The Gut Microbiome is Associated with Healthy Aging and Social Structure in Naked Mole Rats

The naked mole-rat (NMR), Heterocephalus glaber, is an unusual vertebrate that lives underground in eusocial colonies. NMRs show remarkably long life spans and are resistant to cancer, neurodegeneration and cardiovascular diseases. Thus it is of interest to elucidate the mechanisms contributing to these phenotypes. Here we investigate the intestinal microbiome of NMRs, comparing stool samples from individuals of different ages, over a span of decades, and different social ranks. These samples were also compared to cohorts of aging C57BL6/J mice. In contrast to mice, which showed extensive age-related changes, we found little different in the bacterial microbiota of NMRs from different age cohorts. The one exception was the Archaea Methanomassiliicoccus intestinalis, which was present in the NMR gut, but not in that of mice, and showed an increased proportion with older age. The NMR microbiota composition was compared between social groups, and pregnant females were found to have higher microbial diversity, which may be explained by the observation that they are aggressively copraphagic. Overall these findings provide a rich picture of the NMR microbiome, and starting points for future investigation.