With a maximum lifespan of more than 200 years, the bowhead whale lives longer than any other mammal. But how the 80-tonne beasts survive so long has never been fully explained.<\/p>\n
Now scientists have found hints of an answer and are drawing up plans to see whether the same biological trick can be performed in humans. If so, it raises hopes for boosting healthy ageing and protecting organs and tissues during surgery and transplantations, they say.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were looking to understand the mechanisms of the exceptional longevity of the bowhead whale, the longest-living mammal,\u201d said Prof Vera Gorbunova, a biologist at the University of Rochester in New York. \u201cWhat we found is that maybe part of the mechanism is through very accurate and efficient repair of DNA breaks.\u201d<\/p>\n
All living organisms suffer DNA damage over the course of their lives. Cells attempt to mend the damage, but the repairs are not always effective. This leads to mutations building up over time, which can raise the risk of cancer and drive ageing by impairing how well cells and tissues function.<\/p>\n
Gorbunova and her colleagues found that bowhead whales were particularly good at repairing a form of DNA damage in which both strands of the DNA double helix are severed. As a result, the whales acquired fewer mutations. \u201cWhat we\u2019re finding is that these kinds of repairs are very important for long life,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Through a series of experiments on whale cells, they showed that DNA repair is enhanced by a protein called CIRBP, which is triggered by cold exposure. Bowhead whales spend their lives in Arctic waters and produce 100 times more CIRBP than humans.<\/p>\n