Bats don't get cancer, now scientists think they know the reason

Tiny mammals that weigh less than an ounce should not outlive German shepherds, yet many bats routinely do. Some even clock nearly thirty-five years in the wild, a lifespan that maps to about 180 human years and comes with an astonishing lack of tumors.

A University of Rochester team set out to uncover why, zeroing in on four bat species spanning both major bat lineages.

Their findings point to a finely tuned partnership between an overachieving tumor suppressor gene, self-renewing chromosomes, and an immune system that fights hard but rarely overreacts.

The work was led by Vera Gorbunova and Andrei Seluanov of the Wilmot Cancer Institute and Department of Biology.

Bats defy aging and cancer patterns

Cancer risk usually rises with age because every round of cell division adds another chance for DNA damage, a pattern known as Peto’s paradox.

Across most mammals the equation holds, but bats are clear outliers, with at least four separate bat lineages independently evolving extreme longevity.

The new study shows that the “little brown” bat (Myotis lucifugus) carries two working copies of the key tumor suppressor gene p53, while humans carry only one.

“High levels of p53 in the body can kill cancer cells before they become harmful in a process known as apoptosis,” said Gorbunova.

Understanding Myotis lucifugus – the basics

Better known as the little brown bat, Myotis lucifugus is one of the most widespread and familiar bat species in North America. You’ll often find them roosting in attics, barns, caves, and trees – basically anywhere cozy and dark.

These bats are tiny, weighing less than half an ounce, but they pack a punch when it comes to eating insects. In a single night, one little brown bat can devour hundreds of mosquitoes and other bugs, making them natural pest controllers.

They usually hibernate during the winter, often gathering in large colonies where the temperature stays just right. Sadly, their populations have taken a major hit due to white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that’s devastated colonies across the continent.

Scientists and conservationists are working hard to figure out how to protect them, since losing these bats would ripple through entire ecosystems.

Bats use extra p53 to stop cancer

Duplicating p53 is not unique to bats; elephants stockpile roughly twenty versions of the same gene and show remarkably low cancer rates.

Bats, however, balance extra p53 with regulatory tweaks so it prunes precancerous cells without wiping out healthy ones.

“Our animals can tolerate faster cell growth because their p53 is ready to pull the plug when things look suspicious,” said Seluanov.

The Rochester team found that bat cells need only two genetic “hits” to turn cancerous in a dish, far fewer than human cells, but the boosted p53 swiftly orders those rogue cells to self-destruct. 

Endless telomeres, controlled chaos

Bats also keep their chromosome tips long thanks to constitutive telomerase, an enzyme most adult human tissues silence.

Earlier work in Myotis bats revealed that telomeres hardly shorten with age, helping tissues regenerate without sliding toward crisis.

Unfettered telomerase can fuel tumors in other species, yet bats avoid that pitfall. When telomere-powered cell divisions pick up speed, the same hyper-alert p53 system steps in, neutralizing any cell that crosses the line.

“If cells divide uncontrollably, the higher p53 activity in bats compensates and can remove cancerous cells,” noted Seluanov.

How bats fight disease

A third line of defense comes from a bat immune network that spots danger quickly but stays unusually calm.

Bats mute the NLRP3 inflammasome and tone down type I interferon storms, preventing chronic inflammation that often seeds cancer in aging tissues.

This balanced immune surveillance means viruses are cleared efficiently and damaged cells are flagged for destruction, yet surrounding tissue is spared collateral damage.

Researchers also report expanded natural killer cell receptor families in several bat genomes, hinting at a surveillance squad that never sleeps.

What bats can teach us about treating cancer

Several experimental drugs already seek to boost human p53 activity in stubborn tumors, and the bat data give that strategy an evolutionary vote of confidence.

Others aim to reactivate telomerase in aged tissues; the bat blueprint suggests that pairing such therapies with stronger p53 safeguards could keep runaway cell growth in check.

The National Institute on Aging funded the study because it touches on two grand challenges: healthy longevity and cancer prevention.

If scientists can replicate the bat trio of robust p53, restrained inflammation, and prudent telomerase, future therapies might tackle both aging and malignancy in one stroke.

What other animals can teach us

Scientists have long looked to other long-lived animals for answers.

Naked mole rats, bowhead whales, and elephants each have their own anti-cancer tricks, ranging from extra copies of tumor suppressor genes to unique cell death responses.

Bats now join this elite group, and their diverse adaptations offer a different evolutionary path toward disease resistance.

These findings also support the case for cross-species genetic studies in humans.

If p53 enhancements or telomerase tuning can be translated safely, it could lead to preventive therapies for high-risk populations or those with inherited cancer mutations.

What bats seem to offer is not a miracle gene, but a blueprint for managing cellular risk while still allowing the body to repair, grow, and age slowly.

The study is published in Nature Communications.

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