We have published the first study on the molecular processes underlying primate hibernation. The study is the result of a collaboration between researchers at IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, Barcelona) and at Duke University and Duke Lemur Center (Durham,USA). The work is based on the fat-tailed dwarf lemur (Cheirogaleus medius), an extraordinary primate that is capable of enduring torpor (hibernation) for several months, subsisting only on the lipids stored in its tail. The project has used high throughput RNA sequencing (RNAseq) data to learn about the changes in gene expression in white adipose tissue during hibernation.
Reference: Faherty, S., Villanueva-Cañas, J.L. et al. Genome Biology and Evolution 2016
Related links:
IMIM press release
Duke Lemur Center
Sheena’s web page
Scientific American
El Periódico
