Overcoming muscle atrophy in a hibernating mammal despite prolonged disuse in dormancy: Proteomic and molecular assessment

Remodeling of skeletal muscle myosin metabolic states in hibernating mammals

Hibernation is a period of metabolic suppression utilized by many small and large mammal species to survive during winter periods. As the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms remain incompletely understood, our study aimed to determine whether skeletal muscle myosin and its metabolic efficiency undergo alterations during hibernation to optimize energy utilization. We isolated muscle fibers from small hibernators, Ictidomys tridecemlineatus and Eliomys quercinus and larger hibernators, Ursus arctos and Ursus americanus. We then conducted loaded Mant-ATP chase experiments alongside X-ray diffraction to measure resting myosin dynamics and its ATP demand. In parallel, we performed multiple proteomics analyses. Our results showed a preservation of myosin structure in U. arctos and U. americanus during hibernation, whilst in I. tridecemlineatus and E. quercinus, changes in myosin metabolic states during torpor unexpectedly led to higher levels in energy expenditure of type II, fast-twitch muscle fibers at ambient lab temperatures (20 °C). Upon repeating loaded Mant-ATP chase experiments at 8 °C (near the body temperature of torpid animals), we found that myosin ATP consumption in type II muscle fibers was reduced by 77-107% during torpor compared to active periods. Additionally, we observed Myh2 hyper-phosphorylation during torpor in I. tridecemilineatus, which was predicted to stabilize the myosin molecule. This may act as a potential molecular mechanism mitigating myosin-associated increases in skeletal muscle energy expenditure during periods of torpor in response to cold exposure. Altogether, we demonstrate that resting myosin is altered in hibernating mammals, contributing to significant changes to the ATP consumption of skeletal muscle. Additionally, we observe that it is further altered in response to cold exposure and highlight myosin as a potentially contributor to skeletal muscle non-shivering thermogenesis.

Adapting to stress: The effects of hibernation and hibernacula temperature on the hepatic transcriptome of Rhinolophus pusillus

Hibernation, a survival strategy in mammals for extreme climates, induces physiological phenomena such as ischemia-reperfusion and metabolic shifts that hold great potential for advancements in modern medicine. Despite this, the molecular mechanisms underpinning hibernation remain largely unclear. This study used RNA-seq and Iso-seq techniques to investigate the changes in liver transcriptome expression of Rhinolophus pusillus during hibernation and active periods, as well as under different microhabitat temperatures. We identified 11 457 differentially expressed genes during hibernation and active periods, of which 395 showed significant differential expression. Genes associated with fatty acid catabolism were significantly upregulated during hibernation, whereas genes related to carbohydrate metabolism and glycogen synthesis were downregulated. Conversely, immune-related genes displayed differential expression patterns: genes tied to innate immunity were significantly upregulated, while those linked to adaptive immunity and inflammatory response were downregulated. The analysis of transcriptomic data obtained from different microhabitat temperatures revealed that R. pusillus exhibited an upregulation of genes associated with lipid metabolism in lower microhabitat temperature. This upregulation facilitated an enhanced utilization rate of triglyceride, ultimately resulting in increased energy provision for the organism. Additionally, R. pusillus upregulated gluconeogenesis-related genes regardless of the microhabitat temperature, demonstrating the importance of maintaining blood glucose levels during hibernation. Our transcriptomic data reveal that these changes in liver gene expression optimize energy allocation during hibernation, suggesting that liver tissue adaptively responds to the inherent stress of its function during hibernation. This study sheds light on the role of differential gene expression in promoting more efficient energy allocation during hibernation. It contributes to our understanding of how liver tissue adapts to the stressors associated with this state.

Pre-hibernation diet alters skeletal muscle relaxation kinetics, but not force development in torpid arctic ground squirrels

During the hibernation season, Arctic ground squirrels (AGS) experience extreme temperature fluctuations (body temperature, Tb, as low as - 3 °C), during which they are mostly physically inactive. Once Tb reaches ~ 15 °C during interbout arousals, hibernators recruit skeletal muscle (SkM) for shivering thermogenesis to reach Tb of ~ 35 °C. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in the diet are known to influence SkM function and metabolism. Recent studies in the cardiac muscle of hibernators have revealed that increased levels of ω-6 and the ω-6:ω-3 PUFA ratio correlate with sarco/endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase (SERCA) activity and hibernation status. We hypothesized that diet (increased ω-6:ω-3 PUFA ratio) and torpor status are important in the regulation of the SERCA pump and that this may improve SkM performance during hibernation. Ex vivo functional assays were used to characterize performance changes in SkM (diaphragm) from AGS fed the following diets. (1) Standard rodent chow with an ω-6:ω-3 ratio of 5:1, or (2) a balanced diet with an ω-6:ω-3 ratio of 1:1 that roughly mimics wild diet. We collected diaphragms at three different stages of hibernation (early torpor, late torpor, and arousal) and evaluated muscle function under hypothermic temperature stress at 4 °C, 15 °C, 25 °C, and 37 °C to determine functional resilience. Our data show that torpid animals fed standard rodent chow have faster SkM relaxation when compared to the balanced diet animals. Furthermore, we discovered that standard rodent chow AGS during torpor has higher SkM relaxation kinetics, but this effect of torpor is eliminated in balanced diet AGS. Interestingly, neither diet nor torpor influenced the rate of force development (rate of calcium release). This is the first study to show that increasing the dietary ω-6:ω-3 PUFA ratio improves skeletal muscle performance during decreased temperatures in a hibernating animal. This evidence supports the interpretation that diet can change some functional properties of the SkM, presumably through membrane lipid composition, ambient temperature, and torpor interaction, with an impact on SkM performance.

Proteomic Identification of Seasonally Expressed Proteins Contributing to Heart Function and the Avoidance of Skeletal Muscle Disuse Atrophy in a Hibernating Mammal

Hibernation in the thirteen-lined ground squirrel (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus) takes place over 4-6 months and is characterized by multiday bouts of hypothermic torpor (5-7 °C core body temperature) that are regularly interrupted every 1-2 weeks by brief (12-24 h) normothermic active periods called interbout arousals. Our goal was to gain insight into the molecular mechanisms that underlie the hibernator's ability to preserve heart function and avoid the deleterious effects of skeletal muscle disuse atrophy over prolonged periods of inactivity, starvation, and near-freezing body temperatures. To achieve this goal, we performed organelle enrichment of heart and skeletal muscle at five seasonal time points followed by LC-MS-based label-free quantitative proteomics. In both organs, we saw an increase in the levels of many proteins as ground squirrels transition from an active state to a prehibernation state in the fall. Interestingly, seasonal abundance patterns identified DHRS7C, SRL, TRIM72, RTN2, and MPZ as potential protein candidates for mitigating disuse atrophy in skeletal muscle, and ex vivo contractile mechanics analysis revealed no deleterious effects in the ground squirrel's muscles despite prolonged sedentary activity. Overall, an increased understanding of protein abundance in hibernators may enable novel therapeutic strategies to treat muscle disuse atrophy and heart disease in humans.

Weakened Contractile Performance and Mitochondrial Respiratory Complex Activity in Skeletal Muscle Improve during Interbout Arousal in Hibernating Daurian Ground Squirrel, Spermophilus dauricus

Mammalian hibernation is composed of multiple episodes of torpor bout, separated by phases of interbout arousal. During torpor, the skeletal muscles of mammals are undoubtedly inactive, but it has been proven to mitigate disuse atrophy. While interbout arousal has been implicated in the prevention of muscle atrophy, the underlying mechanisms sustaining muscle contraction remain to be explored. In the present study, Daurian ground squirrels (Spermophilus dauricus) were divided into four groups: pre-hibernation (PRE), torpor (TOR), interbout arousal (IBA), and post-hibernation (POST). The contractile performance of slow-twitch soleus muscle (SOL) and fast-twitch extensor digitorum longus muscle (EDL) was detected both in situ and in vitro. Concurrently, mitochondrial respiratory chain complex activity in these muscles was quantified. Our findings revealed that in situ contractile properties of both muscles, including force, power output, time duration, and force development/relaxation rates of twitch contraction, and force and power output of tetanic contraction declined in the TOR group compared to the PRE group, but improved in the IBA and POST groups. Fatigue resistance of muscles, determined by the power output of repetitive tetanic contractions in situ, decreased in the TOR group but recovered in the IBA and POST groups. In vitro studies demonstrated that tetanic contraction power output in isolated muscles increased with muscle temperature in both TOR and IBA groups. However, at the same temperature, power output was consistently lower in the TOR group compared to the IBA group. Moreover, the activity of the mitochondrial respiratory chain complex, especially Complexes I and II, decreased in the TOR group but showed recovery in the IBA and POST groups. These findings suggest that both the contractile performance and fatigue resistance of mammalian skeletal muscle are compromised during torpor but can be improved during interbout arousal and post-hibernation. The rebound in body temperature and rise in mitochondrial respiratory chain complex activity in skeletal muscle are involved in enhancing contractile performance and fatigue resistance. This study suggests that interbout arousal functions as a vital temporal interval during which skeletal muscles can transition from the inactivity induced by torpor to a state of restored contractile functionality. Thus, interbout arousal serves as a behavioral safeguard against disuse-induced damage to skeletal muscles during hibernation.

Chaperone proteins: universal roles in surviving environmental stress

Chaperone proteins have crucial roles to play in all animal species and are involved in mediating both the folding of newly synthesized peptides into their mature conformation, the refolding of misfolded proteins, and the trafficking of proteins between subcellular compartments. These highly conserved proteins have particularly important roles to play in dealing with disruptions of the proteome as a result of environmental stress since abiotic factors, including temperature, pressure, oxygen, water availability, and pollutants can readily disrupt the conformation and/or function of all types of proteins, e.g., enzymes, transporters, and structural proteins. The current review provides an update on recent advances in understanding the roles and responses of chaperones in aiding animals to deal with environmental stress, offering new information on chaperone action in supporting survival strategies including torpor, hibernation, anaerobiosis, estivation, and cold/freeze tolerance among both vertebrate and invertebrate species.

The HSP/co-chaperone network in environmental cold adaptation of Chilo suppressalis

Winter cold is one of the major environmental stresses for ectotherm species. Chilo suppressalis, a notorious lepidopteran pest of rice, has a wide geographic region that includes temperate zones with severe environmental conditions. Although C. suppressalis exhibits remarkable cold tolerance, its cold-adaptation mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we used bioinformatics approaches to evaluate transcript levels of genes comprising the C. suppressalis heat shock protein (HSP)/co-chaperone network in response to cold-induced stress. Using all such genes identified in the C. suppressalis genome, we experimentally examined the corresponding transcript levels under cold-acclimation or intermittent cold-shock stresses in diapause and non-diapausing larvae. In total, we identified 19 HSPs and 8 HSP co-chaperones in the C. suppressalis genome. Nine (hsp90, hsp75, hsp70, hsp40, small hsp, activator of 90 kDa heat shock protein ATPase-like, heat shock factor, heat shock factor binding protein 1-like and HSPB1-associated protein 1) were highly cold-inducible and likely comprise the principal cold-response HSP/co-chaperone network in C. suppressalis. We also found that transcriptional regulation of the HSP/co-chaperone networks response differs between cold-acclimation and short-term cold-shock. Moreover, activation of the HSP/co-chaperone network depends on the diapause state of overwintering larvae and cold acclimation may further increase larval cold tolerance. These results provide key new insights in the cold-adaptation mechanisms in C. suppressalis.

Roles of Estrogens in the Healthy and Diseased Oviparous Vertebrate Liver

The liver is a vital organ that sustains multiple functions beneficial for the whole organism. It is sexually dimorphic, presenting sex-biased gene expression with implications for the phenotypic differences between males and females. Estrogens are involved in this sex dimorphism and their actions in the liver of several reptiles, fishes, amphibians, and birds are discussed. The liver participates in reproduction by producing vitellogenins (yolk proteins) and eggshell proteins under the control of estrogens that act via two types of receptors active either mainly in the cell nucleus (ESR) or the cell membrane (GPER1). Estrogens also control hepatic lipid and lipoprotein metabolisms, with a triglyceride carrier role for VLDL from the liver to the ovaries during oogenesis. Moreover, the activation of the vitellogenin genes is used as a robust biomarker for exposure to xenoestrogens. In the context of liver diseases, high plasma estrogen levels are observed in fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome (FLHS) in chicken implicating estrogens in the disease progression. Fishes are also used to investigate liver diseases, including models generated by mutation and transgenesis. In conclusion, studies on the roles of estrogens in the non-mammalian oviparous vertebrate liver have contributed enormously to unveil hormone-dependent physiological and physiopathological processes.

Cardiomyocyte Protection by Hibernating Brown Bear Serum: Toward the Identification of New Protective Molecules Against Myocardial Infarction

Ischemic heart disease remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Despite intensive research on the treatment of acute myocardial infarction, no effective therapy has shown clinical success. Therefore, novel therapeutic strategies are required to protect the heart from reperfusion injury. Interestingly, despite physical inactivity during hibernation, brown bears (Ursus arctos) cope with cardiovascular physiological conditions that would be detrimental to humans. We hypothesized that bear serum might contain circulating factors that could provide protection against cell injury. In this study, we sought to determine whether addition of bear serum might improve cardiomyocyte survival following hypoxia–reoxygenation. Isolated mouse cardiomyocytes underwent 45 min of hypoxia followed by reoxygenation. At the onset of reoxygenation, cells received fetal bovine serum (FBS; positive control), summer (SBS) or winter bear serum (WBS), or adult serums of other species, as indicated. After 2 h of reoxygenation, propidium iodide staining was used to evaluate cell viability by flow cytometry. Whereas, 0.5% SBS tended to decrease reperfusion injury, 0.5% WBS significantly reduced cell death, averaging 74.04 ± 7.06% vs. 79.20 ± 6.53% in the FBS group. This cardioprotective effect was lost at 0.1%, became toxic above 5%, and was specific to the bear. Our results showed that bear serum exerts a therapeutic effect with an efficacy threshold, an optimal dose, and a toxic effect on cardiomyocyte viability after hypoxia–reoxygenation. Therefore, the bear serum may be a potential source for identifying new therapeutic molecules to fight against myocardial reperfusion injury and cell death in general.

Nitrogen recycling buffers against ammonia toxicity from skeletal muscle breakdown in hibernating arctic ground squirrels

Hibernation is a state of extraordinary metabolic plasticity. The pathways of amino acid metabolism as they relate to nitrogen homeostasis in hibernating mammals in vivo are unknown. Here we show, using pulse isotopic tracing, evidence of increased myofibrillar (skeletal muscle) protein breakdown and suppressed whole-body production of metabolites in vivo throughout deep torpor. As whole-body production of metabolites is suppressed, amino acids with nitrogenous side chains accumulate during torpor, while urea cycle intermediates do not. Using ¹⁵N stable isotope methodology in arctic ground squirrels (Urocitellus parryii), we provide evidence that free nitrogen is buffered and recycled into essential amino acids, non-essential amino acids and the gamma-glutamyl system during the inter-bout arousal period of hibernation. In the absence of nutrient intake or physical activity, our data illustrate the orchestration of metabolic pathways that sustain the provision of essential and non-essential amino acids and prevent ammonia toxicity during hibernation.

Predominant synthesis of giant myofibrillar proteins in striated muscles of the long-tailed ground squirrel Urocitellus undulatus during interbout arousal

Molecular mechanisms underlying muscle-mass retention during hibernation have been extensively discussed in recent years. This work tested the assumption that protein synthesis hyperactivation during interbout arousal of the long-tailed ground squirrel Urocitellus undulatus should be accompanied by increased calpain-1 activity in striated muscles. Calpain-1 is known to be autolysed and activated in parallel. Western blotting detected increased amounts of autolysed calpain-1 fragments in the heart (1.54-fold, p < 0.05) and m. longissimus dorsi (1.8-fold, p < 0.01) of ground squirrels during interbout arousal. The total protein synthesis rate determined by SUnSET declined 3.67-fold in the heart (p < 0.01) and 2.96-fold in m. longissimus dorsi (p < 0.01) during interbout arousal. The synthesis rates of calpain-1 substrates nebulin and titin in muscles did not differ during interbout arousal from those in active summer animals. A recovery of the volume of m. longissimus dorsi muscle fibres, a trend towards a heart-muscle mass increase and a restoration of the normal titin content (reduced in the muscles during hibernation) were observed. The results indicate that hyperactivation of calpain-1 in striated muscles of long-tailed ground squirrels during interbout arousal is accompanied by predominant synthesis of giant sarcomeric cytoskeleton proteins. These changes may contribute to muscle mass retention during hibernation.

The brown bear as a translational model for sedentary lifestyle-related diseases

Sedentary lifestyle accelerates biological ageing, is a major risk factor for developing metabolic syndrome and is associated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, kidney failure, sarcopenia and osteoporosis. In contrast to the linear path to worsening health in humans with metabolic syndrome, brown bears have developed a circular metabolic plasticity enabling these animals to tolerate obesity and a 'sedentary lifestyle' during hibernation and exit the den metabolically healthy in spring. Bears are close to humans physiology wise, much closer than rodents, the preferred experimental animals in medical research, and may better serve as translational model to develop treatments for lifestyle-related diseases. In this review, aspects of brown bear hibernation survival strategies are outlined and conceivable experimental strategies to learn from bears are described.

Limited Oxidative Stress Favors Resistance to Skeletal Muscle Atrophy in Hibernating Brown Bears (Ursus Arctos)

Oxidative stress, which is believed to promote muscle atrophy, has been reported to occur in a few hibernators. However, hibernating bears exhibit efficient energy savings and muscle protein sparing, despite long-term physical inactivity and fasting. We hypothesized that the regulation of the oxidant/antioxidant balance and oxidative stress could favor skeletal muscle maintenance in hibernating brown bears. We showed that increased expressions of cold-inducible proteins CIRBP and RBM3 could favor muscle mass maintenance and alleviate oxidative stress during hibernation. Downregulation of the subunits of the mitochondrial electron transfer chain complexes I, II, and III, and antioxidant enzymes, possibly due to the reduced mitochondrial content, indicated a possible reduction of the production of reactive oxygen species in the hibernating muscle. Concomitantly, the upregulation of cytosolic antioxidant systems, under the control of the transcription factor NRF2, and the maintenance of the GSH/GSSG ratio suggested that bear skeletal muscle is not under a significant oxidative insult during hibernation. Accordingly, lower levels of oxidative damage were recorded in hibernating bear skeletal muscles. These results identify mechanisms by which limited oxidative stress may underlie the resistance to skeletal muscle atrophy in hibernating brown bears. They may constitute therapeutic targets for the treatment of human muscle atrophy.

RNA-binding proteins: The next step in translating skeletal muscle adaptations?

The decline of skeletal muscle mass during illness, injury, disuse, and aging is associated with poor health outcomes. Therefore, it is important to pursue a greater understanding of the mechanisms that dictate skeletal muscle adaptation. In this review, we propose that RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) comprise a critical regulatory node in the orchestration of adaptive responses in skeletal muscle. While RBPs have broadly pleiotropic molecular functions, our discussion is constrained at the outset by observations from hibernating animals, which suggest that RBP regulation of RNA stability and its impact on translational reprogramming is a key component of skeletal muscle response to anabolic and catabolic stimuli. We discuss the limited data available on the expression and functions of RBPs in adult skeletal muscle in response to disuse, aging, and exercise. A model is proposed in which dynamic changes in RBPs play a central role in muscle adaptive processes through their differential effects on mRNA stability. While limited, the currently available data suggest that understanding how adaptive (and maladaptive) changes in the expression of RBPs regulate mRNA stability in skeletal muscle could be an informative and productive research area for finding new strategies to limit atrophy and promote hypertrophy.

Modulation of Gene Expression in Liver of Hibernating Asiatic Toads (Bufo gargarizans)

Hibernation is an effective energy conservation strategy that has been widely adopted by animals to cope with unpredictable environmental conditions. The liver, in particular, plays an important role in adaptive metabolic adjustment during hibernation. Mammalian studies have revealed that many genes involved in metabolism are differentially expressed during the hibernation period. However, the differentiation in global gene expression between active and torpid states in amphibians remains largely unknown. We analyzed gene expression in the liver of active and torpid Asiatic toads (Bufo gargarizans) using RNA-sequencing. In addition, we evaluated the differential expression of genes between females and males. A total of 1399 genes were identified as differentially expressed between active and torpid females. Of these, the expressions of 395 genes were significantly elevated in torpid females and involved genes responding to stresses, as well as contractile proteins. The expression of 1004 genes were significantly down-regulated in torpid females, most which were involved in metabolic depression and shifts in the energy utilization. Of the 715 differentially expressed genes between active and torpid males, 337 were up-regulated and 378 down-regulated. A total of 695 genes were differentially expressed between active females and males, of which 655 genes were significantly down-regulated in males. Similarly, 374 differentially expressed genes were identified between torpid females and males, with the expression of 252 genes (mostly contractile proteins) being significantly down-regulated in males. Our findings suggest that expression of many genes in the liver of B. gargarizans are down-regulated during hibernation. Furthermore, there are marked sex differences in the levels of gene expression, with females showing elevated levels of gene expression as compared to males, as well as more marked down-regulation of gene-expression in torpid males than females.

Cold shock protein RBM3 attenuates atrophy and induces hypertrophy in skeletal muscle

RNA-binding motif protein 3 (RBM3), a stress-inducible RNA-binding protein that increases protein synthesis and confers cell protection in multiple cell types, has been identified as a possible regulator of skeletal muscle mass. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to examine the impact of elevated RBM3 on skeletal muscle hypertrophy and resistance to atrophy. Plasmid-mediated overexpression of RBM3 in vitro and in vivo was used to assess the role of RBM3 in muscle. C₂C₁₂ myotubes overexpressing RBM3 were approximately 1.6 times larger than non-transfected myotubes, suggesting a role for RBM3 in hypertrophy. In addition, elevated RBM3 attenuated atrophy in myotubes exposed to dexamethasone. In agreement with in vitro results, overexpression of RBM3 in soleus muscle of F344/BN rats using electroporation techniques increased the cross sectional area of muscle fibers. Overexpression of RBM3 also attenuated muscle atrophy in rat soleus muscle undergoing disuse atrophy. These findings provide direct evidence for a novel role of RBM3 in inducing hypertrophy as well as attenuating atrophy.

Proteolysis inhibition by hibernating bear serum leads to increased protein content in human muscle cells

Muscle atrophy is one of the main characteristics of human ageing and physical inactivity, with resulting adverse health outcomes. To date, there are still no efficient therapeutic strategies for its prevention and/or treatment. However, during hibernation, bears exhibit a unique ability for preserving muscle in conditions where muscle atrophy would be expected in humans. Therefore, our objective was to determine whether there are components of bear serum which can control protein balance in human muscles. In this study, we exposed cultured human differentiated muscle cells to bear serum collected during winter and summer periods, and measured the impact on cell protein content and turnover. In addition, we explored the signalling pathways that control rates of protein synthesis and degradation. We show that the protein turnover of human myotubes is reduced when incubated with winter bear serum, with a dramatic inhibition of proteolysis involving both proteasomal and lysosomal systems, and resulting in an increase in muscle cell protein content. By modulating intracellular signalling pathways and inducing a protein sparing phenotype in human muscle cells, winter bear serum therefore holds potential for developing new tools to fight human muscle atrophy and related metabolic disorders.

Tolerance to hypometabolism and arousal induced by hibernation in the apple snail Pomacea canaliculata (Caenogastropoda, Ampullariidae)

Pomacea canaliculata may serve as a model organism for comparative studies of oxidative damage and antioxidant defenses in active, hibernating and arousing snails. Oxidative damage (as TBARS), free radical scavenging capacity (as ABTS⁺ oxidation), uric acid (UA) and glutathione (GSH) concentrations, activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), and the protein expression levels of heat shock proteins (Hsp70, Hsc70, Hsp90) were studied in digestive gland, kidney and foot. Tissue TBARS of hibernating snails (45days) was higher than active snails. Hibernation produced an increase of ABTS⁺ in digestive gland, probably because of the sustained antioxidant defenses (UA and/or GSH and SOD levels). Kidney protection during the activity-hibernation cycle seemed provided by increased UA concentrations. TBARS in the foot remained high 30min after arousal with no changes in ABTS⁺, but this tissue increased ABTS⁺ oxidation at 24h to expenses increased UA and decreased GSH levels, and with no changes in SOD and CAT activities. The level of Hsp70 in kidney showed no changes throughout the activity-hibernation cycle but it increased in the foot after hibernation. The tissue levels of Hsp90 in snails hibernating were higher than active snails and returned to baseline 24h after arousal. Results showed that chronic cooling produces a significant oxidative damage in three studied tissues and that these tissue damages are overcome quickly (between 30min to 24h) with fluctuations in different antioxidant defenses (UA, GSH, CAT) and heat shock proteins (Hsp70 and Hsp90).

Remarkable plasticity of Na+, K+-ATPase, Ca2+-ATPase and SERCA contributes to muscle disuse atrophy resistance in hibernating Daurian ground squirrels

We investigated cytosolic calcium (Ca²⁺) and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca²⁺ regulation in skeletal muscle fibers of hibernating Daurian ground squirrels (Spermophilus dauricus), non-hibernating hindlimb-unloaded (HLU) squirrels, and HLU rats to clarify the molecular mechanisms involved in preventing muscle atrophy in hibernators. The Na⁺, K⁺-ATPase and Ca²⁺-ATPase activities in the soleus muscle (SOL) of squirrels were maintained in hibernation, decreased during interbout arousal (IB-A), and increased to autumn/pre-hibernation (AUT/Pre-H) levels in torpor after interbout arousal (Post-IBA), whereas activities in the extensor digitorum longus muscle (EDL) were stable during hibernation, but increased during post-hibernation (Post-H). Activities increased in the SOL of HLU rats, but were stable in HLU squirrels. Sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca²⁺-ATPase (SERCA) activity in the SOL decreased in IB-A squirrels, but returned to AUT/Pre-H levels in the Post-IBA group; no significant changes were found in the EDL. SERCA activity increased in the EDL of HLU squirrels and SOL of HLU rats. Compared with AUT/Pre-H, SERCA type 2 protein expression increased in the SOL and EDL of IB-A and Post-IBA squirrels, but increased in the SOL only in HLU animals. We also describe the protein kinase A changes in this paper. Thus, hibernating ground squirrels displayed remarkable Na⁺, K⁺-ATPase, Ca²⁺-ATPase, and SERCA plasticity.

Seasonal changes in proteolytic activity of calpains in striated muscles of long-tailed ground squirrel Spermophilus undulatus

Seasonal changes in proteolytic activity and content of calpains in striated muscles of the longtailed ground squirrel Spermophilus undulatus were studied by casein zymography and Western blotting analysis. The results testify to hyperactivation of calpain proteases in the skeletal muscles of awakened animals during the "winter" activity. The observed changes are discussed in the context of adaptation of skeletal muscles of long-tailed ground squirrels to hibernation.

Activation of respiratory muscles does not occur during cold-submergence in bullfrogs, Lithobates catesbeianus

Semiaquatic frogs may not breathe air for several months because they overwinter in ice-covered ponds. In contrast to many vertebrates that experience decreased motor performance after inactivity, respiratory motor function in bullfrogs, Lithobates catesbeianus, remains functional following cold-submergence. Unlike mammalian hibernators with unloaded limb muscles and inactive locomotor systems, respiratory mechanics of frogs counterintuitively allow for ventilatory maneuvers when submerged. Thus we hypothesized that bullfrogs generate respiratory motor patterns during cold-submergence to avoid disuse and preserve motor performance. Accordingly, we measured activity of respiratory muscles (buccal floor compressor and glottal dilator) via electromyography in freely behaving bullfrogs at 20°C and 2°C. Although we confirm that ventilation cycles occur underwater at 20°C, bullfrogs did not activate either respiratory muscle when submerged acutely or chronically at 2°C. We conclude that cold-submerged bullfrogs endure respiratory motor inactivity, implying that other mechanisms, excluding underwater muscle activation, maintain a functional respiratory motor system throughout overwintering.

iTRAQ-based proteomic analysis of myofibrillar contents and relevant synthesis and proteolytic proteins in soleus muscle of hibernating Daurian ground squirrels (Spermophilus dauricus)

BACKGROUND

Daurian ground squirrels (Spermophilus dauricus) deviate from significant increase of protein catabolism and loss of myofibrillar contents during long period of hibernation inactivity.

METHODS

Here we use iTRAQ based quantitative analysis to examine proteomic changes in the soleus of squirrels in pre-hibernation, hibernation and post-hibernation states. The total proteolysis rate of soleus was measured by the release of the essential amino acid tyrosine from isolated muscles. Immunofluorescent analysis was used to determine muscle fiber cross-sectional area. Western blot was used for the validation of the quantitative proteomic analysis.

RESULTS

The proteomic responses to hibernation had a 0.4- to 0.8-fold decrease in the myofibrillar contractile protein levels of myosin-3, myosin-13 and actin, but a 2.1-fold increase in myosin-2 compared to pre-hibernation group. Regulatory proteins such as troponin C and tropomodulin-1 were 1.4-fold up-regulated and 0.7-fold down-regulated, respectively, in hibernation compared to pre-hibernation group. Moreover, 10 proteins with proteolytic function in hibernation, which was less than 14 proteins in the post-hibernation group, were up-regulated relative to the pre-hibernation group. The total proteolysis rates of soleus in hibernation and post-hibernation groups were significantly inhibited as compared with pre-hibernation group.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that the myofibrillar remodeling and partial suppression of myofibrillar proteolysis were likely responsible for preventing skeletal muscle atrophy during prolonged disuse in hibernation. This is the first study where the myofibrillar contents and relevant synthesis and proteolytic proteins in slow soleus was discussed based on proteomic investigation performed on wild Daurian ground squirrels. Our results lay the foundation for further research in preventing disuse-induced skeletal muscle atrophy in mammals.

Skeletal muscle mass and composition during mammalian hibernation

Hibernation is characterized by prolonged periods of inactivity with concomitantly low nutrient intake, conditions that would typically result in muscle atrophy combined with a loss of oxidative fibers. Yet, hibernators consistently emerge from winter with very little atrophy, frequently accompanied by a slight shift in fiber ratios to more oxidative fiber types. Preservation of muscle morphology is combined with down-regulation of glycolytic pathways and increased reliance on lipid metabolism instead. Furthermore, while rates of protein synthesis are reduced during hibernation, balance is maintained by correspondingly low rates of protein degradation. Proposed mechanisms include a number of signaling pathways and transcription factors that lead to increased oxidative fiber expression, enhanced protein synthesis and reduced protein degradation, ultimately resulting in minimal loss of skeletal muscle protein and oxidative capacity. The functional significance of these outcomes is maintenance of skeletal muscle strength and fatigue resistance, which enables hibernating animals to resume active behaviors such as predator avoidance, foraging and mating immediately following terminal arousal in the spring.

Muscle protection during hibernation of Daurian ground squirrels (Spermophilus dauricus): role of atrogin-1, MuRF1, and fiber-type transition

We investigated the mechanism of protection from skeletal muscle atrophy in the hind limb extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle of hibernating Daurian ground squirrels (Spermophilus dauricus Brandt, 1843). The effects of unrestrained hibernation and 14 day hind limb unloading (HLU) on EDL were studied in three seasons (summer, autumn, and winter). Atrogin-1 and MuRF1 mRNA skeletal muscle expression, wet muscle mass, and muscle to body mass ratios were unchanged during hibernation in all three seasons. EDL mass measurements decreased following HLU and atrogin-1 and MuRF1 mRNA expression increased. In summer, atrogin-1 and MuRF1 mRNA expression increased by 85% and 75%, respectively; in autumn, by 95% and 69%, respectively; and in winter, by 91% and 65%, respectively (P < 0.05). In the HLU group, microscopic skeletal muscle changes were present, including a reduction in the percentage of type-I skeletal muscle fibers. Fat storage in Daurian ground squirrels and a shorter photoperiod during hibernation did not affect the protective mechanisms that prevented skeletal muscle atrophy. The results of this study suggest that the stable expression of atrogin-1 and MuRF1 and the transition from fast glycolytic fibers to slow oxidative fibers are associated with a lack of skeletal muscle atrophy in the hibernating Daurian ground squirrel.

The hibernating South American marsupial, Dromiciops gliroides, displays torpor-sensitive microRNA expression patterns

When faced with adverse environmental conditions, the marsupial Dromiciops gliroides uses either daily or seasonal torpor to support survival and is the only known hibernating mammal in South America. As the sole living representative of the ancient Order Microbiotheria, this species can provide crucial information about the evolutionary origins and biochemical mechanisms of hibernation. Hibernation is a complex energy-saving strategy that involves changes in gene expression that are elicited in part by microRNAs. To better elucidate the role of microRNAs in orchestrating hypometabolism, a modified stem-loop technique and quantitative PCR were used to characterize the relative expression levels of 85 microRNAs in liver and skeletal muscle of control and torpid D. gliroides. Thirty-nine microRNAs were differentially regulated during torpor; of these, 35 were downregulated in liver and 11 were differentially expressed in skeletal muscle. Bioinformatic analysis predicted that the downregulated liver microRNAs were associated with activation of MAPK, PI3K-Akt and mTOR pathways, suggesting their importance in facilitating marsupial torpor. In skeletal muscle, hibernation-responsive microRNAs were predicted to regulate focal adhesion, ErbB, and mTOR pathways, indicating a promotion of muscle maintenance mechanisms. These tissue-specific responses suggest that microRNAs regulate key molecular pathways that facilitate hibernation, thermoregulation, and prevention of muscle disuse atrophy.

Metabolic Flexibility: Hibernation, Torpor, and Estivation

Many environmental conditions can constrain the ability of animals to obtain sufficient food energy, or transform that food energy into useful chemical forms. To survive extended periods under such conditions animals must suppress metabolic rate to conserve energy, water, or oxygen. Amongst small endotherms, this metabolic suppression is accompanied by and, in some cases, facilitated by a decrease in core body temperature-hibernation or daily torpor-though significant metabolic suppression can be achieved even with only modest cooling. Within some ectotherms, winter metabolic suppression exceeds the passive effects of cooling. During dry seasons, estivating ectotherms can reduce metabolism without changes in body temperature, conserving energy reserves, and reducing gas exchange and its inevitable loss of water vapor. This overview explores the similarities and differences of metabolic suppression among these states within adult animals (excluding developmental diapause), and integrates levels of organization from the whole animal to the genome, where possible. Several similarities among these states are highlighted, including patterns and regulation of metabolic balance, fuel use, and mitochondrial metabolism. Differences among models are also apparent, particularly in whether the metabolic suppression is intrinsic to the tissue or depends on the whole-animal response. While in these hypometabolic states, tissues from many animals are tolerant of hypoxia/anoxia, ischemia/reperfusion, and disuse. These natural models may, therefore, serve as valuable and instructive models for biomedical research.

Stable atrogin-1 (Fbxo32) and MuRF1 (Trim63) gene expression is involved in the protective mechanism in soleus muscle of hibernating Daurian ground squirrels (Spermophilus dauricus)

Understanding the mechanisms that protect against or limit muscle atrophy in hibernators during prolonged inactivity has important implications for its treatment. We examined whether external factors influence the pathways regulating protein synthesis and degradation, leading to muscle atrophy prevention in Daurian ground squirrels (Spermophilus dauricus). We investigated the effects of 14-day hindlimb-unloading (HU) in different seasons and two-month hibernation on the soleus (SOL) muscle wet mass, muscle-to-body mass ratio, fiber cross sectional area (CSA), fiber distribution and muscle ultrastructure. We also measured changes in the protein expression and activation states of Akt, mTOR and FoxO1 and the mRNA expression of atrogin-1 and MuRF1. Compared with the control groups, autumn and winter HU significantly lowered SOL muscle wet mass and muscle-to-body mass ratio, decreased type I and II fiber CSA and induced ultrastructural anomalies. However, these measured indices were unchanged between Pre-hibernation and Hibernation groups. Furthermore, phosphorylation levels of Akt and mTOR significantly decreased, while the phosphorylation level of FoxO1 and mRNA expression of atrogin-1 and MuRF1 increased after HU. During hibernation, the phosphorylation levels of Akt and mTOR significantly decreased, but the phosphorylation level of FoxO1 and mRNA expression of atrogin-1 and MuRF1 remained unchanged. Overall, our findings suggest that disuse and seasonality may not be sufficient to initiate the innate protective mechanism that prevents SOL atrophy during prolonged periods of hibernation inactivity. The stable expression of atrogin-1 and MuRF1 may facilitate to prevent SOL atrophy via controlling ubiquitination of muscle proteins during hibernation.

Summary: mRNA expression of atrogin-1 and MuRF1 remains unchanged during hibernation of Daurian ground squirrels, suggesting that stable expression of these genes may facilitate the prevention of SOL atrophy via controlling ubiquitylation of muscle proteins during hibernation.

Control of lung ventilation following overwintering conditions in bullfrogs, Lithobates catesbeianus

Ranid frogs in northern latitudes survive winter at cold temperatures in aquatic habitats often completely covered by ice. Cold-submerged frogs survive aerobically for several months relying exclusively on cutaneous gas exchange while maintaining temperature-specific acid-base balance. Depending on the overwintering hibernaculum, frogs in northern latitudes could spend several months without access to air, need to breathe, or chemosensory drive to use neuromuscular processes that regulate and enable pulmonary ventilation. Therefore, we performed experiments to determine whether aspects of the respiratory control system of bullfrogs, Lithobates catesbeianus, are maintained or suppressed following minimal use of air breathing in overwintering environments. Based on the necessity for control of lung ventilation in early spring, we hypothesized that critical components of the respiratory control system of bullfrogs would be functional following simulated overwintering. We found that bullfrogs recently removed from simulated overwintering environments exhibited similar resting ventilation when assessed at 24°C compared to warm-acclimated control bullfrogs. Additionally, ventilation met resting metabolic and, presumably, acid-base regulation requirements, indicating preservation of basal respiratory function despite prolonged disuse in the cold. Recently emerged bullfrogs underwent similar increases in ventilation during acute oxygen lack (aerial hypoxia) compared to warm-acclimated frogs; however, CO2-related hyperventilation was significantly blunted following overwintering. Overcoming challenges to gas exchange during overwintering have garnered attention in ectothermic vertebrates, but this study uncovers robust and labile aspects of the respiratory control system at a time point correlating with early spring following minimal/no use of lung breathing in cold-aquatic overwintering habitats.

Scaling matters: incorporating body composition into Weddell seal seasonal oxygen store comparisons reveals maintenance of aerobic capacities

Adult Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) haul-out on the ice in October/November (austral spring) for the breeding season and reduce foraging activities for ~4 months until their molt in the austral fall (January/February). After these periods, animals are at their leanest and resume actively foraging for the austral winter. In mammals, decreased exercise and hypoxia exposure typically lead to decreased production of O2-carrying proteins and muscle wasting, while endurance training increases aerobic potential. To test whether similar effects were present in marine mammals, this study compared the physiology of 53 post-molt female Weddell seals in the austral fall to 47 pre-breeding females during the spring in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Once body mass and condition (lipid) were controlled for, there were no seasonal changes in total body oxygen (TBO2) stores. Within each season, hematocrit and hemoglobin values were negatively correlated with animal size, and larger animals had lower mass-specific TBO2 stores. But because larger seals had lower mass-specific metabolic rates, their calculated aerobic dive limit was similar to smaller seals. Indicators of muscular efficiency, myosin heavy chain composition, myoglobin concentrations, and aerobic enzyme activities (citrate synthase and β-hydroxyacyl CoA dehydrogenase) were likewise maintained across the year. The preservation of aerobic capacity is likely critical to foraging capabilities, so that following the molt Weddell seals can rapidly regain body mass at the start of winter foraging. In contrast, muscle lactate dehydrogenase activity, a marker of anaerobic metabolism, exhibited seasonal plasticity in this diving top predator and was lowest after the summer period of reduced activity.

Induction of Antioxidant and Heat Shock Protein Responses During Torpor in the Gray Mouse Lemur, Microcebus murinus

A natural tolerance of various environmental stresses is typically supported by various cytoprotective mechanisms that protect macromolecules and promote extended viability. Among these are antioxidant defenses that help to limit damage from reactive oxygen species and chaperones that help to minimize protein misfolding or unfolding under stress conditions. To understand the molecular mechanisms that act to protect cells during primate torpor, the present study characterizes antioxidant and heat shock protein (HSP) responses in various organs of control (aroused) and torpid gray mouse lemurs, Microcebus murinus. Protein expression of HSP70 and HSP90α was elevated to 1.26 and 1.49 fold, respectively, in brown adipose tissue during torpor as compared with control animals, whereas HSP60 in liver of torpid animals was 1.15 fold of that in control (P<0.05). Among antioxidant enzymes, protein levels of thioredoxin 1 were elevated to 2.19 fold in white adipose tissue during torpor, whereas Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase 1 levels rose to 1.1 fold in skeletal muscle (P<0.05). Additionally, total antioxidant capacity was increased to 1.6 fold in liver during torpor (P<0.05), while remaining unchanged in the five other tissues. Overall, our data suggest that antioxidant and HSP responses are modified in a tissue-specific manner during daily torpor in gray mouse lemurs. Furthermore, our data also show that cytoprotective strategies employed during primate torpor are distinct from the strategies in rodent hibernation as reported in previous studies.

Proteomics approaches shed new light on hibernation physiology

The broad phylogenetic distribution and rapid phenotypic transitions of mammalian hibernators imply that hibernation is accomplished by differential expression of common genes. Traditional candidate gene approaches have thus far explained little of the molecular mechanisms underlying hibernation, likely due to (1) incomplete and imprecise sampling of a complex phenotype, and (2) the forming of hypotheses about which genes might be important based on studies of model organisms incapable of such dynamic physiology. Unbiased screening approaches, such as proteomics, offer an alternative means to discover the cellular underpinnings that permit successful hibernation and may reveal previously overlooked, important pathways. Here, we review the findings that have emerged from proteomics studies of hibernation. One striking feature is the stability of the proteome, especially across the extreme physiological shifts of torpor-arousal cycles during hibernation. This has led to subsequent investigations of the role of post-translational protein modifications in altering protein activity without energetically wasteful removal and rebuilding of protein pools. Another unexpected finding is the paucity of universal proteomic adjustments across organ systems in response to the extreme metabolic fluctuations despite the universality of their physiological challenges; rather each organ appears to respond in a unique, tissue-specific manner. Additional research is needed to extend and synthesize these results before it will be possible to address the whole body physiology of hibernation.

Comparative functional genomics of adaptation to muscular disuse in hibernating mammals

Hibernation is an energy-saving adaptation that involves a profound suppression of physical activity that can continue for 6-8 months in highly seasonal environments. While immobility and disuse generate muscle loss in most mammalian species, in contrast, hibernating bears and ground squirrels demonstrate limited muscle atrophy over the prolonged periods of physical inactivity during winter, suggesting that hibernating mammals have adaptive mechanisms to prevent disuse muscle atrophy. To identify common transcriptional programmes that underlie molecular mechanisms preventing muscle loss, we conducted a large-scale gene expression screen in hind limb muscles comparing hibernating and summer-active black bears and arctic ground squirrels using custom 9600 probe cDNA microarrays. A molecular pathway analysis showed an elevated proportion of overexpressed genes involved in all stages of protein biosynthesis and ribosome biogenesis in muscle of both species during torpor of hibernation that suggests induction of translation at different hibernation states. The induction of protein biosynthesis probably contributes to attenuation of disuse muscle atrophy through the prolonged periods of immobility of hibernation. The lack of directional changes in genes of protein catabolic pathways does not support the importance of metabolic suppression for preserving muscle mass during winter. Coordinated reduction in multiple genes involved in oxidation-reduction and glucose metabolism detected in both species is consistent with metabolic suppression and lower energy demand in skeletal muscle during inactivity of hibernation.

Comparison of brain transcriptome of the greater horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) in active and torpid episodes

Hibernation is an energy-saving strategy which is widely adopted by heterothermic mammals to survive in the harsh environment. The greater horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) can hibernate for a long period in the hibernation season. However, the global gene expression changes between hibernation and non-hibernation season in the greater horseshoe bat remain largely unknown. We herein reported a comprehensive survey of differential gene expression in the brain between winter hibernating and summer active greater horseshoe bats using next-generation sequencing technology. A total of 90,314,174 reads were generated and we identified 1,573 differentially expressed genes between active and torpid states. Interestingly, we found that differentially expressed genes are over-represented in some GO categories (such as metabolic suppression, cellular stress responses and oxidative stress), which suggests neuroprotective strategies might play an important role in hibernation control mechanisms. Our results determined to what extent the brain tissue of the greater horseshoe bats differ in gene expression between summer active and winter hibernating states and provided comprehensive insights into the adaptive mechanisms of bat hibernation.

New titin (connectin) isoforms and their functional role in striated muscles of mammals: facts and suppositions

This review summarizes results of our studies on titin isoform composition in vertebrate striated muscles under normal conditions, during hibernation, real and simulated microgravity, and under pathological conditions (stiff-person syndrome, post-apoplectic spasticity, dilated cardiomyopathy, cardiac hypertrophy). Experimental evidence for the existence in mammalian striated muscles of higher molecular weight isoforms of titin (NT-isoforms) in addition to the known N2A-, N2BA-, and N2B-titin isoforms was obtained. Comparative studies of changes in titin isoform composition and structure-functional properties of human and animal striated muscles during adaptive and pathological processes led to a conclusion about the key role of NT-isoforms of titin in maintenance of sarcomere structure and contractile function of these muscles.

Adaptation of phenylalanine and tyrosine catabolic pathway to hibernation in bats

Some mammals hibernate in response to harsh environments. Although hibernating mammals may metabolize proteins, the nitrogen metabolic pathways commonly activated during hibernation are not fully characterized. In contrast to the hypothesis of amino acid preservation, we found evidence of amino acid metabolism as three of five key enzymes, including phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH), homogentisate 1,2-dioxygenase (HGD), fumarylacetoacetase (FAH), involved in phenylalanine and tyrosine catabolism were co-upregulated during hibernation in two distantly related species of bats, Myotis ricketti and Rhinolophus ferrumequinum. In addition, the levels of phenylalanine in the livers of these bats were significantly decreased during hibernation. Because phenylalanine and tyrosine are both glucogenic and ketogenic, these results indicate the role of this catabolic pathway in energy supply. Since any deficiency in the catabolism of these two amino acids can cause accumulations of toxic metabolites, these results also suggest the detoxification role of these enzymes during hibernation. A higher selective constraint on PAH, HPD, and HGD in hibernators than in non-hibernators was observed, and hibernators had more conserved amino acid residues in each of these enzymes than non-hibernators. These conserved amino acid residues are mostly located in positions critical for the structure and activity of the enzymes. Taken together, results of this work provide novel insights in nitrogen metabolism and removal of harmful metabolites during bat hibernation.

Hibernating squirrel muscle activates the endurance exercise pathway despite prolonged immobilization

Skeletal muscle atrophy is a very common clinical challenge in many disuse conditions. Maintenance of muscle mass is crucial to combat debilitating functional consequences evoked from these clinical conditions. In contrast, hibernation represents a physiological state in which there is natural protection against disuse atrophy despite prolonged periods of immobilization and lack of nutrient intake. Even though peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) coactivator 1-α (PGC-1α) is a central mediator in muscle remodeling pathways, its role in the preservation of skeletal muscle mass during hibernation remains unclear. Since PGC-1α regulates muscle fiber type formation and mitochondrial biogenesis, we analyzed muscles of 13-lined ground squirrels. We find that animals in torpor exhibit a shift to slow-twitch Type I muscle fibers. This switch is accompanied by activation of the PGC-1α-mediated endurance exercise pathway. In addition, we observe increased antioxidant capacity without evidence of oxidative stress, a marked decline in apoptotic susceptibility, and enhanced mitochondrial abundance and metabolism. These results show that activation of the endurance exercise pathway can be achieved in vivo despite prolonged periods of immobilization, and therefore might be an important mechanism for skeletal muscle preservation during hibernation. This PGC-1α regulated pathway may be a potential therapeutic target promoting skeletal muscle homeostasis and oxidative balance to prevent muscle loss in a variety of inherited and acquired neuromuscular disease conditions.

Differential expression of mature microRNAs involved in muscle maintenance of hibernating little brown bats, Myotis lucifugus: a model of muscle atrophy resistance

Muscle wasting is common in mammals during extended periods of immobility. However, many small hibernating mammals manage to avoid muscle atrophy despite remaining stationary for long periods during hibernation. Recent research has highlighted roles for short non-coding microRNAs (miRNAs) in the regulation of stress tolerance. We proposed that they could also play an important role in muscle maintenance during hibernation. To explore this possibility, a group of 10 miRNAs known to be normally expressed in skeletal muscle of non-hibernating mammals were analyzed by RT-PCR in hibernating little brown bats, Myotis lucifugus. We then compared the expression of these miRNAs in euthermic control bats and bats in torpor. Our results showed that compared to euthermic controls, significant, albeit modest (1.2–1.6 fold), increases in transcript expression were observed for eight mature miRNAs, including miR-1a-1, miR-29b, miR-181b, miR-15a, miR-20a, miR-206 and miR-128-1, in the pectoral muscle of torpid bats. Conversely, expression of miR-21 decreased by 80% during torpor, while expression of miR-107 remained unaffected. Interestingly, these miRNAs have been either validated or predicted to affect multiple muscle-specific factors, including myostatin, FoxO3a, HDAC4 and SMAD7, and are likely involved in the preservation of pectoral muscle mass and functionality during bat hibernation.

Regulation of the mTOR signaling network in hibernating thirteen-lined ground squirrels

For many small mammals, survival over the winter months is a serious challenge because of low environmental temperatures and limited food availability. The solution for many species, such as thirteen-lined ground squirrels (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus), is hibernation, an altered physiological state characterized by seasonal heterothermy and entry into long periods of torpor that are interspersed with short arousals back to euthermia. During torpor, metabolic rate is strongly reduced to achieve major energy savings, and a coordinated depression of non-essential ATP-expensive functions such as protein synthesis takes place. This study examines the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway, a crucial component of the insulin receptor network, over six stages of the torpor–arousal cycle of hibernation. Immunoblots showed that the phosphorylation state of mTORSer2448 was strongly reduced in skeletal muscle (by 55%) during late torpor but increased by 200% during early arousal compared with euthermia. However, the phosphorylation state of this residue remained relatively constant in cardiac muscle during torpor but was enhanced during entrance into torpor and early arousal from torpor stages (by 2.9- and 3.2-fold, respectively). Phosphorylation states of upstream regulators of mTOR, p-AktThr473 and p-TSC2Thr1462, were also suppressed in skeletal muscle by 55 and 51%, respectively, during late torpor, as were selected downstream substrates – p-4E-BP1Thr46 and p-S6Ser235 contents dropped by 74 and 41%, respectively. Overall, the results indicate suppressed mTOR signaling in skeletal muscle, but not cardiac muscle, during torpor. By contrast, activation of mTOR and other components of the mTORC1 complex (p-PRAS40Thr246 and GβL) occurred during early arousal in both skeletal and cardiac muscle.

Each to their own: skeletal muscles of different function use different biochemical strategies during aestivation at high temperature

Preservation of muscle morphology depends on a continuing regulatory balance between molecules that protect, and molecules that damage, muscle structural integrity. Excessive disruption of the biochemical balance that favours reactive oxygen species (ROS) in disused muscles may lead to oxidative stress; which in turn is associated with increased atrophic or apoptotic signalling and/or oxidative damage to the muscle and thus muscle disuse atrophy. Increases in rate of oxygen consumption likely increase the overall generation of ROS in vivo. Temperature-induced increases in muscle oxygen consumption rate occur in some muscles of ectotherms undergoing prolonged muscular disuse during aestivation. In the green-striped burrowing frog, Cyclorana alboguttata, both large jumping muscles and small non-jumping muscles undergo atrophy seemingly commensurate with their rate of oxygen consumption during aestivation. However, since the extent of atrophy in these muscles is not enhanced at higher temperatures despite a temperature sensitive rate of oxygen consumption in the jumping muscle, we proposed that muscles are protected by biochemical means that when mobilised at higher temperatures inhibit atrophy. We proposed the biochemical response to temperature would be muscle-specific. We examined the effect of temperature on the antioxidant and heat shock protein systems and evidence of oxidative damage to lipids and proteins in two functionally different skeletal muscles, gastrocnemius (jumping muscle) and iliofibularis (non-jumping muscle), by aestivating frogs at 24 and 30oC for six months. We assayed small molecule antioxidant capacity, mitochondrial and cytosolic SOD and Hsp70 to show that protective mechanisms in disused muscles are differentially regulated both with respect to temperature and aestivation. High aestivation temperature results in an antioxidant response in the metabolically temperature-sensitive jumping muscle. We assayed lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation to show that oxidative damage is apparent during aestivation and its pattern is muscle-specific, but unaffected by temperature. Consideration is given to how the complex responses of muscle biochemistry inform of the different strategies muscles may use in regulating their oxidative environment during extended disuse and disuse at high temperature.

Skeletal muscle proteomics: carbohydrate metabolism oscillates with seasonal and torpor-arousal physiology of hibernation

The physiology of small mammalian hibernators shifts profoundly over a year, from summer homeothermy to winter heterothermy. Torpor-arousal cycles define high-amplitude tissue activity fluctuations in winter, particularly for skeletal muscle, which contributes to the energetically demanding rewarming process via shivering. To better understand the biochemistry underlying summer-winter and torpor-arousal transitions, we applied two-dimensional gel electrophoresis coupled with liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry/mas spectrometry to the soluble proteins from hindlimb muscle of 13-lined ground squirrels (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus) in two summer and six winter states. Two hundred sixteen protein spots differed by sampled state. Significantly, intrawinter protein adjustment was a minor component of the dataset despite large discrepancies in muscle activity level among winter states; rather, the bulk of differences (127/138 unequivocally identified proteins spots) occurred between summer and winter. We did not detect any proteomic signatures of skeletal muscle atrophy in this hibernator nor any differential seasonal regulation of protein metabolism. Instead, adjustments to metabolic substrate preferences dominated the detected proteomic differences. Pathways of carbohydrate metabolism (glycolysis and gluconeogenesis) were summer enriched, whereas the winter proteome was enriched for fatty acid β-oxidation. Nevertheless, our data suggest that some reliance on carbohydrate reserves is maintained during winter. Phosphoglucomutase (PGM1), which reversibly prepares glucose subunits for either glycolysis or glycogenesis, showed apparent winter state-specific phosphorylation. PGM1 was phosphorylated during rewarming and dephosphorylated by interbout arousal, implying that glucose supplements lipid fuels during rewarming. This, along with winter elevation of TCA cycle enzymes, suggests that hindlimb muscles are primed for rapid energy production and that carbohydrates are an important fuel for shivering thermogenesis.