A gene variant could explain why naked mole rats are impervious to certain types of pain that most mammals experience when exposed to heat.
In the nervous system, a peptide called nerve growth factor (NGF) mediates hypersensitivity to pain caused by heat. Gary Lewin at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlin and his colleagues found that in naked mole rats (Heterocephalus glaber; pictured), the chemical sequence of the NGF receptor differs from that of other vertebrates by a small handful of amino acids. As a result of these changes, the receptor fails to boost the sensitivity of another protein, TRPV1, which produces a painful, burning sensation when activated.
The authors speculate that defects in NGF signalling could also explain why, during the course of development, naked mole rats lose certain nerve fibres that conduct burning pain. This could be an adaptation to a life spent underground, where temperatures have been fairly constant for millions of years.
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Why mole rats don't feel the heat. Nature 538, 293 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/538293c
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/538293c
