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1. MOLE: Mimetic Operators Library Enhanced

   https://doi.org/10.21105/joss.06288  

   Corbino, Johnny; Dumett, Miguel A; Castillo, Jose E (July 2024, Journal of Open Source Software)
2. Naked mole-rat and Damaraland mole-rat exhibit lower respiration in mitochondria, cellular and organismal levels

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbabio.2022.148582  

   Yap, Kang Nian; Wong, Hoi Shan; Ramanathan, Chidambaram; Rodriguez-Wagner, Cristina Aurora; Roberts, Michael D.; Freeman, David A.; Buffenstein, Rochelle; Zhang, Yufeng (October 2022, Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Bioenergetics)
3. Is the Mole Rat Vomeronasal Organ Functional?

   https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.24060  

   Dennis, John_C; Stilwell, Natalie_K; Smith, Timothy_D; Park, Thomas_J; Bhatnagar, Kunwar_P; Morrison, Edward_E (January 2019, The Anatomical Record)

   ABSTRACT The colonial naked mole ratHeterocephalus glaberis a subterranean, eusocial rodent. TheH. glabervomeronasal organ neuroepithelium (VNE) displays little postnatal growth. However, the VNE remains neuronal in contrast to some mammals that possess nonfunctional vomeronasal organ remnants, for example, catarrhine primates and some bats. Here, we describe the vomeronasal organ (VNO) microanatomy in the naked mole rat and we make preliminary observations to determine ifH. glabershares its minimal postnatal VNE growth with other African mole rats. We also determine the immunoreactivity to the mitotic marker Ki67, growth‐associated protein 43 (GAP43), and olfactory marker protein (OMP) in six adult and three subadultH. glaberindividuals. VNE volume measurements on a small sample ofCryptomys hottentotusandFukomys damarensisindicate that the VNE of those African mole rat species are also likely to be growth‐deficient. Ki67(+) cells show that the sensory epithelium is mitotically active. GAP43 labelling indicates neurogenesis and OMP(+) cells are present though less numerous compared to GAP43(+) cells. In this respect, the VNO ofH. glaberdoes not appear vestigial. The African mole rat VNE may be unusually variable, perhaps reflecting reduced selection pressure on the vomeronasal system. If so, African mole rats may provide a useful genetic model for understanding the morphological variability observed in the mammalian VNO. Anat Rec, 2019. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Anat Rec, 303:318–329, 2020. © 2019 American Association for Anatomy 

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4. Life without substance P: The naked mole rat

   https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-22194-1.00013-6  

   Zhao, Aishi; Lee, Jiwon; Gryszkiewicz, Weronika; Park, Thomas J (January 2025, Elsevier)

   Vink, Robert (Ed.)

   The African naked mole rat (Heterocephalus glaber) is a small, eusocial rodent that lives in large colonies consisting of up to 295 individuals. Their skin is pink and translucent, and naked mole rats have a distinct set of incisors that protrude externally from the mouth so that they can close their lips behind their teeth while using the teeth to dig tunnels, toilets, and nest chambers. They construct and inhabit complex underground tunnel systems in the Horn of Africa where they are protected from climate extremes and predators on the surface, but still face limited resources (sparsely distributed food), and a biologically challenging environment where there is a depletion of oxygen and an accumulation of carbon dioxide from many respirating individuals living in an unventilated space. This is particularly an issue in the communal nest chambers where animals gather to huddle and sleep. Data from Zions et al. show that the nest chambers in colonies of captive naked mole rats have significantly, and substantially higher concentrations of CO2 compared to other compartments in the housing system. They also showed that on average, colony members spent more than 70% of their time in the nest chamber, exposed to elevated CO2. Naked mole rats have a multitude of biological adaptations that make them specialized for life in humid, congested, poorly ventilated burrows. Subsequently, this species is a fascinating and important nontraditional model for biomedical research. Studies have focused on topics such as tolerance to hypoxia and hypercapnia, extreme longevity, resistance to cancer, and insensitivity to chemical pain. One remarkable feature that naked mole rats display is the lack of Substance P from their peripheral nerves. Substance P is associated with pain from a variety of irritants such as carbon dioxide (CO2), acid, capsaicin, and ammonia, as well as itch-like pruritogen, like histamines. Lack of Substance P is presumably an adaptation to reduce the negative effects of living in a high CO2 atmosphere, which would cause a burning sensation in the nasal cavity and around the eyes, as well as acidosis in the lungs that causes pulmonary edema. This chapter reviews how this feature affects their physiology and behavior. For example, naked mole rats show a blunted response to inflammatory pain, complete insensitivity to irritants such as capsaicin, ammonia, and acid, and they do not show a scratching response to histamine. 

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5. Auditory brainstem development of Naked Mole-Rats (Heterocephalus glaber)

   McCullagh EA, Peacock J (August 2022, Proceedings Royal Society Biological Sciences)

   Life underground often leads to animals having specialized auditory systems to accommodate the constraints of acoustic transmission in tunnels. Despite living underground, naked mole-rats use a highly vocal communication system, implying that they rely on central auditory processing. However, little is known about these animals' central auditory system, and whether it follows a similar developmental time course as other rodents. Naked mole-rats show slowed development in the hippocampus suggesting they have altered brain development compared to other rodents. Here, we measured morphological characteristics and voltage-gated potassium channel Kv3.3 expression and protein levels at different key developmental time points (postnatal days 9, 14, 21 and adulthood) to determine whether the auditory brainstem (lateral superior olive and medial nucleus of the trapezoid body) develops similarly to two common auditory rodent model species: gerbils and mice. Additionally, we measured the hearing onset of naked mole-rats using auditory brainstem response recordings at the same developmental timepoints. In contrast with other work in naked mole-rats showing that they are highly divergent in many aspects of their physiology, we show that naked mole-rats have a similar hearing onset, between postnatal day (P) 9 and P14, to many other rodents. On the other hand, we show some developmental differences, such as a unique morphology and Kv3.3 protein levels in the brainstem. 

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