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Nowack J, Mzilikazi N, Dausmann KH. Saving energy via short and shallow torpor bouts. J Therm Biol 2023; 114:103572. [PMID: 37344030 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2023.103572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
Maintaining a high and stable body temperature as observed in most endothermic mammals and birds is energetically costly and many heterothermic species reduce their metabolic demands during energetic bottlenecks through the use of torpor. With the increasing number of heterotherms revealed in a diversity of habitats, it becomes apparent that triggers and patterns of torpor use are more variable than previously thought. Here, we report the previously overlooked use of, shallow rest-time torpor (body temperature >30 °C) in African lesser bushbabies, Galago moholi. Body core temperature of three adult male bushbabies recorded over five months showed a clear bimodal distribution with an average active modal temperature of 39.2 °C and a resting modal body temperature of 36.7 °C. Shallow torpor was observed in two out of three males (n = 29 torpor bouts) between June and August (austral winter), with body temperatures dropping to an overall minimum of 30.7 °C and calculated energy savings of up to 10%. We suggest that shallow torpor may be an ecologically important, yet mostly overlooked energy-saving strategy employed by heterothermic mammals. Our data emphasise that torpor threshold temperatures need to be used with care if we aim to fully understand the level of physiological plasticity displayed by heterothermic species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Nowack
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Byrom Street, Liverpool, United Kingdom; Department of Biology, Institute of Cell and Systems Biology of Animals, Functional Ecology, University Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Nomakwezi Mzilikazi
- Department of Zoology, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
| | - Kathrin H Dausmann
- Department of Biology, Institute of Cell and Systems Biology of Animals, Functional Ecology, University Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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2
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Niu Y, Guan L, Wang C, Jiang H, Li G, Yang L. Aestivation induces widespread transcriptional changes in the African lungfish. Front Genet 2023; 14:1096929. [PMID: 36733343 PMCID: PMC9886888 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1096929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Aestivation is a special ability possessed by some animals to cope with hot and dry environments utilizing dormancy. At a macroscopic level, dormant animals stop moving and eating. At the microscopic level, the expression of a large number of genes in these animals is strictly controlled. However, little is known about what changes occur during aestivation, especially in fish. In this study, we used transcriptome analysis to examine what changes occur in the gills and lungs of the African lungfish (Protopterus annectens) during the maintenance phase of aestivation and speculated on their causes. We found that aestivating transcriptomes were highly similar between gills and lungs. We also found that some genes showed differential expression or alternative splicing, which may be associated with different organs. In addition, differential expression analysis revealed that the lungs maintained significantly higher bioactivity during aestivation, which suggests that the main respiratory organ in aestivating lungfish can transform. Our study provides a reference point for studying the relationship between aestivation and hibernation and further increases understanding of aestivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuhan Niu
- College of Life Sciences, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, Qinghai, China,State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China,Academy of Plateau Science and Sustainability, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, China
| | - Lihong Guan
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China,College of Life Sciences and Technology, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, Henan, China
| | - Cheng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Haifeng Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Guogang Li
- College of Life Sciences, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, Qinghai, China,Academy of Plateau Science and Sustainability, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, China,Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Formation Mechanism and Comprehensive Utilization of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in Qinghai Province, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, China,*Correspondence: Guogang Li, ; Liandong Yang,
| | - Liandong Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China,Academy of Plateau Science and Sustainability, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, China,*Correspondence: Guogang Li, ; Liandong Yang,
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Jansen HT, Evans Hutzenbiler B, Hapner HR, McPhee ML, Carnahan AM, Kelley JL, Saxton MW, Robbins CT. Can offsetting the energetic cost of hibernation restore an active season phenotype in grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis)? J Exp Biol 2021; 224:269178. [PMID: 34137891 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.242560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Hibernation is characterized by depression of many physiological processes. To determine if this state is reversible in a non-food caching species, we fed hibernating grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis) dextrose for 10 days to replace 53% or 100% of the estimated minimum daily energetic cost of hibernation. Feeding caused serum concentrations of glycerol and ketones (β-hydroxybutyrate) to return to active season levels irrespective of the amount of glucose fed. By contrast, free fatty acids (FFAs) and indices of metabolic rate, such as general activity, heart rate, strength of heart rate circadian rhythm, and insulin sensitivity were restored to approximately 50% of active season levels. Body temperature was unaffected by feeding. To determine the contribution of adipose to the metabolic effects observed after glucose feeding, we cultured bear adipocytes collected at the beginning and end of the feeding and performed metabolic flux analysis. We found a ∼33% increase in energy metabolism after feeding. Moreover, basal metabolism before feeding was 40% lower in hibernation cells compared with fed cells or active cells cultured at 37°C, thereby confirming the temperature independence of metabolic rate. The partial depression of circulating FFAs with feeding likely explains the incomplete restoration of insulin sensitivity and other metabolic parameters in hibernating bears. Further depression of metabolic function is likely to be an active process. Together, the results provide a highly controlled model to examine the relationship between nutrient availability and metabolism on the hibernation phenotype in bears.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heiko T Jansen
- Dept. Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Brandon Evans Hutzenbiler
- Dept. Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Hannah R Hapner
- School of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Madeline L McPhee
- Dept. Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Anthony M Carnahan
- School of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Joanna L Kelley
- School of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Michael W Saxton
- School of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Charles T Robbins
- School of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA.,School of the Environment, College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
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Hozer C, Pifferi F, Aujard F, Perret M. The Biological Clock in Gray Mouse Lemur: Adaptive, Evolutionary and Aging Considerations in an Emerging Non-human Primate Model. Front Physiol 2019; 10:1033. [PMID: 31447706 PMCID: PMC6696974 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2019.01033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Accepted: 07/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Circadian rhythms, which measure time on a scale of 24 h, are genetically generated by the circadian clock, which plays a crucial role in the regulation of almost every physiological and metabolic process in most organisms. This review gathers all the available information about the circadian clock in a small Malagasy primate, the gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus), and reports 30 years data from the historical colony at Brunoy (France). Although the mouse lemur has long been seen as a "primitive" species, its clock displays high phenotypic plasticity, allowing perfect adaptation of its biological rhythms to environmental challenges (seasonality, food availability). The alterations of the circadian timing system in M. murinus during aging show many similarities with those in human aging. Comparisons are drawn with other mammalian species (more specifically, with rodents, other non-human primates and humans) to demonstrate that the gray mouse lemur is a good complementary and alternative model for studying the circadian clock and, more broadly, brain aging and pathologies.
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Andrews MT. Molecular interactions underpinning the phenotype of hibernation in mammals. J Exp Biol 2019; 222:222/2/jeb160606. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.160606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Mammals maintain a constant warm body temperature, facilitating a wide variety of metabolic reactions. Mammals that hibernate have the ability to slow their metabolism, which in turn reduces their body temperature and leads to a state of hypothermic torpor. For this metabolic rate reduction to occur on a whole-body scale, molecular interactions that change the physiology of cells, tissues and organs are required, resulting in a major departure from normal mammalian homeostasis. The aim of this Review is to cover recent advances in the molecular biology of mammalian hibernation, including the role of small molecules, seasonal changes in gene expression, cold-inducible RNA-binding proteins, the somatosensory system and emerging information on hibernating primates. To underscore the importance of differential gene expression across the hibernation cycle, mRNA levels for 14,261 ground squirrel genes during periods of activity and torpor are made available for several tissues via an interactive transcriptome browser. This Review also addresses recent findings on molecular interactions responsible for multi-day survival of near-freezing body temperatures, single-digit heart rates and a slowed metabolism that greatly reduces oxygen consumption. A better understanding of how natural hibernators survive these physiological extremes is beginning to lead to innovations in human medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew T. Andrews
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
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Eto T, Sakamoto SH, Okubo Y, Tsuzuki Y, Koshimoto C, Morita T. Individual variation of daily torpor and body mass change during winter in the large Japanese field mouse (Apodemus speciosus). J Comp Physiol B 2018; 188:1005-1014. [PMID: 30194463 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-018-1179-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2017] [Revised: 08/12/2018] [Accepted: 09/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Daily torpor is a strategy used by some overwintering small endotherms to aid in energy conservation. However, the pattern of torpor varies among individuals within species and populations, even under the same environmental conditions, with significant implications for survival rate and reproductive success. Body mass is one factor that may influence this variation, especially in some small mammals that accumulate fat stores prior to overwintering. However, to our knowledge there has been no previous study examining the detailed relationships between torpor expression and body mass change in small mammals that hoard food as an energy resource during winter. The large Japanese field mouse, Apodemus speciosus, whose winter survival strategy depends on food caches instead of fat stores, displays daily torpor under artificial winter conditions (short-day photoperiod and cold). The present study clarifies the characteristics and patterns of daily torpor and body mass change in this species in the laboratory. Although expression of daily torpor was facilitated progressively as in other species, the observed patterns of torpor expression and body mass change showed considerable individual variation. Moreover, there was no obvious correlation between body mass and daily torpor expression. Therefore, it is suggested that in A. speciosus body mass may not contribute to individual variation of daily torpor during winter. Daily torpor during winter may be adjusted by not only mechanisms common to other small mammals, but also species-specific factors relating to the external or internal reserves of energy in small mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takeshi Eto
- Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Agriculture and Engineering, Kibana Campus, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, 889-2192, Japan.,Center for Toki and Ecological Restoration, Niigata University, Niigata, 952-0103, Japan
| | - Shinsuke H Sakamoto
- Faculty of Agriculture, Kibana Campus, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, 889-2192, Japan
| | - Yoshinobu Okubo
- Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Agriculture and Engineering, Kibana Campus, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, 889-2192, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Tsuzuki
- Faculty of Agriculture, Kibana Campus, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, 889-2192, Japan
| | - Chihiro Koshimoto
- Division of Bio-Resources, Frontier Science Research Center, Kiyotake Campus, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, 889-1692, Japan
| | - Tetsuo Morita
- Faculty of Agriculture, Kibana Campus, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, 889-2192, Japan. .,Division of Bio-Resources, Frontier Science Research Center, Kiyotake Campus, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, 889-1692, Japan.
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Yuan L, Wilder S, Raubenheimer D, Simpson SJ, Shaw M, McAllan BM. Dietary protein supplementation and its consequences for intake, digestion, and physical activity of a carnivorous marsupial, Sminthopsis crassicaudata. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:3636-3647. [PMID: 29686845 PMCID: PMC5901163 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2017] [Revised: 12/14/2017] [Accepted: 12/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Diet regulation behavior can mediate the consequences of imbalanced diets for animal well-being, particularly for captive species that have little dietary choice. Dasyurids (carnivorous marsupials) are of conservation concern in Australia, and many species are in captive breeding programmes. However, their nutrient targets and dietary regulation behaviors are poorly understood, a limitation that may decrease the breeding success and well-being of captive animals. We tested how dietary protein content influenced the intake and utilization of nutrients, physical activity, and body mass of fat-tailed dunnarts Sminthopsis crassicaudata. Twelve adult dunnarts from six sibling pairs (one female and one male per pair) were provided ad libitum access to three diets in a repeated measures design: cat food, cat food supplemented with raw lean beef (1:1), and cat food supplemented with cooked lean beef (1:1). Food intake, activity level, and fecal output were measured daily. Dunnarts significantly decreased food intake, increased protein digestion, and physical activity, but body mass was unchanged when on the high-protein diet compared to the normal cat food diet. These observations suggest a capacity of dunnarts to maintain constant body mass using a dynamic balance of feeding, digestion, and activity. We also found a significant effect of family, with differences between families as large as the difference between the diet treatments, suggesting a genetic component to diet selection. The nutrient regulation responses of dunnarts to high-protein diets and the strong family effects provide important messages for the management of populations of small carnivores, including the aspects of dietary manipulation and conservation of genetic diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lihong Yuan
- School of Public Health Sun Yat-Sen University Guangzhou Guangdong Province China.,School of Medical Sciences University of Sydney Sydney NSW Australia.,Present address: School of Public Health Sun Yat-Sen University Guangzhou Guangdong Province China
| | - Shawn Wilder
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences and Charles Perkins Centre University of Sydney Sydney NSW Australia.,Department of Integrative Biology Oklahoma State University Stillwater OK USA
| | - David Raubenheimer
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences and Charles Perkins Centre University of Sydney Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Stephen J Simpson
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences and Charles Perkins Centre University of Sydney Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Michelle Shaw
- Department of Animal Nutrition Taronga Conservation Society Mosman NSW 2088 Australia
| | - Bronwyn M McAllan
- School of Medical Sciences University of Sydney Sydney NSW Australia
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Faherty SL, Villanueva‐Cañas JL, Blanco MB, Albà MM, Yoder AD. Transcriptomics in the wild: Hibernation physiology in free‐ranging dwarf lemurs. Mol Ecol 2018; 27:709-722. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.14483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2017] [Revised: 12/13/2017] [Accepted: 12/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - José Luis Villanueva‐Cañas
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC‐Universitat Pompeu Fabra) Barcelona Spain
- Evolutionary Genomics Group Research Programme on Biomedical Informatics (GRIB) Hospital del Mar Research Institute (IMIM) Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) Barcelona Spain
| | | | - M. Mar Albà
- Evolutionary Genomics Group Research Programme on Biomedical Informatics (GRIB) Hospital del Mar Research Institute (IMIM) Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) Barcelona Spain
- Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA) Barcelona Spain
| | - Anne D. Yoder
- Department of Biology Duke University Durham NC USA
- Duke Lemur Center Durham NC USA
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