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| Item Type: | Preprint |
|---|---|
| Title: | A specialized cold sensing system in the naked mole-rat |
| Creators Name: | Wang, Lin, Gomez-Restrepo, Alejandro, Niqula, Amanda, Jouhanneau, Jean-Sebastien, Mendez-Aranda, Daniel, Luo, Wenhan, Poulet, James F.A., de la Pena, Elvira, Viana, Felix, Bégay, Valérie and Lewin, Gary R. |
| Abstract: | Avoiding cold or seeking warmth are universal animal needs. Homeothermic mammals maintain a constant body temperature despite fluctuating ambient temperatures. One exception is the naked mole-rat which lacks effective thermogenesis. We show that the naked mole-rat has evolved a greatly expanded cold sensing system. Compared to mice, this species has many more cold-sensitive sensory neurons and most express the cold-activated TRPM8 channel. The naked mole-rat TrpM8 gene harbors a unique upstream exon that when translated produces a TRPM8 protein with a 71 amino acid Nterminal extension. When expressed, the N-terminal extension prevents membrane targeting and abolishes TRPM8 function. Splice forms lacking the extension formed functional cold and menthol activated channels in vivo. Additionally, many naked molerat sensory neurons use a TRPM8-independent mechanism to detect cold. Thus, we identified molecular changes that confer both sensitivity and flexibility to cold sensing in a species that is critically dependent on following thermal cues. |
| Keywords: | Non-Model Organism, Poikilotherm, Sensory Coding, Cold Avoidance, Thermal Transduction, Splicing, Ion Channels, Animals, Mice, Naked Mole-Rats |
| Source: | bioRxiv |
| Publisher: | Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press |
| Article Number: | 2025.09.25.678629 |
| Date: | 25 September 2025 |
| Official Publication: | https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.09.25.678629 |
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