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Palominos MF, Bharadwaj R, Tralka C, Trang K, Aka D, Alami M, Andrews D, Bartlett BI, Golde C, Liu J, Le-Pedroza M, Perrot R, Seiter B, Sparrow C, Shapira M, Martin CH. The West African lungfish secretes a living cocoon during aestivation with uncertain antimicrobial function. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.07.05.602297. [PMID: 39026789 PMCID: PMC11257426 DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.05.602297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
One of the most exceptional adaptations to extreme drought is found in the sister group to tetrapods, the lungfishes (Dipnoi), which can aestivate inside a mucus cocoon for multiple years at reduced metabolic rates with complete cessation of ingestion and excretion. However, the function of the cocoon tissue is not fully understood. Here we developed a new more natural laboratory protocol for inducing aestivation in the West African lungfish, Protopterus annectens, and investigated the structure and function of the cocoon. We used electron microscopy and imaging of live tissue-stains to confirm that the inner and outer layers of the paper-thin cocoon are composed primarily of living cells. However, we also repeatedly observed extensive bacterial and fungal growth covering the cocoon and found no evidence of anti-microbial activity in vitro against E. coli for the cocoon tissue in this species. This classroom discovery-based research, performed during a course-based undergraduate research experience course (CURE), provides a robust laboratory protocol for investigating aestivation and calls into the question the function of this bizarre vertebrate adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Fernanda Palominos
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | | | - Charles Tralka
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - Kenneth Trang
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - David Aka
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - Mariam Alami
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - Dominique Andrews
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - Ben I Bartlett
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - Chloe Golde
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - Joseph Liu
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - Maya Le-Pedroza
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - Robert Perrot
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - Blanca Seiter
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - Claudia Sparrow
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - Michael Shapira
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - Christopher H Martin
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
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Martín J, Ortega J, García-Roa R, Rodríguez-Ruiz G, Pérez-Cembranos A, Pérez-Mellado V. Coping with drought? Effects of extended drought conditions on soil invertebrate prey and diet selection by a fossorial amphisbaenian reptile. Curr Zool 2023; 69:367-376. [PMID: 37614919 PMCID: PMC10443610 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoac056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 08/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Arid climates are characterized by a summer drought period to which animals seem adapted. However, in some years, the drought can extend for unusually longer periods. Examining the effects of these current extreme weather events on biodiversity can help to understand the effects of climate change, as models predict an increase in drought severity. Here, we examined the effects of "unusual" extended drought on soil invertebrate prey availability and on diet composition (based on fecal contents) and diet selection of a fossorial amphisbaenian, the checkerboard worm lizard Trogonophis wiegmanni. Weather data show interannual variations in summer drought duration. The abundance and diversity of soil invertebrates in spring were high, and similar to those found in a "normal" early autumn, after some rain had ended with the summer drought. In contrast, in years with "unusual" extended drought, abundance, and diversity of soil invertebrates in early autumn were very low. Also, there were seasonal changes in amphisbaenians' diet; in autumn with drought, prey diversity, and niche breadth decreased with respect to spring and autumns after some rain had fallen. Amphisbaenians did not eat prey at random in any season, but made some changes in prey selection that may result from drought-related restrictions in prey availability. Finally, in spite that amphisbaenians showed some feeding flexibility, their body condition was lower in autumn than in spring, and much lower in autumn with drought. If extended drought became the norm in the future, amphisbaenians might suffer important negative effects for their health state.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Martín
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jesús Ortega
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Roberto García-Roa
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
- Ethology Lab, Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Gonzalo Rodríguez-Ruiz
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
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3
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Camila A, Mariano GC, Alejandra LM. Prejuveniles of Mugil liza (Actinopterygii; Fam. Mugilidae) show digestive and metabolic flexibility upon different postprandial times and refeeding. J Comp Physiol B 2022; 192:561-573. [PMID: 35513525 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-022-01438-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Revised: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Many animals face periods of feeding restrictions implying fasting and refeeding. The determination of digestive/metabolic and body condition parameters at different times of food deprivation and after refeeding allows to evaluate the postprandial dynamics, the transition from feeding to fasting and the capacity to reverse digestive and metabolic alterations. In spite of its physiological importance, studies on estuarine-dependent detritivore fish are lacking. We determined total mass (TM), relative intestine length (RIL), hepatosomatic index (HSI), digestive enzymes activities in the intestine and energy reserves in liver and muscle at 0, 24, 72, 144 and 240 h after feeding and at 72 h after refeeding in prejuveniles of Mugil liza (Mugilidae) as a model species. After feeding, a decrease occurred in: TM (144 h, 25%), RIL (144 h, 23%); amylase and maltase (72 h, 45 and 35%), sucrase (24 h, 40%) and lipase (24 h, 70%) in intestine; glycogen and free glucose (72 h, 90 and 92%) in liver. In muscle, glycogen (72-144 h) and free glucose (144 h) (170% and 165%, respectively) peak increased; triglycerides decreased at 24-240 h (50%). After refeeding TM, RIL, carbohydrases activities in intestine, glycogen and free glucose in liver were recovered. In muscle, glycogen and free glucose were similar to 0 h; lipase activity and triglycerides were not recovered. Trypsin and APN in intestine, triglycerides in liver, protein in liver and muscle and HSI did not change. The differential modulation of key components of carbohydrates and lipid metabolism after feeding/refeeding would allow to face fasting and recover body condition. Our results improve lacking knowledge about digestive and metabolic physiology of detritivore fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albanesi Camila
- Grupo Fisiología Bioquímica, Integrativa y Adaptativa, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata CONICET-FCEyN, Funes 3250, 7600, Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - González-Castro Mariano
- Grupo Fisiología Bioquímica, Integrativa y Adaptativa, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata CONICET-FCEyN, Funes 3250, 7600, Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - López-Mañanes Alejandra
- Grupo Fisiología Bioquímica, Integrativa y Adaptativa, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata CONICET-FCEyN, Funes 3250, 7600, Mar del Plata, Argentina.
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4
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Rinkevich B, Ballarin L, Martinez P, Somorjai I, Ben‐Hamo O, Borisenko I, Berezikov E, Ereskovsky A, Gazave E, Khnykin D, Manni L, Petukhova O, Rosner A, Röttinger E, Spagnuolo A, Sugni M, Tiozzo S, Hobmayer B. A pan-metazoan concept for adult stem cells: the wobbling Penrose landscape. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2022; 97:299-325. [PMID: 34617397 PMCID: PMC9292022 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Revised: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Adult stem cells (ASCs) in vertebrates and model invertebrates (e.g. Drosophila melanogaster) are typically long-lived, lineage-restricted, clonogenic and quiescent cells with somatic descendants and tissue/organ-restricted activities. Such ASCs are mostly rare, morphologically undifferentiated, and undergo asymmetric cell division. Characterized by 'stemness' gene expression, they can regulate tissue/organ homeostasis, repair and regeneration. By contrast, analysis of other animal phyla shows that ASCs emerge at different life stages, present both differentiated and undifferentiated phenotypes, and may possess amoeboid movement. Usually pluri/totipotent, they may express germ-cell markers, but often lack germ-line sequestering, and typically do not reside in discrete niches. ASCs may constitute up to 40% of animal cells, and participate in a range of biological phenomena, from whole-body regeneration, dormancy, and agametic asexual reproduction, to indeterminate growth. They are considered legitimate units of selection. Conceptualizing this divergence, we present an alternative stemness metaphor to the Waddington landscape: the 'wobbling Penrose' landscape. Here, totipotent ASCs adopt ascending/descending courses of an 'Escherian stairwell', in a lifelong totipotency pathway. ASCs may also travel along lower stemness echelons to reach fully differentiated states. However, from any starting state, cells can change their stemness status, underscoring their dynamic cellular potencies. Thus, vertebrate ASCs may reflect just one metazoan ASC archetype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baruch Rinkevich
- Israel Oceanographic & Limnological ResearchNational Institute of OceanographyPOB 9753, Tel ShikmonaHaifa3109701Israel
| | - Loriano Ballarin
- Department of BiologyUniversity of PadovaVia Ugo Bassi 58/BPadova35121Italy
| | - Pedro Martinez
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i EstadísticaUniversitat de BarcelonaAv. Diagonal 643Barcelona08028Spain
- Institut Català de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA)Passeig Lluís Companys 23Barcelona08010Spain
| | - Ildiko Somorjai
- School of BiologyUniversity of St AndrewsSt Andrews, FifeKY16 9ST, ScotlandUK
| | - Oshrat Ben‐Hamo
- Israel Oceanographic & Limnological ResearchNational Institute of OceanographyPOB 9753, Tel ShikmonaHaifa3109701Israel
| | - Ilya Borisenko
- Department of Embryology, Faculty of BiologySaint‐Petersburg State UniversityUniversity Embankment, 7/9Saint‐Petersburg199034Russia
| | - Eugene Berezikov
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University of Groningen, University Medical Center GroningenAntonius Deusinglaan 1Groningen9713 AVThe Netherlands
| | - Alexander Ereskovsky
- Department of Embryology, Faculty of BiologySaint‐Petersburg State UniversityUniversity Embankment, 7/9Saint‐Petersburg199034Russia
- Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie marine et continentale (IMBE), Aix Marseille University, CNRS, IRD, Avignon UniversityJardin du Pharo, 58 Boulevard Charles LivonMarseille13007France
- Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology of Russian Academy of SciencesUlitsa Vavilova, 26Moscow119334Russia
| | - Eve Gazave
- Université de Paris, CNRS, Institut Jacques MonodParisF‐75006France
| | - Denis Khnykin
- Department of PathologyOslo University HospitalBygg 19, Gaustad Sykehus, Sognsvannsveien 21Oslo0188Norway
| | - Lucia Manni
- Department of BiologyUniversity of PadovaVia Ugo Bassi 58/BPadova35121Italy
| | - Olga Petukhova
- Collection of Vertebrate Cell CulturesInstitute of Cytology, Russian Academy of SciencesTikhoretsky Ave. 4St. Petersburg194064Russia
| | - Amalia Rosner
- Israel Oceanographic & Limnological ResearchNational Institute of OceanographyPOB 9753, Tel ShikmonaHaifa3109701Israel
| | - Eric Röttinger
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, INSERM, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging, Nice (IRCAN)Nice06107France
- Université Côte d'Azur, Federative Research Institute – Marine Resources (IFR MARRES)28 Avenue de ValroseNice06103France
| | - Antonietta Spagnuolo
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine OrganismsStazione Zoologica Anton DohrnVilla ComunaleNaples80121Italy
| | - Michela Sugni
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy (ESP)Università degli Studi di MilanoVia Celoria 26Milan20133Italy
| | - Stefano Tiozzo
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche‐sur‐mer (LBDV)06234 Villefranche‐sur‐MerVillefranche sur MerCedexFrance
| | - Bert Hobmayer
- Institute of Zoology and Center for Molecular Biosciences, University of InnsbruckTechnikerstrInnsbruck256020Austria
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5
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A critique on the theory of homeostasis. Physiol Behav 2022; 247:113712. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2022.113712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Revised: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
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6
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Kay JC, Elsey RM, Secor SM. Modest Regulation of Digestive Performance Is Maintained through Early Ontogeny for the American Alligator, Alligator mississippiensis. Physiol Biochem Zool 2020; 93:320-338. [PMID: 32492358 DOI: 10.1086/709443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
The American alligator, Alligator mississippiensis, is an opportunistic carnivore that experiences an ontogenetic shift in food and feeding habits with an increase in body size. Alligators frequently feed on invertebrates and small fish as neonates and transition to feeding less frequently on larger vertebrates as they grow. We hypothesized that alligators experience an ontogenetic shift in the regulation of intestinal performance-modest regulation with frequent feeding early in life and wider regulation with less frequent feeding as they increase in body size. We tested this hypothesis by comparing postprandial responses in metabolic rate, organ masses, intestinal histology, digestive hydrolase activities, and intestinal nutrient uptake rates among neonate, juvenile, and subadult alligators. With feeding, alligators of all three age classes experienced a rapid increase in metabolic rate that peaked within 2 d and thereafter declined more slowly to prefeeding rates. Specific dynamic action increased with body mass and was equivalent to 32% of meal energy. For each age class, the majority of organs did not change in wet and dry mass with feeding. For subadult alligators, luminal gut pH varied regionally due to the acidic stomach, which continued to remain acidic with fasting. With feeding, epithelial enterocytes are remodeled from a pseudostratified to a stratified architecture and become infiltrated with lipid droplets. Feeding did not generate any significant change in the thickness of intestinal tissues, though it did induce an increase in enterocyte width and volume for subadults. For each age class, feeding generally did not result in significant changes in pancreatic trypsin, intestinal aminopeptidase, and intestinal nutrient uptake activities and capacities. Mass-specific nutrient uptake rates varied among age classes due to the higher rates exhibited by neonates. Among age classes, intestinal uptake capacities scaled allometrically (mass exponents <1) with body mass. Across these three age classes, the modest regulation of digestive performance with feeding and fasting for alligators appears to be ontogenetically conserved.
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7
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Rossi GS, Cramp RL, Wright PA, Franklin CE. Frogs seek hypoxic microhabitats that accentuate metabolic depression during dormancy. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 223:jeb.218743. [PMID: 31871116 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.218743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Many animals occupy microhabitats during dormancy where they may encounter hypoxic conditions (e.g. subterranean burrows). We used the green-striped burrowing frog (Cyclorana alboguttata) to test the hypothesis that animals seek hypoxic microhabitats that accentuate metabolic depression during dormancy. We first measured the partial pressure of oxygen (P O2 ) within artificial cavities excavated in wet clay soil, which simulated C. alboguttata underground aestivation chambers, and recorded hypoxic conditions (P O2 as low as 8.9 kPa). Using custom-built tunnels that maintained a longitudinal P O2 gradient (hypoxic to normoxic), we then examined the P O2 preference of C. alboguttata in response to drying habitat conditions. In support of our hypothesis, we found that C. alboguttata chose to spend a greater proportion of time at the hypoxic end of the P O2 gradient compared with the normoxic end. To determine whether hypoxia accentuates metabolic depression in C. alboguttata, we exposed frogs to normoxia (21.0 kPa) or hypoxia (10.5 kPa) for 7 weeks during the transition from an active to an aestivating state. We found that hypoxia exposure accelerated the onset of metabolic depression in C. alboguttata by 2 weeks. Furthermore, we found that frogs exposed to hypoxia exhibited a 66% reduction in O2 consumption after 7 weeks compared with active frogs in normoxia, whereas frogs exposed to normoxia reduced O2 consumption by only 51%. Overall, our findings indicate that some animals may seek microhabitats to maximally depress metabolic rate during dormancy, and that microhabitat O2 availability can have significant implications for energy metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia S Rossi
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, N1G 2W1
| | - Rebecca L Cramp
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Patricia A Wright
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, N1G 2W1
| | - Craig E Franklin
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
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8
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Burggren W, Filogonio R, Wang T. Cardiovascular shunting in vertebrates: a practical integration of competing hypotheses. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2019; 95:449-471. [PMID: 31859458 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2019] [Revised: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
This review explores the long-standing question: 'Why do cardiovascular shunts occur?' An historical perspective is provided on previous research into cardiac shunts in vertebrates that continues to shape current views. Cardiac shunts and when they occur is then described for vertebrates. Nearly 20 different functional reasons have been proposed as specific causes of shunts, ranging from energy conservation to improved gas exchange, and including a plethora of functions related to thermoregulation, digestion and haemodynamics. It has even been suggested that shunts are merely an evolutionary or developmental relic. Having considered the various hypotheses involving cardiovascular shunting in vertebrates, this review then takes a non-traditional approach. Rather than attempting to identify the single 'correct' reason for the occurrence of shunts, we advance a more holistic, integrative approach that embraces multiple, non-exclusive suites of proposed causes for shunts, and indicates how these varied functions might at least co-exist, if not actually support each other as shunts serve multiple, concurrent physiological functions. It is argued that deposing the 'monolithic' view of shunting leads to a more nuanced view of vertebrate cardiovascular systems. This review concludes by suggesting new paradigms for testing the function(s) of shunts, including experimentally placing organ systems into conflict in terms of their perfusion needs, reducing sources of variation in physiological experiments, measuring possible compensatory responses to shunt ablation, moving experiments from the laboratory to the field, and using cladistics-related approaches in the choice of experimental animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Warren Burggren
- Department of Biological Sciences, Developmental Integrative Biology Cluster, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, 76203-5220, U.S.A
| | - Renato Filogonio
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, SP, 13565-905, Brazil
| | - Tobias Wang
- Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, 8000, Denmark.,Aarhus Institute of Advanced Sciences (AIAS), Aarhus University, Aarhus C, 8000, Denmark
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9
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Wiebler JM, Kohl KD, Lee RE, Costanzo JP. Urea hydrolysis by gut bacteria in a hibernating frog: evidence for urea-nitrogen recycling in Amphibia. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 285:rspb.2018.0241. [PMID: 29720413 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2018] [Accepted: 04/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Gut bacteria that produce urease, the enzyme hydrolysing urea, contribute to nitrogen balance in diverse vertebrates, although the presence of this system of urea-nitrogen recycling in Amphibia is as yet unknown. Our studies of the wood frog (Rana sylvatica), a terrestrial species that accrues urea in winter, documented robust urease activity by enteric symbionts and hence potential to recoup nitrogen from the urea it produces. Ureolytic capacity in hibernating (non-feeding) frogs, whose guts hosted an approximately 33% smaller bacterial population, exceeded that of active (feeding) frogs, possibly due to an inductive effect of high urea on urease expression and/or remodelling of the microbial community. Furthermore, experimentally augmenting the host's plasma urea increased bacterial urease activity. Bacterial inventories constructed using 16S rRNA sequencing revealed that the assemblages hosted by hibernating and active frogs were equally diverse but markedly differed in community membership and structure. Hibernating frogs hosted a greater relative abundance and richer diversity of genera that possess urease-encoding genes and/or have member taxa that reportedly hydrolyse urea. Bacterial hydrolysis of host-synthesized urea probably permits conservation and repurposing of valuable nitrogen not only in hibernating R. sylvatica but, given urea's universal role in amphibian osmoregulation, also in virtually all Amphibia.
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Affiliation(s)
- James M Wiebler
- Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA
| | - Kevin D Kohl
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Richard E Lee
- Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA
| | - Jon P Costanzo
- Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA
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10
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Aparicio Á, Mercado IE, Ugalde AM, Gaona-Murillo E, Butterfield T, Macip-Ríos R. Ecological Observations of the Mexican Mud Turtle (Kinosternon integrum) in the Pátzcuaro Basin, Michoacán, México. CHELONIAN CONSERVATION AND BIOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.2744/ccb-1305.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ángeles Aparicio
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Blvd. Valsequillo y Av
| | - Ivette Enríquez Mercado
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Blvd. Valsequillo y Av
| | - Alejandro Montiel Ugalde
- Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores Unidad Morelia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ant
| | - Eder Gaona-Murillo
- Facultad de Biología, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Gral. Francisco J. M´ ugica,
| | - Taggert Butterfield
- Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores Unidad Morelia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ant
| | - Rodrigo Macip-Ríos
- Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores Unidad Morelia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ant
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11
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McCue MD, Passement CA, Meyerholz DK. Maintenance of Distal Intestinal Structure in the Face of Prolonged Fasting: A Comparative Examination of Species From Five Vertebrate Classes. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2017; 300:2208-2219. [PMID: 28941363 PMCID: PMC5767472 DOI: 10.1002/ar.23691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2017] [Revised: 06/16/2017] [Accepted: 07/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
It was recently shown that fasting alters the composition of microbial communities residing in the distal intestinal tract of animals representing five classes of vertebrates [i.e., fishes (tilapia), amphibians (toads), reptiles (leopard geckos), birds (quail), and mammals (mice)]. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the extent of tissue reorganization in the fasted distal intestine was correlated with the observed changes in enteric microbial diversity. Segments of intestine adjacent to those used for the microbiota study were examined histologically to quantify cross-sectional and mucosal surface areas and thicknesses of mucosa, submucosa, and tunica muscularis. We found no fasting-induced differences in the morphology of distal intestines of the mice (3 days), quail (7 days), or geckos (28 days). The toads, which exhibited a general increase in phylogenetic diversity of their enteric microbiota with fasting, also exhibited reduced mucosal circumference at 14 and 21 days of fasting. Tilapia showed increased phylogenetic diversity of their enteric microbiota, and showed a thickened tunica muscularis at 21 days of fasting; but this morphological change was not related to microbial diversity or absorptive surface area, and thus, is unlikely to functionally match the changes in their microbiome. Given that fasting caused significant increases and reductions in the enteric microbial diversity of mice and quail, respectively, but no detectable changes in distal intestine morphology, we conclude that reorganization is not the primary factor shaping changes in microbial diversity within the fasted colon, and the observed modest structural changes are more related to the fasted state. Anat Rec, 300:2208-2219, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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12
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Weinrauch AM, Clifford AM, Goss GG. Post-prandial physiology and intestinal morphology of the Pacific hagfish (Eptatretus stoutii). J Comp Physiol B 2017; 188:101-112. [DOI: 10.1007/s00360-017-1118-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2017] [Revised: 07/04/2017] [Accepted: 07/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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13
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Smith ME, Secor SM. Physiological Responses to Fasting and Estivation for the Three-Toed Amphiuma (Amphiuma tridactylum). Physiol Biochem Zool 2016; 90:240-256. [PMID: 28277954 DOI: 10.1086/689216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Species of Amphiuma enter a state of subterranean estivation with the drying of their aquatic habitat. Characteristic of amphibian fasting and estivation is an initial depression of metabolism and tissue mass and function with fasting, followed by a more pronounced adaptive decrease in metabolism and tissue function with estivation. We hypothesized that Amphiuma likewise experiences a two-stage set of responses to estivation. Therefore, we examined the physiological responses of the three-toed amphiuma (Amphiuma tridactylum) to fasting and estivation treatments. Recently fed A. tridactylum served as controls for fasting treatments of 1, 3, and 6 mo (in water) and estivation treatments of 3 and 6 mo (buried in dried substrate). After a 1-mo fast, A. tridactylum experienced no further depression of metabolic rate following 3 or 6 mo of fasting or estivation. For all fasting and estivation trials, A. tridactylum maintained blood chemistry homeostasis, with the exception of an increase in blood urea following 6 mo of estivation. Compared with fed controls, the mass of most organs did not vary even after 6 mo of fasting and estivation. Only the small intestine (decreasing) and the full gall bladder (increasing) experienced significant changes in mass with fasting or estivation. The fasting decrease in small intestinal mass was in part due to enterocyte atrophy, which resulted in a decrease in mucosa/submucosa thickness. In contrast to many estivating anurans and the ecologically convergent sirens, A. tridactylum does not surround itself in a cocoon of dried skin or mucus during estivation. The thickness and architecture of their skin remains unchanged even after 6 mo of estivation. Following months of fasting or estivation, individuals still maintain gastric acid production, pancreatic enzyme activity, and intestinal enzyme and transporter activities. Contrary to our hypothesis that A. tridactylum experiences two stages of metabolic depression and tissue downregulation, first with fasting and second with estivation, we observed a relatively modest single-stage response to both. Rather than becoming dormant and engaging in mechanisms to depress metabolism and tissue performance with estivation, A. tridactylum employs an alternative strategy of remaining alert and possibly eating to survive extended periods when their aquatic habitats become dry.
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Abstract
Extended bouts of fasting are ingrained in the ecology of many organisms, characterizing aspects of reproduction, development, hibernation, estivation, migration, and infrequent feeding habits. The challenge of long fasting episodes is the need to maintain physiological homeostasis while relying solely on endogenous resources. To meet that challenge, animals utilize an integrated repertoire of behavioral, physiological, and biochemical responses that reduce metabolic rates, maintain tissue structure and function, and thus enhance survival. We have synthesized in this review the integrative physiological, morphological, and biochemical responses, and their stages, that characterize natural fasting bouts. Underlying the capacity to survive extended fasts are behaviors and mechanisms that reduce metabolic expenditure and shift the dependency to lipid utilization. Hormonal regulation and immune capacity are altered by fasting; hormones that trigger digestion, elevate metabolism, and support immune performance become depressed, whereas hormones that enhance the utilization of endogenous substrates are elevated. The negative energy budget that accompanies fasting leads to the loss of body mass as fat stores are depleted and tissues undergo atrophy (i.e., loss of mass). Absolute rates of body mass loss scale allometrically among vertebrates. Tissues and organs vary in the degree of atrophy and downregulation of function, depending on the degree to which they are used during the fast. Fasting affects the population dynamics and activities of the gut microbiota, an interplay that impacts the host's fasting biology. Fasting-induced gene expression programs underlie the broad spectrum of integrated physiological mechanisms responsible for an animal's ability to survive long episodes of natural fasting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen M Secor
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA
| | - Hannah V Carey
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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Physiological responses to short-term fasting among herbivorous, omnivorous, and carnivorous fishes. J Comp Physiol B 2014; 184:497-512. [DOI: 10.1007/s00360-014-0813-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2013] [Revised: 01/29/2014] [Accepted: 02/06/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Abstract
The vertebrate immune system is comprised of numerous distinct and interdependent components. Every component has its own inherent protective value, and the final combination of them is likely to be related to an animal’s immunological history and evolutionary development. Vertebrate immune system consists of both systemic and mucosal immune compartments, but it is the mucosal immune system which protects the body from the first encounter of pathogens. According to anatomical location, the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue, in teleost fish is subdivided into gut-, skin-, and gill-associated lymphoid tissue and most available studies focus on gut. The purpose of this paper is to summarise the current knowledge of the immunological defences present in skin mucosa as a very important part of the fish immune system, serving as an anatomical and physiological barrier against external hazards. Interest in defence mechanism of fish arises from a need to develop health management tools to support a growing finfish aquaculture industry, while at the same time addressing questions concerning origins and evolution of immunity in vertebrates. Increased knowledge of fish mucosal immune system will facilitate the development of novel vaccination strategies in fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Ángeles Esteban
- Fish Innate Immune System Group, Department of Cell Biology and Histology, Faculty of Biology, University of Murcia, Regional Campus of International Excellence “Campus Mare Nostrum”, 30100 Murcia, Spain
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Seliverstova EV, Prutskova NP. Morphofunctional changes in the small intestine epithelium of the frog Rana temporaria in the course of hibernation. J EVOL BIOCHEM PHYS+ 2012. [DOI: 10.1134/s0022093012030061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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Grutter AS, Rumney JG, Sinclair-Taylor T, Waldie P, Franklin CE. Fish mucous cocoons: the 'mosquito nets' of the sea. Biol Lett 2011; 7:292-4. [PMID: 21084337 PMCID: PMC3061186 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2010.0916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2010] [Accepted: 10/28/2010] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Mucus performs numerous protective functions in vertebrates, and in fishes may defend them against harmful organisms, although often the evidence is contradictory. The function of the mucous cocoons that many parrotfishes and wrasses sleep in, while long used as a classical example of antipredator behaviour, remains unresolved. Ectoparasitic gnathiid isopods (Gnathiidae), which feed on the blood of fish, are removed by cleaner fish during the day; however, it is unclear how parrotfish and wrasse avoid gnathiid attacks at night. To test the novel hypothesis that mucous cocoons protect against gnathiids, we exposed the coral reef parrotfish Chlorurus sordidus (Scaridae) with and without cocoons to gnathiids overnight and measured the energetic content of cocoons. Fish without mucous cocoons were attacked more by gnathiids than fish with cocoons. The energetic content of mucous cocoons was estimated as 2.5 per cent of the fish's daily energy budget fish. Therefore, mucous cocoons protected against attacks by gnathiids, acting like mosquito nets in humans, a function of cocoons and an efficient physiological adaptation for preventing parasite infestation that is not used by any other animal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra S Grutter
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.
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