Short-term anoxia does not impair protein turnover in isolated perfused turtle heart

Alien invasive slider turtle in unpredicted habitat: a matter of niche shift or of predictors studied?

Background

Species Distribution Models (SDMs) aim on the characterization of a species' ecological niche and project it into geographic space. The result is a map of the species' potential distribution, which is, for instance, helpful to predict the capability of alien invasive species. With regard to alien invasive species, recently several authors observed a mismatch between potential distributions of native and invasive ranges derived from SDMs and, as an explanation, ecological niche shift during biological invasion has been suggested. We studied the physiologically well known Slider turtle from North America which today is widely distributed over the globe and address the issue of ecological niche shift versus choice of ecological predictors used for model building, i.e., by deriving SDMs using multiple sets of climatic predictor.

Principal Findings

In one SDM, predictors were used aiming to mirror the physiological limits of the Slider turtle. It was compared to numerous other models based on various sets of ecological predictors or predictors aiming at comprehensiveness. The SDM focusing on the study species' physiological limits depicts the target species' worldwide potential distribution better than any of the other approaches.

Conclusion

These results suggest that a natural history-driven understanding is crucial in developing statistical models of ecological niches (as SDMs) while “comprehensive” or “standard” sets of ecological predictors may be of limited use.

Tribute to P. L. Lutz: cardiac performance and cardiovascular regulation during anoxia/hypoxia in freshwater turtles

Freshwater turtles overwintering in ice-covered ponds in North America may be exposed to prolonged anoxia, and survive this hostile environment by metabolic depression. Here, we review their cardiovascular function and regulation, with particular emphasis on the factors limiting cardiac performance. The pronounced anoxia tolerance of the turtle heart is based on the ability to match energy consumption with the low anaerobic ATP production during anoxia. Together with a well-developed temporal and spatial energy buffering by creatine kinase, this allows for cellular energy charge to remain high during anoxia. Furthermore, the turtle heart is well adapted to handle the adverse effects of free phosphate arising when phosphocreatine stores are used. Anoxia causes tenfold reductions in heart rate and blood flows that match the metabolic depression, and blood pressure is largely maintained through increased systemic vascular resistance. Depression of the heart rate is not driven by the autonomic nervous system and seems to arise from direct effects of oxygen lack and the associated hyperkalaemia and acidosis on the cardiac pacemaker. These intra- and extracellular changes also affect cardiac contractility, and both acidosis and hyperkalaemia severely depress cardiac contractility. However, increased levels of adrenaline and calcium may, at least partially, salvage cardiac function under prolonged periods of anoxia.

Complete suppression of protein synthesis during anoxia with no post-anoxia protein synthesis debt in the red-eared slider turtleTrachemys scripta elegans

Two previous studies of the effects of anoxia on protein synthesis in anoxia-tolerant turtles (Trachemys scripta elegans, Chrysemys picta bellii) have generated opposing results. Using the flooding-dose method, we measured the rate of protein synthesis following injection and incorporation of a large dose of radiolabelled phenylalanine to resolve the question of whether anoxia results in a downregulation of protein synthesis. After 1 h of anoxia, levels of protein-incorporated radiolabel indicated that protein synthesis rates in the intestine, heart, liver, brain, muscle and lungs were not significantly different from those of normoxic controls. However, from 1 to 6 h of anoxia, quantities of protein-incorporated radiolabel did not increase, suggesting that protein synthesis had ceased or had decreased below a measurable level. There was also no significant post-anoxia increase in protein synthesis rates above normoxic control levels during 3 h of recovery from anoxia. RNA-to-protein ratios did not change significantly in any tissue except the heart, in which RNA levels decreased below normoxic control levels after 6 h of anoxia. Except in the heart, downregulation of protein synthesis during anoxia does not appear to be mediated by changes in tissue RNA concentration.

Protein synthesis under conditions of anoxia and changing workload in ventricle strips from turtle heart

An earlier study determined that protein synthesis in isolated perfused turtle (Trachemys [= Pseudemys] scripta elegans) hearts was three-fold lower under conditions of anoxia than under conditions of normoxia. However, the earlier study did not attempt to define the role of work in the isolated perfused preparation. In this study, the effects of varying workload, as defined by changing frequency of contraction, and anoxia on protein synthesis were examined. The ventricle strip preparation allows for comparison of multiple strips from a single heart, which aids in eliminating the variability found between individuals chosen from wild populations. Ventricle strips forced to contract at 24 contractions.min-1 under anoxic conditions failed more rapidly than strips forced to contract at 24 contractions.min-1 under normoxic conditions. Protein synthesis decreased by 32% when compared to normoxic controls. When stimulation was terminated after 2 hr of contraction, the rate of protein synthesis in strips under anoxic conditions was similar to that in strips under normoxic conditions. Also, returning strips to normoxic conditions after 2 hr of anoxia restored protein synthesis to the level of the normoxic controls. A significant correlation between pacing rate and protein synthesis was found under normoxic conditions but not under anoxic conditions when strips were paced at 12, 18 and 24 contractions.min-1. Protein synthesis increased by 30% at the 18 contractions.min-1 frequency and 45% at the 24 contractions.min-1 frequency over the rate at 12 contractions.min-1 frequency. Force-frequency studies revealed that under normoxic conditions force generation did not change until above 24 contractions.min-1, but under anoxic conditions there was a significant negative inotropic effect (20% decrease in force) at 24 contractions.min-1 and fell to 50% of initial at 36 contractions.min-1. These studies indicate that, in the turtle heart, anoxia per se is not the only determinant of protein synthesis but rather that work plays an important role in protein synthesis, as in the mammalian heart.