes
in lean mass, bone density, cardiovascular function or metabolism from age
2 to 24 years. Furthermore, we have
not observed a single incidence of cancer in our large colony.
Interestingly, antioxidant defense is not superior to that of other
rodents, and surprisingly, these long-lived rodents exhibit high rates of
oxidative damage to lipids, proteins, and DNA even at an early age,
although age-related increases in oxidative damage to these macromolecules
are attenuated.
Current studies include
assessments of cellular and biochemical responses to acute stressors. In
addition, our laboratory is studying tumorigenesis
and the molecular mechanisms employed in cancer resistance by these
rodents. |
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