The secret behind the naked mole-rat’s extraordinary lifespan, up to 37 years, nearly ten times that of similar-sized rodents, may lie in a unique adaptation of a DNA-repair protein, according to a groundbreaking study published in Science (2025) by researchers at Tongji University, China.
The study focuses on a protein called cGAS (cyclic GMP-AMP synthase), known in most mammals for triggering inflammation and interfering with DNA repair. In naked mole-rats, however, scientists discovered four amino acid changes that flip the protein’s function, transforming it into a powerful DNA-repair enhancer.
Naked mole rats’ DNA could hold key to long life https://t.co/oRJItqp2AD
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) October 9, 2025
“This alteration confers naked mole-rat cGAS with a greater capacity to stabilize the genome, counteract cellular senescence and organ aging, and promote extended life span,” the researchers wrote.
Laboratory tests showed that inserting the mole-rat’s cGAS into human and mouse cells increased DNA repair efficiency and slowed cellular aging. When the gene was introduced into fruit flies and mice, both species showed improved health and longevity, with flies living roughly 10 days longer than normal.
While the findings raise tantalizing possibilities for anti-aging therapies in humans, experts caution that translating this discovery into medicine will take years of further research. Still, the study highlights a promising new molecular target for combating age-related decline and genetic instability, a biological hallmark of aging across species.
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