Elevated DNA damage without signs of aging in the short-sleeping Mexican cavefish.

ABSTRACT: Dysregulated sleep has widespread health consequences, including the accumulation of DNA damage. The Mexican tetra, Astyanax mexicanus, provides a powerful model to study the evolution and consequences of sleep loss. Multiple cave-adapted populations of this species have independently evolved reduced sleep compared to surface populations, yet show no obvious decline in healthspan or longevity. To examine whether evolved sleep loss is associated with DNA damage, we compared DNA damage response (DDR) and oxidative stress across populations. Cavefish exhibited elevated γH2AX in the brain and increased gut oxidative stress, consistent with chronic sleep deprivation. Following acute UV exposure, surface fish, but not cavefish, increased sleep and activated the photoreactivation repair pa

SUBMITTER: Lloyd E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12618005 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature