Superpowers of Hibernating Animals Could Lie Hidden in Human DNA

Two new studies by researchers from the University of Utah provide clues to how to unlock these hibernation capacities, opening the door to one day in development of treatments that could reverse neurodegeneration and diabetes.

The study of the evolution of hibernators such as some hedgehogs, bats, terrestrial and lemur squirrels could reveal the secrets of their remarkable resilience. Image credit: Chrissy Richards.

A group of genes called the Locus of fat and obesity (FTO) plays an important role in the capacities of hibernateurs. Curiously, humans also have these genes.

“What is striking in this region is that it is the strongest genetic risk factor in human obesity,” said Professor of the University of Utah, Chris Gregg, principal author of the two studies.

“But hibernateurs seem capable of using genes in the Locus FTO new ways to their advantage.”

Professor Gregg and his colleagues have identified DNA regions specific to the hibernator which are near the Locus FTO and which regulate the activity of neighboring genes, setting them up or down.

They speculate that the adjustment of the activity of the neighboring genes, including those in or near the Locus FTO, allows hibernators to make books before settling for winter, then slowly use their fat reserves for energy throughout hibernation.

Indeed, the regulatory regions specific to the hibernator outside the Locus FTO seem crucial to modify metabolism.

When the researchers transferred these specific regions to the hibernator in mice, they saw changes in the weight and metabolism of the mouse.

Certain mutations have accelerated or slowed down weight gain under specific food conditions; Others affected the capacity to recover body temperature after a state of hibernation or a global metabolic pace granted upwards or the decline.

Curiously, the DNA regions specific to the identified hibernator were not themselves genes.

Instead, the regions were DNA sequences that contact the nearby genes and increase or increase their expression, such as an orchestra driver refining the volume of many musicians.

“This means that the mutation of a single region specific to the Hibernator has large-scale effects extending far beyond the Locus FTO,” said Dr. Susan Steinwand of the University of Utah, the first author of the first study.

“When you knock out one of these elements – this small region of tiny and apparently insignificant DNA – the activity of hundreds of genes changes. It’s quite surprising.”

Understanding the metabolic flexibility of hibernateurs could lead to better treatments for human metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes.

“If we could regulate our genes a little more like hibernateurs, we may perhaps overcome type 2 diabetes in the same way as a hibernator returns from hibernation to a normal metabolic state,” said Dr. Elliott Ferris of the University of the University, the first author of the second study.

Finding genetic regions that can allow hibernation is a problem similar to excavation needles for a massive DNA hay boot.

To reduce the regions involved, scientists have used several independent technologies of the whole genome to request which regions could be relevant for hibernation.

Then they started to seek overlapping between the results of each technique.

First of all, they looked for DNA sequences that most mammals share, but which had recently changed in hibernators.

“If a region does not change many cash species for more than 100 million years, but quickly and radically changed in two mammals of hibernation, we believe that it points to something that is important for hibernation, in particular,” said Dr. Ferris.

To understand the biological processes underlying hibernation, the researchers have tested and identified genes that go up or decrease during fasting in mice, which triggers metabolic changes similar to hibernation.

Then, they found the genes which act as central, or central coordinators, of these changes induced by fasting in the activity of the genes.

Many DNA regions that had recently changed in hibernators also seemed to interact with these central coordination hub genes.

For this reason, the authors expect the evolution of hibernation to require specific changes to the controls of the hub genes.

These controls include a limited list of DNA elements which are ways for a future survey.

Most of the changes associated with the hibernator in the genome seemed to break the function of specific DNA parts, rather than giving a new function.

This suggests that hibernators may have lost constraints that would prevent extreme flexibility in the ability to control metabolism.

In other words, the human thermostat may be locked on a narrow range of continuous energy consumption. For hibernators, this lock may have disappeared.

Hibernateurs can reverse neurodegeneration, avoid muscle atrophy, stay healthy despite massive weight fluctuations and show improved aging and longevity.

Researchers believe that their results show that humans may already have the genetic code necessary to have similar super powers of the Hibernator type – if we can bypass some of our metabolic switches.

“Humans already have the genetic framework,” said Dr. Steinwand.

“We just need to identify the control switches for these hibernator traits.”

“By learning how, researchers could help confer resilience similar to humans.”

“There is potentially an opportunity – by understanding these mechanisms related to hibernation in the genome – to find strategies to intervene and help age -related diseases,” said Professor Gregg.

“If this is hidden in the genome that we already have, we could learn from hibernateurs to improve our own health.”

The results appear in two documents in the newspaper Science.

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Susan Steinwand and al. 2025. Non -coding CIS elements preserved associated with hibernation modulate metabolic and behavioral adaptations in mice. Science 389 (6759): 501-507; Doi: 10.1126 / Science.ADP4701

Elliott Ferris and al. 2025. Genomic convergence in hibernation mammals elected genetics of metabolic regulation in the hypothalamus. Science 389 (6759): 494-500; DOI: 10.1126 / Science.ADP4025