How bowhead whales could help humans live longer
Scientists found that bowhead whales make a protein called CIRBP at levels much higher than other mammals, and it is very good at repairing broken DNA, which is linked to aging and disease.
The research was published in Nature.
Bowhead whales vs humans
Bowhead whale cells need fewer mutations to change, and they are just better at repairing DNA than human cells.
CIRBP helps keep DNA ends safe and makes the repair process more accurate, which means fewer mistakes and less damage over time.
Boosting CIRBP
When researchers boosted the whale CIRBP protein in fruit flies, the flies lived longer and handled radiation better.
Cooler temperatures increased CIRBP production in human cells; CIRBP is cold-inducible and bowhead whales have very high baseline CIRBP levels.
This opens up new ideas: maybe we could one day boost our own CIRBP with genetics or even lifestyle tweaks like cold exposure.
Cancer risk and Peto's paradox
Rather than depending on additional tumor suppressor genes, bowhead whales rely on enhanced DNA repair to limit mutations and reduce cancer risk, helping to explain aspects of Peto's paradox (why big animals do not get more cancer).
Now, researchers are exploring if boosting CIRBP could help humans too.