ArticleNature2018
Insulin resistance in cavefish as an adaptation to a nutrient-limited environment.
Article in Nature, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 118 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
118 citing papers in PubMed, 268 citations in OpenAlex.
- Exploring Astyanax mexicanus as a model for unraveling genotype-environment interactions and metabolic adaptations.Lab animal · 2026Review
- A pangenome framework uncovers the role of deletions in repeated evolution of cave-derived traits.Genome research · 2026Article
- Cave adaptation drives coordinated transcriptional remodeling across diverse cell types in the brain of a teleost fish.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Disruption of carotenoid metabolism in cavefish via loss of beta-carotene oxygenase 2a.Current biology : CB · 2026Article
- Subterranean environments contribute to three-quarters of classified ecosystem services.Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society · 2026Review
- Automated Profiling of Social Behaviors to Assess the Genetic Basis of Evolution of Aggressive Behaviors in Astyanax mexicanus.Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological and integrative physiology · 2026Article
- Novel mechanisms of chemosensory adaptation to the cave environment.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Morphological adaptations of cavefish support enhanced hydrodynamic perception for underwater environmental monitoring.Environmental science and ecotechnology · 2026Article
- Stage dependent plasticity and the evolution of a non-obligate cave dwelling life cycle in frogs.BMC biology · 2026Article
- Comparative physiology and biomimetics in metabolic and environmental health: what can we learn from extreme animal phenotypes?Diabetologia · 2026Review
- INSIG1 parallel substitution drives lipid/sterol metabolic plasticity mediating desert adaptation in ungulates.Communications biology · 2026Article
- Water Parameters and Hydrodynamics in Rivers and Caves HostingEcology and evolution · 2026Article
- The Emerging Roles of Metabolite-Activated GPCRs in Teleost Physiology and Aquaculture Development.Metabolites · 2025Review
- Chromosome-level genome assembly of the obligate cave loach Troglonectes daqikongensis.Scientific data · 2025Article
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- Cave adaptation favors aging resilience in the Mexican tetra.npj metabolic health and disease · 2025Article
- A repeatedly evolved mutation in Cryptochrome-1 of subterranean animals alters behavioral and molecular circadian rhythms.iScience · 2025Article
- Reproductive adaptation of Astyanax mexicanus under nutrient limitation.Developmental biology · 2025Article
- Divergent 3D genome organization in livers of cave and surface morphs ofbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
58 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
13 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Periodic food shortages are a major challenge faced by organisms in natural habitats. Cave-dwelling animals must withstand long periods of nutrient deprivation, as-in the absence of photosynthesis-caves depend on external energy sources such as seasonal floods. Here we show that cave-adapted populations of the Mexican tetra, Astyanax mexicanus, have dysregulated blood glucose homeostasis and are insulin-resistant compared to river-adapted populations. We found that multiple cave populations carry a mutation in the insulin receptor that leads to decreased insulin binding in vitro and contributes to hyperglycaemia. Hybrid fish from surface-cave crosses carrying this mutation weigh more than non-carriers, and zebrafish genetically engineered to carry the mutation have increased body weight and insulin resistance. Higher body weight may be advantageous in caves as a strategy to cope with an infrequent food supply. In humans, the identical mutation in the insulin receptor leads to a severe form of insulin resistance and reduced lifespan. However, cavefish have a similar lifespan to surface fish and do not accumulate the advanced glycation end-products in the blood that are typically associated with the progression of diabetes-associated pathologies. Our findings suggest that diminished insulin signalling is beneficial in a nutrient-limited environment and that cavefish may have acquired compensatory mechanisms that enable them to circumvent the typical negative effects associated with failure to regulate blood glucose levels.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.