From Cavefish to Humans: Evolution of Metabolism in Cavefish May Provide Insight Into Treatments for a Host of Diseases Such as Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Stroke

New research from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research examines how cavefish, surface-dwelling river fish that flooded into underground cave systems over 100,000 years ago, developed unique metabolic adaptations to survive in nutrient-scarce environments. The study, published online in Nature Genetics on May 12, 2022, led by Jaya Krishnan, PhD, a senior research associate in the lab of Nicolas Rohner, PhD, created a genome-wide map of liver tissue for two independent colonies of cavefish along with river fish to understand how cavefish metabolism evolved and how this may be applicable for humans. Read more…