1
|
Chacón CF, Parachú Marcó MV, Poletta GL, Siroski PA. Lipid metabolism in crocodilians: A field with promising applications in the field of ecotoxicology. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 252:119017. [PMID: 38704009 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.119017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024]
Abstract
In the last years, lipid physiology has become an important research target for systems biology applied to the field of ecotoxicology. Lipids are not only essential components of biological membranes, but also participate in extra and intracellular signaling processes and as signal transducers and amplifiers of regulatory cascades. Particularly in sauropsids, lipids are the main source of energy for reproduction, growth, and embryonic development. In nature, organisms are exposed to different stressors, such as parasites, diseases and environmental contaminants, which interact with lipid signaling and metabolic pathways, disrupting lipid homeostasis. The system biology approach applied to ecotoxicological studies is crucial to evaluate metabolic regulation under environmental stress produced by xenobiotics. In this review, we cover information of molecular mechanisms that contribute to lipid metabolism homeostasis in sauropsids, specifically in crocodilian species. We focus on the role of lipid metabolism as a powerful source of energy and its importance during oocyte maturation, which has been increasingly recognized in many species, but information is still scarce in crocodiles. Finally, we highlight priorities for future research on the influence of environmental stressors on lipid metabolism, their potential effect on the reproductive system and thus on the offspring, and their implications on crocodilians conservation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C F Chacón
- Laboratorio de Ecología Molecular Aplicada (LEMA), Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (ICiVet Litoral-CONICET/UNL), Av. Aristóbulo del Valle 8700, 3000, Santa Fe, Argentina; Proyecto Yacaré (MAyCC, Gob. de Santa Fe), Av. Aristóbulo del Valle 8700, 3000, Santa Fe, Argentina.
| | - M V Parachú Marcó
- Laboratorio de Ecología Molecular Aplicada (LEMA), Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (ICiVet Litoral-CONICET/UNL), Av. Aristóbulo del Valle 8700, 3000, Santa Fe, Argentina; Proyecto Yacaré (MAyCC, Gob. de Santa Fe), Av. Aristóbulo del Valle 8700, 3000, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - G L Poletta
- Laboratorio de Ecología Molecular Aplicada (LEMA), Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (ICiVet Litoral-CONICET/UNL), Av. Aristóbulo del Valle 8700, 3000, Santa Fe, Argentina; Toxicología, Farmacología y Bioquímica Legal, FBCB-UNL, CONICET, Ciudad Universitaria, Paraje El Pozo S/N, 3000, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - P A Siroski
- Laboratorio de Ecología Molecular Aplicada (LEMA), Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (ICiVet Litoral-CONICET/UNL), Av. Aristóbulo del Valle 8700, 3000, Santa Fe, Argentina; Proyecto Yacaré (MAyCC, Gob. de Santa Fe), Av. Aristóbulo del Valle 8700, 3000, Santa Fe, Argentina
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Blackburn DG, Stewart JR. Morphological research on amniote eggs and embryos: An introduction and historical retrospective. J Morphol 2021; 282:1024-1046. [PMID: 33393149 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2020] [Revised: 12/31/2020] [Accepted: 01/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Evolution of the terrestrial egg of amniotes (reptiles, birds, and mammals) is often considered to be one of the most significant events in vertebrate history. Presence of an eggshell, fetal membranes, and a sizeable yolk allowed this egg to develop on land and hatch out well-developed, terrestrial offspring. For centuries, morphologically-based studies have provided valuable information about the eggs of amniotes and the embryos that develop from them. This review explores the history of such investigations, as a contribution to this special issue of Journal of Morphology, titled Developmental Morphology and Evolution of Amniote Eggs and Embryos. Anatomically-based investigations are surveyed from the ancient Greeks through the Scientific Revolution, followed by the 19th and early 20th centuries, with a focus on major findings of historical figures who have contributed significantly to our knowledge. Recent research on various aspects of amniote eggs is summarized, including gastrulation, egg shape and eggshell morphology, eggs of Mesozoic dinosaurs, sauropsid yolk sacs, squamate placentation, embryogenesis, and the phylotypic phase of embryonic development. As documented in this review, studies on amniote eggs and embryos have relied heavily on morphological approaches in order to answer functional and evolutionary questions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel G Blackburn
- Department of Biology and Electron Microscopy Center, Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, USA
| | - James R Stewart
- Department of Biological Sciences, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Blackburn DG. Functional morphology, diversity, and evolution of yolk processing specializations in embryonic reptiles and birds. J Morphol 2020; 282:995-1014. [PMID: 32960458 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2020] [Revised: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Evolution of the terrestrial, amniotic egg of vertebrates required new mechanisms by which yolk material could be processed for embryonic use. Recent studies on each of the major extant reptile groups have revealed elaborate morphological specializations for yolk processing, features that differ dramatically from those of birds. In the avian pattern, liquid yolk is housed in a yolk sac whose endodermal lining absorbs and digests yolk material and sends resultant nutrients into the blood circulation. In snakes, lizards, turtles, and crocodilians, as documented herein, the yolk sac becomes invaded by endodermal cells that proliferate and phagocytose yolk material. Blood vessels then invade, and the endodermal cells become arranged around them, forming elongated "spaghetti-like" strands that fill the yolk sac cavity. This pattern provides an effective means by which yolk material is cellularized, digested, and transported by vitelline vessels to the developing embryo. Phylogenetically, the (non-avian) "reptilian" pattern was ancestral for sauropsids and was modified or replaced in ancestors to birds. This review postulates that evolution of the "avian" pattern involved increased reliance on extracellular digestion of yolk, allowing embryonic development to occur more rapidly than in typical reptiles. Comparative studies of yolk processing that draw on morphological, biochemical, molecular approaches are needed to explain how and why the "reptilian" pattern was replaced in birds or their archosaurian ancestors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel G Blackburn
- Department of Biology, Electron Microscopy Center, Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Stewart JR. Developmental morphology and evolution of extraembryonic membranes of lizards and snakes (Reptilia, Squamata). J Morphol 2020; 282:973-994. [PMID: 32936974 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Revised: 08/22/2020] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Amniote embryos are supported and nourished by a suite of tissues, the extraembryonic membranes, that provide vascular connections to the egg contents. Oviparous reptiles share a basic pattern of development inherited from a common ancestor; a vascular chorioallantoic membrane, functioning as a respiratory organ, contacts the eggshell and a vascular yolk sac membrane conveys nutrients to the embryo. Squamates (lizards, snakes) have evolved a novel variation in morphogenesis of the yolk sac that results in a unique structure, the yolk cleft/isolated yolk mass complex. This structure is a source of phylogenetic variation in architecture of the extraembryonic membranes among oviparous squamates. The yolk cleft/isolated yolk mass complex is retained in viviparous species and influences placental architecture. The aim of this paper is to review extraembryonic membrane development and morphology in oviparous and related viviparous squamates to explore patterns of variation. The survey includes all oviparous species for which data are available (11 species; 4 families). Comparisons with viviparous species encompass six independent origins of viviparity. The comparisons reveal that both phylogeny and reproductive mode influence variation in extraembryonic membrane development and that phylogenetic variation influences placental evolution. Models of the evolution of squamate placentation have relied primarily on comparisons between independently derived viviparous species. The inclusion of oviparous species in comparative analyses largely supports these models, yet exposes convergent patterns of evolution that become apparent when phylogenetic variation is recognized.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James R Stewart
- Department of Biological Sciences, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Blackburn DG, Barnes MS, Reimers CD, Appiah FA, Lestz LL, Bonneau LJ, Hanson M, Smith-Paredes D, Bhullar BA. How do Crocodylian embryos process yolk? Morphological evidence from the American alligator, Alligator mississippiensis. J Morphol 2020; 282:953-958. [PMID: 32840899 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Revised: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Recent studies have demonstrated a mechanism of embryonic yolk processing in lizards, snakes and turtles that differs markedly from that of birds. In the avian pattern, cells that line the inside of the yolk sac take up products of yolk digestion and deliver nutrients into the vitelline circulation. In contrast, in squamates and turtles, proliferating endodermal cells invade and fill the yolk sac cavity, forming elongated strands of yolk-filled cells that surround small blood vessels. This arrangement provides a means by which yolk material becomes cellularized, digested, and transported for embryonic use. Ultrastructural observations on late-stage Alligator mississippiensis eggs reveal elongated, vascular strands of endodermal cells within the yolk sac cavity. The strands of cells are intermixed with free yolk spheres and clumps of yolk-filled endodermal cells, features that reflect early phases in the yolk-processing pattern. These observations indicate that yolk processing in Alligator is more like the pattern of other reptiles than that of birds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel G Blackburn
- Department of Biology, and Electron Microscopy Center, Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, USA
| | - Madeline S Barnes
- Department of Biology, and Electron Microscopy Center, Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, USA
| | - Charles D Reimers
- Department of Biology, and Electron Microscopy Center, Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, USA
| | - Farahana A Appiah
- Department of Biology, and Electron Microscopy Center, Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, USA
| | - Luisa L Lestz
- Department of Biology, and Electron Microscopy Center, Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, USA
| | - Laurie J Bonneau
- Department of Biology, and Electron Microscopy Center, Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, USA
| | - Michael Hanson
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Daniel Smith-Paredes
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Bhart-Anjan Bhullar
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Stewart JR, Blackburn DG. Classics revisited, history of reptile placentology, part IV: Hanni Hrabowski's 1926 monograph on fetal membranes of lizards. Placenta 2020; 95:26-32. [DOI: 10.1016/j.placenta.2020.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
|
7
|
Stewart JR, Blackburn DG. A developmental synapomorphy of squamate reptiles. Evol Dev 2019; 21:342-353. [DOI: 10.1111/ede.12317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- James R. Stewart
- Department of Biological SciencesEast Tennessee State UniversityJohnson City Tennessee 37614
| | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Ultrastructural analysis of the yolk processing pattern in embryonic pond slider turtles (Trachemys scripta: Emydidae). JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2019; 332:187-197. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.22894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2019] [Revised: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 06/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
|
9
|
Blackburn DG, Lestz L, Barnes MS, Powers KG. How do embryonic turtles process yolk? Evidence from the Snapping Turtle, Chelydra serpentina (Chelydridae). CAN J ZOOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2018-0205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Compared with amphibians, oviparous reptiles and birds lay large eggs that contain abundant yolk. Because the yolk is extracellular, it must be taken up by cells of the yolk sac and metabolized so that products of yolk digestion can be transported to the embryo to fuel development. In birds, the yolk is processed by cells that line the inside of the yolk sac. A very different developmental pattern recently has been demonstrated in lizards and snakes in which the yolk sac cavity is converted to a compact mass of blood vessels lined by endodermal cells. In this study, we used scanning electron microscopy to determine which of these developmental patterns (if either) occurs in a representative chelonian, the North American Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina (Linnaeus, 1758)). Our observations reveal that yolk-filled endodermal cells progressively fill the yolk sac cavity. These cells become organized around anastomosing blood vessels, forming elongated strands that are morphologically well suited for yolk digestion and vascular transport of nutrients. This developmental pattern shares features with that of squamates, but it differs markedly from that of birds. These observations indicate that mechanisms of yolk processing in lizards and snakes have an evolutionary history that pre-dates the squamate clade.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel G. Blackburn
- Department of Biology, and Electron Microscopy Center, Trinity College, Hartford, CT 06106, USA
- Department of Biology, and Electron Microscopy Center, Trinity College, Hartford, CT 06106, USA
| | - Luisa Lestz
- Department of Biology, and Electron Microscopy Center, Trinity College, Hartford, CT 06106, USA
- Department of Biology, and Electron Microscopy Center, Trinity College, Hartford, CT 06106, USA
| | - Madeline S. Barnes
- Department of Biology, and Electron Microscopy Center, Trinity College, Hartford, CT 06106, USA
- Department of Biology, and Electron Microscopy Center, Trinity College, Hartford, CT 06106, USA
| | - Kathryn G. Powers
- Department of Biology, and Electron Microscopy Center, Trinity College, Hartford, CT 06106, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Kondakova EA, Efremov VI, Kozin VV. Common and Specific Features of Organization of the Yolk Syncytial Layer of Teleostei as Exemplified in Gasterosteus aculeatus L. BIOL BULL+ 2019. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062359019010023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
|
11
|
Blackburn DG, Lestz L, Barnes MS, Powers KG, Langkilde T. Morphological features of the yolk processing pattern in the eastern fence lizard, Sceloporus undulatus
(Phrynosomatidae). J Morphol 2018; 279:1629-1639. [DOI: 10.1002/jmor.20892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2018] [Revised: 07/26/2018] [Accepted: 08/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel G. Blackburn
- Department of Biology, and Electron Microscopy Center; Trinity College; Hartford Connecticut
| | - Luisa Lestz
- Department of Biology, and Electron Microscopy Center; Trinity College; Hartford Connecticut
| | - Madeline S. Barnes
- Department of Biology, and Electron Microscopy Center; Trinity College; Hartford Connecticut
| | - Kathryn G. Powers
- Department of Biology, and Electron Microscopy Center; Trinity College; Hartford Connecticut
| | - Tracy Langkilde
- Department of Biology; Pennsylvania State University; University Park Pennsylvania
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
A Novel Pattern of Yolk Processing in Developing Snake Eggs (Colubridae: Lampropeltini) and its Functional and Evolutionary Implications. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2017; 328:462-475. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.22750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2017] [Revised: 04/03/2017] [Accepted: 04/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
|