Molecular evolution of antioxidant and hypoxia response in long-lived, cancer-resistant blind mole rats: The Nrf2-Keap1 pathway.

The Nrf2-Keap1 pathway is crucial for the cellular antioxidant and hypoxia response in vertebrates. Deciphering its modifications in hypoxia-adapted animals will help understand its functionality under environmental stress and possibly allow for knowledge transfer into biomedical research. The blind mole rat Spalax, a long-lived cancer-resistant rodent, lives in burrows underground and is adapted to severely hypoxic conditions.