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Abstract
The purpose of the review is to highlight the influences of ambient temperature (T(a)) and caloric restriction (CR) on metabolism, cardiovascular function and behavior in mice. Standard vivarium ambient temperatures (T(a)?23 degrees C) are a mild cold stress for mice requiring elevated metabolic rate and food intake. Increasing T(a) into the zone of thermoneutrality (TMN?29-33 degrees C) markedly reduces food intake, metabolic rate, heart rate (HR) and blood pressure in mice. Mice are members of a diverse, yet unique group of homeothermic animals that respond to thermal and energetic challenges by allowing body temperature (T(b)) to fall to less than 31 degrees C, a condition known as torpor. In mice housed at standard T(a), torpor is induced by a single night of fasting or a few days of CR. The mechanisms responsible for initiating torpor are related to reduced caloric availability, but do not require leptin. Mice housed at TMN and subjected to CR exhibit physiologic reductions in metabolic rate and HR, but do not appear to enter torpor. Finally, mice exhibit differential locomotor activity responses during CR that depends on T(a). At standard T(a), mice display increased light-phase home-cage activity with CR. This response is virtually eliminated when CR is performed at TMN. We suggest that researchers using mice to investigate energy homeostasis and cardiovascular physiology carefully consider the influence of T(a) on physiology and behavior.
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Williams TD, Chambers JB, Roberts LM, Henderson RP, Overton JM. Diet-induced obesity and cardiovascular regulation in C57BL/6J mice. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol 2004; 30:769-78. [PMID: 14516417 DOI: 10.1046/j.1440-1681.2003.t01-1-03808.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
1. In the present study, we determined the effect of diet-induced obesity on cardiovascular and metabolic regulation in mice at standard laboratory temperatures (ambient temperature (Ta) = 22 degrees C) and during exposure to thermoneutrality (Ta = 30 degrees C). 2. Male C57BL/6J (B6) mice fed a high-fat diet (HFF; n = 17) or chow (CHW; n = 14) for 15 weeks were surgically instrumented with telemetry devices, housed in metabolic chambers and assigned to either control or atenolol treatment (25 mg/kg per day in drinking water) to determine the effects of obesity on baseline cardiovascular function and on the responses to thermoneutrality and 24 h fasting. Mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), arterial pressure and HR variability (time and frequency domain), oxygen consumption (VO2) and locomotor activity were determined. 3. The HFF mice exhibited increased bodyweight (+10.6 +/- 4.1 g), moderate light period hypertension (+8.6 +/- 2.6 mmHg), no difference in HR and increased HR variability at standard laboratory temperature compared with CHW controls. Atenolol produced less of a decrease in HR in HFF mice (-42 +/- 10 b.p.m.) compared with CHW controls (-73 +/- 15 b.p.m.). Acute exposure to thermoneutrality (Ta = 30 degrees C) reduced HR similarly in both HFF and CHW mice (approximately 175 b.p.m.), but reduced MAP less in HFF than in CHW mice (-7.3 +/- 2.5 and -15.2 +/- 1.0 mmHg), respectively. Atenolol treatment had only minor effects on the HR response to thermonuetrality (-114 +/- 13 and -129 +/- 8 b.p.m. in HFF and CHW mice, respectively). The HFF mice displayed greater fasting-induced reductions in light period MAP than did CHW mice (-10.0 +/- 1.1 vs-3.1 +/- 3.5 mmHg, respectively), whereas HR was decreased equally in both groups. Fasting-induced increases in HR variability were attenuated in HFF mice. 4. We conclude that diet-induced obesity produced generally minor changes in cardiovascular regulation in B6 mice at baseline, some of which are distinct from the effects of diet-induced obesity in larger animal models. In contrast, acute variations in Ta or caloric availability produce pronounced alterations in cardiovascular function in either lean or obese mice, which are generally evident after atenolol and, thus, presumably not due exclusively to variation in cardiac sympathetic activity. Interestingly, the degree of obesity induced hypertension was augmented when mice were studied at thermonuetrality. The results suggest an important unrecognized role for vagal tone in the regulation of cardiovascular function in mice and support the need for considerable caution when using mouse models of obesity to examine regulation of cardiovascular function. We argue that mouse physiology studies should be performed in thermoneutral conditions.
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Williams TD, Kitaysky AS, Vézina F. Individual variation in plasma estradiol-17beta and androgen levels during egg formation in the European starling Sturnus vulgaris: implications for regulation of yolk steroids. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2004; 136:346-52. [PMID: 15081834 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2004.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2003] [Revised: 01/21/2004] [Accepted: 01/26/2004] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
While it is clear that maternal transfer of steroids to egg yolk can have significant effects on offspring phenotype, an unresolved question is whether females can facultatively adjust yolk hormone levels independently of their own plasma levels or whether yolk steroid levels are simply a direct consequence of temporal variation in the female's hormonal status. In part, this is because we lack detailed information about the day-to-day pattern of changes in plasma hormone levels during the laying cycle for non-domesticated birds. Here, we describe changes in plasma estradiol-17beta (E2) and androgens, throughout laying in relation to specific stages of ovarian follicular development in the European starling (Sturnus vulgaris). Plasma E2 levels increased rapidly from the onset of rapid yolk development (RYD) to reach maximum levels in birds with a complete follicle hierarchy (> or = 4 yolky follicles). However, levels decreased linearly throughout the later stages of follicle development returning to pre-breeding values before the final yolky follicle was ovulated. In females with > or = 4 yolky follicles there was 10-fold variation in plasma E2 levels among individual females, but this was not related to plasma levels of the main yolk precursor vitellogenin or to the total mass of yolky follicles developing at the time of blood sampling. In contrast to E2, plasma androgen levels showed only a very gradual linear decline throughout the laying cycle from pre-RYD to clutch completion. Furthermore, androgen levels showed less individual variability: 4-fold variation among females with > or = 4 yolky follicles, although this was also independent of our measures of reproductive function. Data on inter- and intra-individual variation in female hormone levels are important to set-up a priori predictions for, and interpretation of, studies of yolk hormone levels.
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Williams TD, Ames CE. Top-down regression of the avian oviduct during late oviposition in a small passerine bird. J Exp Biol 2004; 207:263-8. [PMID: 14668310 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.00740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
SUMMARYEgg production in oviparous vertebrates is assumed to be costly but the physiological basis of any costs remains unknown. The avian oviduct is a highly differentiated linear organ, with five functionally specific regions. Here we show that the oviduct regresses rapidly `from the top down' as soon as the more proximal regions have completed their function but while the distal regions still retain an oviductal egg. In zebra finches Taeniopygia guttata, oviduct mass did not differ between early laying birds at the 1-egg stage compared with late-laying birds (with one remaining yolky follicle; dry mass, 151-167 mg). However, in birds with no remaining yolky follicles but with an oviductal egg, oviduct mass decreased to 94 mg (44%). Regression occurred unequally among different regions of the oviduct, with significant decreases in the proximal infundibulum/magnum and isthmus regions(59% and 40%, respectively), but no change in distal shell gland/vagina mass. The shell gland did not regress until after the last oviposition. Thus, the avian oviduct has a highly regulated size-function relationship consistent with a high maintenance energy cost for this organ. We suggest that oviduct function is a significant contributor to the physiological costs of egg production and might mediate individual variation in maternal effects associated with non-yolk components of egg quality (e.g. immunoglobulins,lysozyme).
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Williams TD, Gensberg K, Minchin SD, Chipman JK. A DNA expression array to detect toxic stress response in European flounder (Platichthys flesus). AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2003; 65:141-57. [PMID: 12946615 DOI: 10.1016/s0166-445x(03)00119-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
As a first stage in developing a DNA array-based approach to investigating the effects of pollutants on an environmentally relevant European fish species, we have constructed a 160-gene custom microarray for European flounder. Degenerate primers were used to amplify 110 different fragments of stress-related and other genes from European flounder cDNA and genomic DNA. Additionally, 22 fragments were obtained by suppressive subtractive hybridisation (SSH). These fragments were cloned and sequenced, then, with additional control genes, used to create a cDNA microarray for flounder. After optimisation of the arraying process, hepatic mRNA was isolated from flounder caught in the polluted Tyne and relatively unpolluted Alde estuaries. Fluorescent cDNA probes were synthesised from the mRNA and used in dual-colour hybridisations to the microarray. A number of transcripts were differentially expressed between Tyne and Alde female flounder but these changes were not significant, due to high inter-individual variation. However, in comparisons between Tyne and Alde male flounder, 11 transcripts were found to significantly differ in expression (P<0.05). Seven transcripts were more highly expressed in the Tyne male fish (CYP1A, UDPGT, alpha-2HS-glycoprotein, dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase, Cu/Zn SOD, aldehyde dehydrogenase and paraoxonase). Four transcripts (Elongation factor 1 (EF1), EF2, Int-6 and complement component C3) were found to be significantly less abundant in the Tyne male fish. Selected genes were assayed by real-time PCR, then normalised to alpha-tubulin. These assays confirmed the significance of the array results for CYP1A, UDPGT and EF1, but not for Cu/Zn SOD. This study provides a link between traditional single-gene biomarker studies and the emerging field of eco-toxicogenomics, demonstrating the utility of microarray studies on environmentally sampled, non-model organisms.
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Schöneich C, Williams TD. CU(II)-catalyzed oxidation of Alzheimer's disease beta-amyloid peptide and related sequences: remarkably different selectivities of neurotoxic betaAP1-40 and non-toxic betaAP40-1. Cell Mol Biol (Noisy-le-grand) 2003; 49:753-61. [PMID: 14528912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/27/2023]
Abstract
We investigated the CuII-catalyzed oxidation of beta-amyloid peptides betaAP10-20 and betaAP40-1 by tandem mass spectrometry and compared oxidation yields and selectivities to those for betaAP1-16, betaAP1-28 and betaAP1-40, which were obtained earlier (26). While betaAP1-16, betaAP1-28 and betaAP1-40 showed an almost exclusive oxidation of His residues to 2-oxo-histidine, the selectivity pattern is changed for betaAP10-20,which shows oxidation of His but also hydroxylation of Tyr and Phe. In contrast to betaAP1-40, the reverse sequence betaAP40-1 shows a strong selectivity for the hydroxylation of Tyr31 while only negligible His oxidation is observed at early time points. These selectivity patterns show the importance of the geometry of the metal-binding site for peptide/protein oxidation. The significantly different characteristic of betaAP1-40 and betaAP40-1 with regard to metal catalyzed processes may be related to the differences in the neurotoxic properties of these sequences.
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Esch SW, Williams TD, Biswas S, Chakrabarty A, LeVine SM. Sphingolipid profile in the CNS of the twitcher (globoid cell leukodystrophy) mouse: a lipidomics approach. Cell Mol Biol (Noisy-le-grand) 2003; 49:779-87. [PMID: 14528915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/27/2023]
Abstract
Globoid cell leukodystrophy (Krabbe disease) is caused by mutations in galactosylceramidase, a lysosomal enzyme that acts to digest galactosylceramide, a glycolipid concentrated in myelin, and psychosine (galactosylsphingosine). Globoid cell leukodystrophy has been identified in many species including humans and twitcher mice. Several studies on human tissue have examined the lipid profile in this disease by gas, liquid or thin layer chromatography. Electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry combined with reverse phase HPLC has become a powerful alternative strategy, used here to compare the sphingolipid profile of pons/medulla tissue from twitcher mice with control tissue. In this lipidomics LC-MS approach, we scanned for precursors of m/z 264 to obtain a semi-quantitative profile of ceramides and galactosylceramides. Sphingosine-1-phosphate, C18:0 ceramide, C22:0 ceramide and C24:0 ceramide levels were reduced in the pons/medulla of twitcher mice compared to levels in control mice at 31 and 35-37 days of age. The levels of C22:0 and C24:0 galactosylceramide were similar between twitcher and control specimens and there was a trend toward reduced levels of C24:1 galactosylceramide and C24:1 hydroxy-galactosylceramide in twitcher specimens. Psychosine, C 16:0 ceramide and C 18:0 galactosylceramide levels were increased in the CNS of twitcher mice compared to levels in control mice. These data indicate that there is a trend toward decreased levels of long chain fatty acids and increased levels of shorter chain fatty acids in galactosylceramides and ceramides from twitcher mice compared with control mice, and such changes may be due to demyelination characteristic of acute pathology.
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Williams TD, Chambers JB, Gagnon SP, Roberts LM, Henderson RP, Overton JM. Cardiovascular and metabolic responses to fasting and thermoneutrality in Ay mice. Physiol Behav 2003; 78:615-23. [PMID: 12782216 DOI: 10.1016/s0031-9384(03)00049-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Several lines of evidence support a role for reduced melanocortin signaling in the regulation of metabolic rate and cardiovascular function during negative energy balance. We tested the hypothesis that agouti yellow (B6.Cg-A(y)) mice would exhibit blunted physiologic responses to fasting and thermoneutrality. Male B6.Cg-A(y) mice (A(y); n=11, 34+/-2 g) and lean B6 littermates (B6; n=7, 26+/-2 g) were implanted with telemetry devices and housed in metabolic chambers (T(a)=23 degrees C) to determine the effects of a 24-h fasting and exposure to thermoneutrality (T(a)=30 degrees C) on mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), AP and HR variability (time and frequency domain), oxygen consumption (VO(2)), and locomotor activity. A(y) mice exhibited elevated baseline light-period MAP (A(y): 113+/-4; B6: 99+/-3 mm Hg) and VO(2) (A(y): 1.82+/-0.08 vs. B6: 1.45+/-0.13 ml/min) with no difference in HR (A(y): 530+/-12 vs. B6: 548+/-19 bpm). At 12-24 h after food removal, A(y) mice displayed normal fasting-induced bradycardia (A(y): -106+/-12; B6: -117+/-19 bpm) and reduction in VO(2) (A(y): -0.19+/-0.04 vs. B6: -0.28+/-0.05 ml/min), but with augmented hypotension (A(y): -9+/-2 vs. B6: -0.5+/-2 mm Hg) and blunted hyperactivity (A(y): 27+/-23 vs. B6: 122+/-42 m/11 h). Fasting was associated with increased HR variability in both time and frequency domain in B6 but not A(y) mice. Exposure to thermoneutrality produced comparable reductions in MAP, HR, and VO(2) in both strains. We conclude that inhibition of melanocortin signaling is not requisite for, but participates in, the metabolic and cardiovascular responses to negative energy balance.
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Brown RJ, Rundle SD, Hutchinson TH, Williams TD, Jones MB. A copepod life-cycle test and growth model for interpreting the effects of lindane. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2003; 63:1-11. [PMID: 12615417 DOI: 10.1016/s0166-445x(02)00120-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
A full life-cycle test was performed to measure the effects of lindane (3.2-3,200 microg l(-1)) on the survival, development and reproduction of the freshwater copepod Bryocamptus zschokkei. This copepod survived at relatively high concentrations of lindane compared with other freshwater crustaceans with a 10 day LC50 of 241 microg l(-1) (95% CL of 141-440). 'Equiproportional development', which assumes that each moult stage represents a specific proportion of the total development time, and is not affected by processes that influence metabolism such as temperature and food quality, was used to determine the mode of action of lindane on development in B. zschokkei. Development to adult was significantly longer at 100 microg l(-1) lindane compared with the controls, however, development remained equiproportional regardless of lindane exposure. Increased development times, therefore, are not due to a direct effect of lindane on the moulting process but are due probably to reduced food intake or increased metabolism through the stress imposed by toxicant exposure. Although the survival data suggest that B. zschokkei is relatively tolerant of lindane exposure, reproduction was affected at low lindane concentrations. At 32 microg l(-1) lindane, significantly fewer eggs and viable offspring were produced per female compared with the solvent control. At very low lindane concentrations (3.2 and 10 microg l(-1)), there was a significant increase in the numbers of offspring produced per female compared with the controls and this is interpreted as a hormesis effect. In conclusion, a full life-cycle test demonstrated B. zschokkei is relatively sensitive to lindane compared with other freshwater crustaceans. Incorporating a copepod growth model (equiproportional development) into the life-cycle test design, provided information on the dominant mode of action of the toxicant.
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McFarland CN, Bendell-Young LI, Guglielmo C, Williams TD. Kidney, liver and bone cadmium content in the western sandpiper in relation to migration. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING : JEM 2002; 4:791-5. [PMID: 12400933 DOI: 10.1039/b206045k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Cadmium content was measured in kidney, liver and tarsus bones of western sandpipers (Calidris mauri) at a temperate migratory stopover site (Fraser Delta, British Columbia, Canada) and a wintering site (Playa el Agallito, Chitre, Panama) over a two year period. Cadmium content in liver and kidney was age and sex dependent. Adult females generally had lower kidney and liver cadmium than adult males (P < 0.05), but a sex difference was not detected in juveniles. Cadmium increased with age in kidney, liver and to a lesser extent in bone (P < 0.001) with average "steady-state" kidney and liver content being reached within the sandpipers first year. In general, tissue cadmium residues in adult males and females were independent of sampling location although for bone, site-specific differences did occur (P < 0.001). Bone cadmium was lower in females sampled from their wintering grounds as compared to temperate stopover sites suggesting that bone cadmium may be mobilized during periods of feather molt. Comparison of cadmium residues among sandpipers of increasing age suggest that exposure is occurring along the Pacific Coast, at stopover sites as the birds migrate north to Alaska and south to Panama. This study points to the importance of considering the ecology of the species (e.g., in this case migratory behavior) in interpreting trace metal residues.
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Guglielmo CG, Williams TD, Zwingelstein G, Brichon G, Weber JM. Plasma and muscle phospholipids are involved in the metabolic response to long-distance migration in a shorebird. J Comp Physiol B 2002; 172:409-17. [PMID: 12122457 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-002-0266-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/17/2002] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
We studied: (1) concentrations and fatty acid compositions of plasma non-esterified fatty acids, neutral lipids, and phospholipids, and (2) fatty acid composition of flight muscle phospholipids in wintering, premigratory, and spring and fall migrating western sandpipers ( Calidris mauri). Plasma neutral lipid and phospholipid levels were elevated in migrants, reflecting high rates of fat deposition. An important role of phospholipids in fattening is suggested by the fact that the amount of fatty acids in plasma phospholipids was similar to, or in spring as much as twice, that of neutral lipids. Changes in the ratio of plasma neutral lipids to phospholipids may indicate seasonal changes in triacylglycerol stores of invertebrate prey. Monounsaturation and total unsaturation of plasma neutral lipids and phospholipids increased during migration. Muscle phospholipids were more monounsaturated in spring and fall, but total unsaturation was reduced in fall. Arachidonic acid [20:4(n-6)] was especially abundant in muscle phospholipids in winter (29%) and declined during migration (19-22%), contributing to a decline in the ratio of n-6 to n-3 fatty acids. The abundance of plasma phospholipids and variability of neutral lipid to phospholipid ratio indicates that measurement of plasma phospholipids will improve methods for assessment of fattening rates of birds. The functional significance of changes in muscle phospholipids is unclear, but may relate to depletion of essential n-6 fatty acids during exercise.
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Williams TD, Chambers JB, Henderson RP, Rashotte ME, Overton JM. Cardiovascular responses to caloric restriction and thermoneutrality in C57BL/6J mice. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2002; 282:R1459-67. [PMID: 11959690 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00612.2001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
We utilized variations in caloric availability and ambient temperature (T(a)) to examine interrelationships between energy expenditure and cardiovascular function in mice. Male C57BL/6J mice (n = 6) were implanted with telemetry devices and housed in metabolic chambers for measurement of mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), O(2) consumption (VO(2)), and locomotor activity. Fasting (T(a) = 23 degrees C), initiated at the onset of the dark phase, resulted in large and transient depressions in MAP, HR, VO(2), and locomotor activity that occurred during hours 6-17, which suggests torporlike episodes. Food restriction (14 days, 60% of baseline intake) at T(a) = 23 degrees C resulted in progressive reductions in MAP and HR across days that were coupled with an increasing occurrence of episodic torporlike reductions in HR (<300 beats/min) and VO(2) (<1.0 ml/min). Exposure to thermoneutrality (T(a) = 30 degrees C, n = 6) reduced baseline light-period MAP (-14 +/- 2 mmHg) and HR (-184 +/- 12 beats/min). Caloric restriction at thermoneutrality produced further reductions in MAP and HR, but indications of torporlike episodes were absent. The results reveal that mice exhibit robust cardiovascular responses to both acute and chronic negative energy balance. Furthermore, we conclude that T(a) is a very important consideration when assessing cardiovascular function in mice.
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Vanderkist BA, Williams TD, Bertram DF, Lougheed LW, Ryder JL. Indirect, physiological assessment of reproductive state and breeding chronology in free-living birds: an example in the Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus
). Funct Ecol 2001. [DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2435.2000.00475.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Block BA, Dewar H, Blackwell SB, Williams TD, Prince ED, Farwell CJ, Boustany A, Teo SL, Seitz A, Walli A, Fudge D. Migratory movements, depth preferences, and thermal biology of Atlantic bluefin tuna. Science 2001; 293:1310-4. [PMID: 11509729 DOI: 10.1126/science.1061197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 196] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The deployment of electronic data storage tags that are surgically implanted or satellite-linked provides marine researchers with new ways to examine the movements, environmental preferences, and physiology of pelagic vertebrates. We report the results obtained from tagging of Atlantic bluefin tuna with implantable archival and pop-up satellite archival tags. The electronic tagging data provide insights into the seasonal movements and environmental preferences of this species. Bluefin tuna dive to depths of >1000 meters and maintain a warm body temperature. Western-tagged bluefin tuna make trans-Atlantic migrations and they frequent spawning grounds in the Gulf of Mexico and eastern Mediterranean. These data are critical for the future management and conservation of bluefin tuna in the Atlantic.
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Guglielmo CG, Piersma T, Williams TD. A sport-physiological perspective on bird migration: evidence for flight-induced muscle damage. J Exp Biol 2001; 204:2683-90. [PMID: 11533118 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.204.15.2683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
SUMMARY
Exercise-induced muscle damage is a well-described consequence of strenuous exercise, but its potential importance in the evolution of animal activity patterns is unknown. We used plasma creatine kinase (CK) activity as an indicator of muscle damage to investigate whether the high intensity, long-duration flights of two migratory shorebird species cause muscle damage that must be repaired during stopover. In two years of study, plasma CK activity was significantly higher in migrating western sandpipers (a non-synchronous, short-hop migrant), than in non-migrants. Similarly, in the bar-tailed godwit (a synchronous, long-jump migrant), plasma CK activity was highest immediately after arrival from a 4000–5000km flight from West Africa to The Netherlands, and declined before departure for the arctic breeding areas. Late-arriving godwits had higher plasma CK activity than birds that had been at the stopover site longer. Juvenile western sandpipers making their first southward migration had higher plasma CK activity than adults. These results indicate that muscle damage occurs during migration, and that it is exacerbated in young, relatively untrained birds. However, the magnitude of the increases in plasma CK activity associated with migratory flight were relatively small, suggesting that the level of muscle damage is moderate. Migrants may avoid damage behaviourally, or have efficient biochemical and physiological defences against muscle injury.
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Challenger WO, Williams TD, Christians JK, Vézina F. Follicular development and plasma yolk precursor dynamics through the laying cycle in the European starling (Sturnus vulgaris). Physiol Biochem Zool 2001; 74:356-65. [PMID: 11331507 DOI: 10.1086/320427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/28/2000] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
We investigated the quantitative matching of plasma yolk precursor supply (the plasma pool) to follicle demand during yolk formation in European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris). Plasma concentrations of the two yolk precursors, vitellogenin (VTG) and very low density lipoprotein (VLDL), were only elevated coincident with rapid yolk development (RYD) and matched variation in total yolky follicle mass. VTG and VLDL were low (<0.4 microg/mL and <4.2 mg/mL, respectively) in nonbreeders and prebreeders with no yolky follicles, and at clutch completion. They increased to 4.02 microg/mL and 19.4 mg/mL in birds with a full follicle hierarchy (F1-F4), and concentrations then remained high and actually increased up to the point where only a single, yolky (F1) follicle remained. However, there was some evidence for mismatching of supply and demand: (a) precursor concentrations increased throughout the laying cycle even though the number of developing follicles decreased. We suggest that this is because of a requirement to maintain a large precursor pool to maintain high uptake rates; and (b) in birds with a full follicle hierarchy, precursor concentrations were negatively correlated with total follicle mass. This suggests that high uptake rates in large follicles can actually deplete circulating precursor concentrations. Plasma concentrations of both yolk precursors increased rapidly in the early morning with (predicted) time after ovulation, consistent with a lack of fine control of precursor concentrations. However, mean plasma VTG concentrations did not differ between morning or evening samples. In contrast, plasma VLDL concentrations were lower in the morning (16.8 mg/mL) than in the evening (22.9 mg/mL). Although there is marked individual variation in plasma VTG and VLDL (four- to eightfold), both precursors were repeatable in the short term (24 h), and plasma VTG was repeatable over a 14-d interval between successive breeding attempts.
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Williams TD. Retinal arteriovenous communication. OPTOMETRY (ST. LOUIS, MO.) 2001; 72:309-14. [PMID: 11394841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Disturbances in development of the embryonic vascular system, though uncommon, may cause formation of retinal arteriovenous communications (RAC). Such anomalies may also involve the intracranial, orbital, and maxillofacial blood vessels. Field loss, neovascular glaucoma, optic atrophy, Parinaud syndrome, hemiparesis, hemiplegia, and proptosis may be associated with RAC. CASE REPORT A 27-year-old woman was referred for photography of a vascular anomaly in her left eye. I noted a large arteriovenous malformation joining major temporal branches of the left central retinal artery and vein. External and internal examination of both eyes was otherwise unremarkable. Visual-field testing revealed nasal field disturbances for the left eye, but none for the right eye. CT scan showed no obvious intracranial abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS Visual-field testing may show scotomas associated with retinal arteriovenous communications. It is possible for patients with RAC to have no associated vascular abnormalities elsewhere in the circulation of the head.
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Overton JM, Williams TD, Chambers JB, Rashotte ME. Cardiovascular and metabolic responses to fasting and thermoneutrality are conserved in obese Zucker rats. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2001; 280:R1007-15. [PMID: 11247821 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.2001.280.4.r1007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
The primary purpose of the study was to test the hypothesis that reduced leptin signaling is necessary to elicit the cardiovascular and metabolic responses to fasting. Lean (Fa/?; normal leptin receptor; n = 7) and obese (fa/fa; mutated leptin receptor; n = 8) Zucker rats were instrumented with telemetry transmitters and housed in metabolic chambers at 23 degrees C (12:12-h light-dark cycle) for continuous (24 h) measurement of metabolic and cardiovascular variables. Before fasting, mean arterial pressure (MAP) was higher (MAP: obese = 103 +/- 3; lean = 94 +/- 1 mmHg), whereas oxygen consumption (VO(2): obese = 16.5 +/- 0.3; lean = 18.6 +/- 0.2 ml. min(-1). kg(-0.75)) was lower in obese Zucker rats compared with their lean controls. Two days of fasting had no effect on MAP in either lean or obese Zucker rats, whereas VO(2) (obese = -3.1 +/- 0.3; lean = -2.9 +/- 0.1 ml. min(-1). kg(-0.75)) and heart rate (HR: obese = -56 +/- 4; lean = -42 +/- 4 beats/min) were decreased markedly in both groups. Fasting increased HR variability both in lean (+1.8 +/- 0.4 ms) and obese (+2.6 +/- 0.3 ms) Zucker rats. After a 6-day period of ad libitum refeeding, when all parameters had returned to near baseline levels, the cardiovascular and metabolic responses to 2 days of thermoneutrality (ambient temperature 29 degrees C) were determined. Thermoneutrality reduced VO(2) (obese = -2.4 +/- 0.2; lean = -3.3 +/- 0.2 ml. min(-1). kg(-0.75)), HR (obese = -46 +/- 5; lean = -55 +/- 4 beats/min), and MAP (obese = -13 +/- 6; lean = -10 +/- 1 mmHg) similarly in lean and obese Zucker rats. The results indicate that the cardiovascular and metabolic responses to fasting and thermoneutrality are conserved in Zucker rats and suggest that intact leptin signaling may not be requisite for the metabolic and cardiovascular responses to reduced energy intake.
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Christians JK, Williams TD. Interindividual variation in yolk mass and the rate of growth of ovarian follicles in the zebra finch ( Taeniopygia guttata ). J Comp Physiol B 2001; 171:255-61. [PMID: 11352109 DOI: 10.1007/s003600100174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The amount of resources invested in an individual egg yolk must be determined by its rate of growth and/or the duration of growth. We examined interindividual variation in the growth rate of yolks by injecting radiolabeled amino acid into breeding female zebra finches and measuring the activity associated with protein in the yolks of eggs laid subsequently. We predicted that (1) there would be a positive correlation between yolk mass and the rate of uptake of activity into the yolk; and (2) there would be a negative correlation between clutch size and the amount of activity taken up by each of the follicles due to competition between follicles for circulating yolk precursors. The rate of uptake of activity by the yolks was positively related to yolk mass (r2=0.24, 0.35 and 0.50 for the yolks of the third-, fourth- and fifth-laid eggs, respectively), suggesting that interindividual variation in yolk mass is due, at least in part, to variation in the rate of follicle growth. However, we found no evidence of a trade-off between yolk size and number. The uptake of activity was generally repeatable between breeding attempts (repeatability= 0.23-0.44), as was mean yolk mass (repeatability = 0.35), suggesting that these traits are characteristics of individual females.
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Williams TD. Experimental manipulation of female reproduction reveals an intraspecific egg size-clutch size trade-off. Proc Biol Sci 2001; 268:423-8. [PMID: 11270440 PMCID: PMC1088623 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2000.1374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A negative relationship, or trade-off, between egg size and clutch size is a central and long-standing component of life-history theory, yet there is little empirical evidence for such a trade-off, especially at the intraspecific level. Here, I show that female zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) treated chronically during egg formation with the anti-oestrogen tamoxifen lay smaller eggs (by 8%) but produce larger clutches (on average two eggs more) than controls. Decreased egg mass in tamoxifen-treated females was associated with a 50% decrease in plasma levels of the two yolk precursors, vitellogenin and very-low-density lipoprotein. Although tamoxifen-treated females laid more, smaller eggs (and had a higher total expenditure in their clutch), they did not differ from controls in the number of chicks fledged, the mass or size of these chicks at fledging, or the chicks' egg-production performance at three months of age. However, tamoxifen-treated females had lower relative hatching success: they laid more eggs but hatched the same number of chicks. Among individual tamoxifen-treated females, birds that laid the smallest eggs early in their laying sequence laid the largest number of additional eggs, that is, there was a negative correlation, or trade-off, between egg size and clutch size.
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Overton JM, Williams TD, Chambers JB, Rashotte ME. Central leptin infusion attenuates the cardiovascular and metabolic effects of fasting in rats. Hypertension 2001; 37:663-9. [PMID: 11230353 DOI: 10.1161/01.hyp.37.2.663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The role of reduced leptin signaling in the regulation of cardiovascular responses to negative energy balance is not known. We tested the hypothesis that central infusion of leptin would attenuate the cardiovascular and metabolic responses to fasting. Male Sprague-Dawley rats, instrumented with telemetry devices and intracerebroventricular cannulas, were housed in metabolic chambers for continuous (24 hours) measurement of dark-phase (active) and light-phase (inactive) mean arterial pressure, heart rate, oxygen consumption, and respiratory quotient. Rats received central infusions of either saline (0.5 microL/h) or leptin (42 ng/h) for 6 days through osmotic pumps and were either fed ad libitum or were fasted for 48 hours followed by refeeding for 4 days. In ad lib animals, continuous intracerebroventricular leptin infusion significantly reduced caloric intake, body weight, and respiratory quotient compared with saline controls while having no effect on mean arterial pressure or heart rate. Fasting reduced mean arterial pressure, heart rate, oxygen consumption, and respiratory quotient in rats receiving saline infusions. Fasting-induced reductions in mean arterial pressure were specific to the active phase and were not attenuated by central leptin infusion. In contrast, intracerebroventricular leptin, at a dose that had no cardiovascular effects in ad lib control animals, completely prevented fasting-induced decreases in light-phase heart rate and oxygen consumption and blunted fasting-induced reductions in dark-phase heart rate and oxygen consumption. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that reductions in central leptin signaling contribute to the integrated cardiovascular and metabolic responses to acute caloric deprivation.
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Williams TD, Lyle WM. Granular corneal dystrophy: slitlamp biomicroscopic appearances in three generations of patients. Optom Vis Sci 2001; 78:79-84. [PMID: 11265930 DOI: 10.1097/00006324-200102000-00007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE The purpose of this case series is to show photographically the varying clinical appearance of granular corneal dystrophy in three generations of one family and to review the genetic basis of this and related conditions. CASE SERIES We present cases for four affected individuals along with slitlamp biomicroscopic photographs. DISCUSSION A review of the photographs and the literature suggests that the abnormal keratoepithelin first appears in the superficial cornea as faint subepithelial opacities. With time, these become arranged in the curved lines of a vortex pattern, after which the deposits become scattered in no particular pattern and at all levels of the cornea. In this family, corneal erosions are a regular feature. Mutations of the gene coding for keratoepithelin (beta ig-h3) may give rise to variable clinical manifestations.
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Ferrington DA, Sun H, Murray KK, Costa J, Williams TD, Bigelow DJ, Squier TC. Selective degradation of oxidized calmodulin by the 20 S proteasome. J Biol Chem 2001; 276:937-43. [PMID: 11010965 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m005356200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
We have investigated the mechanisms that target oxidized calmodulin for degradation by the proteasome. After methionine oxidation within calmodulin, rates of degradation by the 20 S proteasome are substantially enhanced. Mass spectrometry was used to identify the time course of the proteolytic fragments released from the proteasome. Oxidized calmodulin is initially degraded into large proteolytic fragments that are released from the proteasome and subsequently degraded into small peptides that vary in size from 6 to 12 amino acids. To investigate the molecular determinants that result in the selective degradation of oxidized calmodulin, we used circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy to assess oxidant-induced structural changes. There is a linear correlation between decreases in secondary structure and the rate of degradation. Calcium binding or the repair of oxidized calmodulin by methionine sulfoxide reductase induces comparable changes in alpha-helical content and rates of degradation. In contrast, alterations in the surface hydrophobicity of oxidized calmodulin do not alter the rate of degradation by the proteasome, indicating that changes in surface hydrophobicity do not necessarily lead to enhanced proteolytic susceptibility. These results suggest that decreases in secondary structure expose proteolytically sensitive sites in oxidized calmodulin that are cleaved by the proteasome in a nonprocessive manner.
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Koen YM, Williams TD, Hanzlik RP. Identification of three protein targets for reactive metabolites of bromobenzene in rat liver cytosol. Chem Res Toxicol 2000; 13:1326-35. [PMID: 11123975 DOI: 10.1021/tx000165l] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The hepatotoxicity of bromobenzene and many other simple organic chemicals is believed to be associated with covalent binding of chemically reactive metabolites to cellular proteins. Recently, a rat liver microsomal esterase was shown to be targeted by bromobenzene metabolites formed in vitro [Rombach, E. M., and Hanzlik, R. P. (1998) Chem. Res. Toxicol. 11, 178-184]. To identify protein targets for bromobenzene metabolites in cytosol, we incubated liver microsomes and glutathione-depleted liver cytosol from phenobarbital-treated rats with [(14)C]bromobenzene in vitro. In a separate experiment, we intraperitoneally injected a hepatotoxic dose of [(14)C]bromobenzene to phenobarbital-treated rats. The cytosol fractions from both experiments were recovered and analyzed for protein-bound radioactivity. Under the conditions that were used, 2.6 and 3.9 nmolar equiv of bromobenzene/mg of cytosolic protein was bound in vitro and in vivo, respectively. Denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of these cytosolic proteins followed by phosphor imaging analysis revealed several radiolabeled protein bands over a broad molecular mass range, the patterns observed in vitro and in vivo being generally similar to each other. Cytosolic proteins labeled in vitro were separated by ion exchange chromatography and electrophoresis, and three major radioactive bands with estimated molecular masses of ca. 14, 25, and 30 kDa were in-gel digested with trypsin, followed by on-line HPLC electrospray ionization mass spectrometry of the resulting peptide mixtures. For the three protein bands, the observed peptide masses were found to match the predicted tryptic fragments of liver fatty acid binding protein, glutathione transferase subunit A1, and carbonic anhydrase isoform III, respectively, with 83, 45, and 59% coverage of the corresponding complete sequences. The possible relationship of the adduction of these proteins to the toxicological outcome is discussed.
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Chambers JB, Williams TD, Nakamura A, Henderson RP, Overton JM, Rashotte ME. Cardiovascular and metabolic responses of hypertensive and normotensive rats to one week of cold exposure. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2000; 279:R1486-94. [PMID: 11004019 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.2000.279.4.r1486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Challenges to energy homeostasis, such as cold exposure, can have consequences for both metabolic and cardiovascular functioning. We hypothesized that 1-wk cold exposure (4 degrees C) would produce concurrent increases in metabolic rate (VO(2); indirect calorimetry), heart rate (HR), and mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) measured by telemetry. In the initial hours of change in ambient temperature (T(a)), both spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and normotensive Sprague-Dawley rats showed rapid increases (in cold) or decreases (in rewarming) of VO(2), HR, and MAP, although the initial changes in MAP and HR were more exaggerated in SHRs. Throughout cold exposure, HR, VO(2), food intake, and locomotor activity remained elevated but MAP decreased in both strains, particularly in the SHR. During rewarming, all measures normalized quickly in both strains except MAP, which fell below baseline (hypotension) for the first few days. The results indicate that variations of T(a) produce rapid changes in a suite of cardiovascular and behavioral responses that have many similarities in hypertensive and normotensive strains of rats. The findings are consistent with the general concept that the cardiovascular responses to cold exposure in rats are closely related to and perhaps a secondary consequence of the mechanisms responsible for increasing heat production.
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