1
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Lim MYT, Bernier NJ. Intergenerational plasticity to cycling high temperature and hypoxia affects offspring stress responsiveness and tolerance in zebrafish. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:jeb245583. [PMID: 37497728 PMCID: PMC10482009 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
Predicted climate change-induced increases in heat waves and hypoxic events will have profound effects on fishes, yet the capacity of parents to alter offspring phenotype via non-genetic inheritance and buffer against these combined stressors is not clear. This study tested how prolonged adult zebrafish exposure to combined diel cycles of thermal stress and hypoxia affect offspring early survival and development, parental investment of cortisol and heat shock proteins (HSPs), larval offspring stress responses, and both parental and offspring heat and hypoxia tolerance. Parental exposure to the combined stressor did not affect fecundity, but increased mortality, produced smaller embryos and delayed hatching. The combined treatment also reduced maternal deposition of cortisol and increased embryo hsf1, hsp70a, HSP70, hsp90aa and HSP90 levels. In larvae, basal cortisol levels did not differ between treatments, but acute exposure to combined heat stress and hypoxia increased cortisol levels in control larvae with no effect on larvae from exposed parents. In contrast, whereas larval basal hsf1, hsp70a and hsp90aa levels differed between parental treatments, the combined acute stressor elicited similar transcriptional responses across treatments. Moreover, the combined acute stressor only induced a marked increase in HSP47 levels in the larvae derived from exposed parents. Finally, combined hypoxia and elevated temperatures increased both thermal and hypoxia tolerance in adults and conferred an increase in offspring thermal but not hypoxia tolerance. These results demonstrate that intergenerational acclimation to combined thermal stress and hypoxia elicit complex carryover effects on stress responsiveness and offspring tolerance with potential consequences for resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Y.-T. Lim
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Nicholas J. Bernier
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
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2
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Magierecka A, Cooper B, Sloman KA, Metcalfe NB. Unpredictability of maternal environment shapes offspring behaviour without affecting stress-induced cortisol in an annual vertebrate. Horm Behav 2023; 154:105396. [PMID: 37399780 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Revised: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
Exposure of females to stressful conditions during pregnancy or oogenesis has a profound effect on the phenotype of their offspring. For example, offspring behavioural phenotype may show altered patterns in terms of the consistency of behavioural patterns and their average level of performance. Maternal stress can also affect the development of the stress axis in offspring leading to alterations in their physiological stress response. However, the majority of evidence comes from studies utilising acute stressors or exogenous glucocorticoids, and little is known about the effect of chronic maternal stress, particularly in the context of stress lasting throughout entire reproductive lifespan. To bridge this knowledge gap, we exposed female sticklebacks to stressful and unpredictable environmental conditions throughout the breeding season. We quantified the activity, sheltering and anxiety-like behaviour of offspring from three successive clutches of these females, and calculated Intra-class Correlation Coefficients for these behaviours in siblings and half-siblings. We also exposed offspring to an acute stressor and measured their peak cortisol levels. An unpredictable maternal environment had no modifying effect on inter-clutch acute stress responsivity, but resulted in diversification of offspring behaviour, indicated by an increased between-individual variability within families. This may represent a bet-hedging strategy, whereby females produce offspring differing in behavioural phenotype, to increase the chance that some of these offspring will be better at coping with the anticipated conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka Magierecka
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, UK.
| | - Ben Cooper
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, UK
| | - Katherine A Sloman
- Institute for Biomedical and Environmental Health Research, University of the West of Scotland, Lanarkshire, UK
| | - Neil B Metcalfe
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, UK
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3
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Dantzer B. Frank Beach Award Winner: The centrality of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in dealing with environmental change across temporal scales. Horm Behav 2023; 150:105311. [PMID: 36707334 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2022] [Revised: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Understanding if and how individuals and populations cope with environmental change is an enduring question in evolutionary ecology that has renewed importance given the pace of change in the Anthropocene. Two evolutionary strategies of coping with environmental change may be particularly important in rapidly changing environments: adaptive phenotypic plasticity and/or bet hedging. Adaptive plasticity could enable individuals to match their phenotypes to the expected environment if there is an accurate cue predicting the selective environment. Diversifying bet hedging involves the production of seemingly random phenotypes in an unpredictable environment, some of which may be adaptive. Here, I review the central role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and glucocorticoids (GCs) in enabling vertebrates to cope with environmental change through adaptive plasticity and bet hedging. I first describe how the HPA axis mediates three types of adaptive plasticity to cope with environmental change (evasion, tolerance, recovery) over short timescales (e.g., 1-3 generations) before discussing how the implications of GCs on phenotype integration may depend upon the timescale under consideration. GCs can promote adaptive phenotypic integration, but their effects on phenotypic co-variation could also limit the dimensions of phenotypic space explored by animals over longer timescales. Finally, I discuss how organismal responses to environmental stressors can act as a bet hedging mechanism and therefore enhance evolvability by increasing genetic or phenotypic variability or reducing patterns of genetic and phenotypic co-variance. Together, this emphasizes the crucial role of the HPA axis in understanding fundamental questions in evolutionary ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, MI 48109 Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, MI 48109, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
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4
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Hare AJ, Zimmer AM, LePabic R, Morgan AL, Gilmour KM. Early-life stress influences ion balance in developing zebrafish (Danio rerio). J Comp Physiol B 2020; 191:69-84. [PMID: 33064210 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-020-01319-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2020] [Revised: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
As a key endocrine axis involved in responding to stress, the hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal axis plays dual roles in mobilizing energy and maintaining ionic/osmotic balance in fishes. Although these roles have been examined independently in detail in adult fishes, less attention has been paid to the effects of an endogenous stress response during early life, particularly with respect to its potential effects on ionic/osmotic balance. The present study tested the hypothesis that exposure of zebrafish to stress during early development would alter ion balance later in life. Zebrafish at three developmental stages (4, 7, or 15 days post-fertilization, dpf) were subjected to an air-exposure stressor twice a day for 2 days, causing elevation of whole-body cortisol levels. Individuals stressed early in life exhibited decreased survival and growth, altered cortisol responses to a subsequent air-exposure stressor, and increased whole-body Na+ and Ca2+ concentrations. Changes in whole-body Ca2+ concentrations were accompanied by increased ionocyte abundance at 7 dpf and increased rates of Ca2+ uptake from the environment. Differences in whole-body ion concentrations at 15 and 35 dpf were not accompanied by altered ion uptake rates. Across all ages examined, air-exposure stress experienced at 7 dpf was particularly effective at eliciting phenotypic changes, suggesting a critical window at this age for a stress response to influence development. These findings demonstrate that early-life stress in zebrafish triggers developmental plasticity, with age-dependent effects on both the cortisol stress axis and ion balance.
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Affiliation(s)
- A J Hare
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Rd E, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada.
| | - A M Zimmer
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - R LePabic
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - A L Morgan
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - K M Gilmour
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
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5
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Birnie-Gauvin K, Lennox RJ, Guglielmo CG, Teffer AK, Crossin GT, Norris DR, Aarestrup K, Cooke SJ. The Value of Experimental Approaches in Migration Biology. Physiol Biochem Zool 2020; 93:210-226. [DOI: 10.1086/708455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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6
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Wassink L, Huerta B, Li W, Scribner K. Interaction of egg cortisol and offspring experience influences stress-related behaviour and physiology in lake sturgeon. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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7
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Banet AI, Healy SJ, Eliason EJ, Roualdes EA, Patterson DA, Hinch SG. Simulated maternal stress reduces offspring aerobic swimming performance in Pacific salmon. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2019; 7:coz095. [PMID: 31867107 PMCID: PMC6919300 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coz095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2019] [Revised: 10/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/21/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Pacific salmon routinely encounter stressors during their upriver spawning migration, which have the potential to influence offspring through hormonally-mediated maternal effects. To disentangle genetic vs. hormonal effects on offspring swimming performance, we collected gametes from three species of Pacific salmon (Chinook, pink and sockeye) at the end of migration and exposed a subset of eggs from each female to cortisol baths to simulate high levels of maternal stress. Fertilised eggs were reared to fry and put through a series of aerobic swim trials. Results show that exposure to cortisol early in development reduces maximum oxygen consumption while swimming, and decreases aerobic scope in all three species. Resting oxygen consumption did not differ between cortisol and control treatment groups. We also examined several metrics that could influence aerobic performance, and found no differences between treatment groups in haematocrit%, haemoglobin concentration, heart mass, citrate synthase activity or lactate dehydrogenase activity. Though it was not the focus of this study, an interesting discovery was that pink salmon had a higher MO2max and aerobic scope relative to the other species, which was supported by a greater haematocrit, haemoglobin, a larger heart and higher CS activity. Some management and conservation practices for Pacific salmon focus efforts primarily on facilitating adult spawning. However, if deleterious effects of maternal stress acquired prior to spawning persist into the next generation, consideration will need to be given to sub-lethal effects that could be imparted onto offspring from maternal stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda I Banet
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Chico, 400 W. First Street, Chico, CA 95929, USA
- Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Laboratory, Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Stephen J Healy
- Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Laboratory, Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Erika J Eliason
- Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Laboratory, Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Edward A Roualdes
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, California State University, Chico, 400 W. First Street, Chico, CA 95929, USA
| | - David A Patterson
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Science Branch, Pacific Region, Co-operative Resource Management Institute, School of Resource Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Scott G Hinch
- Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Laboratory, Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
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8
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Wassink L, Bussy U, Li W, Scribner K. High-stress rearing temperature in Acipenser fulvescens affects physiology, behaviour and predation rates. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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9
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Colson V, Cousture M, Damasceno D, Valotaire C, Nguyen T, Le Cam A, Bobe J. Maternal temperature exposure impairs emotional and cognitive responses and triggers dysregulation of neurodevelopment genes in fish. PeerJ 2019; 7:e6338. [PMID: 30723624 PMCID: PMC6360074 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.6338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2018] [Accepted: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Fish are sensitive to temperature, but the intergenerational consequences of maternal exposure to high temperature on offspring behavioural plasticity and underlying mechanisms are unknown. Here we show that a thermal maternal stress induces impaired emotional and cognitive responses in offspring rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Thermal stress in mothers triggered the inhibition of locomotor fear-related responses upon exposure to a novel environment and decreased spatial learning abilities in progeny. Impaired behavioural phenotypes were associated with the dysregulation of several genes known to play major roles in neurodevelopment, including auts2 (autism susceptibility candidate 2), a key gene for neurodevelopment, more specifically neuronal migration and neurite extension, and critical for the acquisition of neurocognitive function. In addition, our analysis revealed the dysregulation of another neurodevelopment gene (dpysl5) as well as genes associated with human cognitive disorders (arv1, plp2). We observed major differences in maternal mRNA abundance in the eggs following maternal exposure to high temperature indicating that some of the observed intergenerational effects are mediated by maternally-inherited mRNAs accumulated in the egg. Together, our observations shed new light on the intergenerational determinism of fish behaviour and associated underlying mechanisms. They also stress the importance of maternal history on fish behavioural plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Violaine Colson
- Fish Physiology and Genomics, INRA LPGP UR1037, Rennes, France
| | | | | | | | - Thaovi Nguyen
- Fish Physiology and Genomics, INRA LPGP UR1037, Rennes, France
| | - Aurélie Le Cam
- Fish Physiology and Genomics, INRA LPGP UR1037, Rennes, France
| | - Julien Bobe
- Fish Physiology and Genomics, INRA LPGP UR1037, Rennes, France
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10
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Faria AM, Lopes AF, Silva CSE, Novais SC, Lemos MFL, Gonçalves EJ. Reproductive trade-offs in a temperate reef fish under high pCO 2 levels. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2018; 137:8-15. [PMID: 29500051 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2018.02.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2018] [Revised: 02/23/2018] [Accepted: 02/23/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Fishes are currently facing novel types of anthropogenic stressors that have never experienced in their evolutionary history, such as ocean acidification. Under these stressful conditions, energetically costly processes, such as reproduction, may be sacrificed for increased chances of survival. This trade-off does not only affect the organism itself but may result in reduced offspring fitness. In the present study, the effects of exposure to high pCO2 levels were tested on the reproductive performance of a temperate species, the two-spotted goby, Gobiusculus flavescens. Breeding pairs were kept under control (∼600 μatm, pH∼ 8.05) and high pCO2 levels (∼2300 μatm, pH∼ 7.60) conditions for a 4-month period. Additionally, oxidative stress and energy metabolism-related biomarkers were measured. Results suggest that reproductive activity is stimulated under high pCO2 levels. Parental pairs in the simulated ocean acidification conditions exhibited increased reproductive output, with 50% more clutches and 44% more eggs per clutch than pairs under control conditions. However, there was an apparent trade-off between offspring number and size, as larvae of parental pairs under high pCO2 levels hatched significantly smaller, suggesting differences in parental provisioning, which could be related to the fact that these females produce more eggs. Moreover, results support the hypothesis of different energy allocation strategies used by females under high pCO2 conditions. These changes might, ultimately, affect individual fitness and population replenishment.
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Affiliation(s)
- A M Faria
- MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ISPA- Instituto Universitário, Portugal.
| | - A F Lopes
- MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ISPA- Instituto Universitário, Portugal
| | - C S E Silva
- MARE -Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ESTM, Instituto Politécnico de Leiria, Portugal
| | - S C Novais
- MARE -Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ESTM, Instituto Politécnico de Leiria, Portugal; Department of Ecological Science, Vrije University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - M F L Lemos
- MARE -Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ESTM, Instituto Politécnico de Leiria, Portugal
| | - E J Gonçalves
- MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ISPA- Instituto Universitário, Portugal
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11
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Poisson A, Valotaire C, Borel F, Bertin A, Darmaillacq AS, Dickel L, Colson V. Embryonic exposure to a conspecific alarm cue triggers behavioural plasticity in juvenile rainbow trout. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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12
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Effects of maternal cortisol treatment on offspring size, responses to stress, and anxiety-related behavior in wild largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Physiol Behav 2017; 180:15-24. [PMID: 28782525 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2017] [Revised: 08/02/2017] [Accepted: 08/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Cortisol, the main glucocorticoid stress hormone in teleost fish, is of interest as a mediator of maternal stress on offspring characteristics because it plays an organizational role during early development. The present study tested the hypothesis that maternal exposure to cortisol treatment prior to spawn affects offspring phenotype using wild largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Baseline and stress-induced cortisol concentrations, body size (i.e. length and mass), and behavior (i.e. anxiety, exploration, boldness, and aggression) were assessed at different offspring life-stages and compared between offspring of control and cortisol-treated females. Cortisol administration did not affect spawning success or timing, nor were whole-body cortisol concentrations different between embryos from cortisol-treated and control females. However, maternal cortisol treatment had significant effects on offspring stress responsiveness, mass, and behavior. Compared to offspring of control females, offspring of cortisol-treated females exhibited larger mass right after hatch, and young-of-the-year mounted an attenuated cortisol response to an acute stressor, and exhibited less thigmotaxic anxiety, exploratory behavior, boldness and aggression. Thus, offspring phenotype was affected by elevated maternal cortisol levels despite the absence of a significant increase in embryo cortisol concentrations, suggesting that a mechanism other than the direct deposition of cortisol into eggs mediates effects on offspring. The results of the present raise questions about the mechanisms through which maternal stress influences offspring behavior and physiology, as well as the impacts of such phenotypic changes on offspring fitness.
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13
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Sopinka NM, Jeffrey JD, Burnett NJ, Patterson DA, Gilmour KM, Hinch SG. Maternal programming of offspring hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal axis in wild sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2017; 242:30-37. [PMID: 26718080 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2015.12.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2015] [Revised: 11/30/2015] [Accepted: 12/19/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
In fishes, maternal exposure to a stressor can influence offspring size and behavior. However, less is known about how maternal stress influences physiological processes in offspring, such as function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal (HPI) axis. We examined the impact of chronic maternal exposure to an acute chase stressor on the stress response/HPI activity of progeny in wild sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka). Resting plasma cortisol and brain preoptic area (POA) corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) mRNA levels did not vary between offspring reared from undisturbed, control females and offspring reared from females exposed to the stressor. However, resting levels of POA glucocorticoid receptors (GR1 and GR2), and head kidney melanocortin 2 receptor (MC2R), steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), and cytochrome P450 side chain cleavage enzyme (P450scc) were elevated in offspring reared from stressor-exposed females. Offspring reared from stressor-exposed females had lower plasma cortisol levels 1-h after an acute chase stressor compared to cortisol levels in offspring reared from control females. In offspring reared from chased females, mRNA levels of genes associated with cortisol biosynthesis were reduced in the head kidney post-chase. In offspring reared from control females, mRNA levels in the head kidney did not vary pre- to post-chase. Together, the results of the present study suggest maternal programming of progeny with respect to baseline and stressor-induced mediators of HPI axis activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- N M Sopinka
- Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Laboratory, Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
| | - J D Jeffrey
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - N J Burnett
- Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Laboratory, Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - D A Patterson
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Science Branch, Pacific Region, Cooperative Resource Management Institute, School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - K M Gilmour
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - S G Hinch
- Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Laboratory, Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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14
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Paitz RT, Bukhari SA, Bell AM. Stickleback embryos use ATP-binding cassette transporters as a buffer against exposure to maternally derived cortisol. Proc Biol Sci 2016; 283:20152838. [PMID: 26984623 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.2838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Offspring from females that experience stressful conditions during reproduction often exhibit altered phenotypes and many of these effects are thought to arise owing to increased exposure to maternal glucocorticoids. While embryos of placental vertebrates are known to regulate exposure to maternal glucocorticoids via placental steroid metabolism, much less is known about how and whether egg-laying vertebrates can control their steroid environment during embryonic development. We tested the hypothesis that threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) embryos can regulate exposure to maternal steroids via active efflux of maternal steroids from the egg. Embryos rapidly (within 72 h) cleared intact steroids, but blocking ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters inhibited cortisol clearance. Remarkably, this efflux of cortisol was sufficient to prevent a transcriptional response of embryos to exogenous cortisol. Taken together, these findings suggest that, much like their placental counterparts, developing fish embryos can actively regulate their exposure to maternal cortisol. These findings highlight the fact that even in egg-laying vertebrates, the realized exposure to maternal steroids is mediated by both maternal and embryonic processes and this has important implications for understanding how maternal stress influences offspring development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan T Paitz
- School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Campus Box 4120, Normal, IL 61790, USA
| | - Syed Abbas Bukhari
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA Illinois Informatics Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Alison M Bell
- School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
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15
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Sopinka NM, Capelle PM, Semeniuk CAD, Love OP. Glucocorticoids in Fish Eggs: Variation, Interactions with the Environment, and the Potential to Shape Offspring Fitness. Physiol Biochem Zool 2016; 90:15-33. [PMID: 28051944 DOI: 10.1086/689994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Wild and captive vertebrates face multiple stressors that all have the potential to induce chronic maternal stress (i.e., sustained, elevated plasma glucocorticoids), resulting in embryo exposure to elevated maternally derived glucocorticoids. In oviparous taxa such as fish, maternally derived glucocorticoids in eggs are known for their capacity to shape offspring phenotype. Using a variety of methodologies, scientists have quantified maternally derived levels of egg cortisol, the primary glucocorticoid in fishes, and examined the cascading effects of egg cortisol on progeny phenotype. Here we summarize and interpret the current state of knowledge on egg cortisol in fishes and the relationships linking maternal stress/state to egg cortisol and offspring phenotype/fitness. Considerable variation in levels of egg cortisol exists across species and among females within a species; this variation is hypothesized to be due to interspecific differences in reproductive life history and intraspecific differences in female condition. Outcomes of experimental studies manipulating egg cortisol vary both inter- and intraspecifically. Moreover, while exogenous elevation of egg cortisol (as a proxy for maternal stress) induces phenotypic changes commonly considered to be maladaptive (e.g., smaller offspring size), emerging work in other taxa suggests that there can be positive effects on fitness when the offspring's environment is taken into account. Investigations into (i) mechanisms by which egg cortisol elicits phenotypic change in offspring (e.g., epigenetics), (ii) maternal and offspring buffering capacity of cortisol, and (iii) factors driving natural variation in egg cortisol and how this variation affects offspring phenotype and fitness are all germane to discussions on egg glucocorticoids as signals of maternal stress.
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16
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Taylor JJ, Sopinka NM, Wilson SM, Hinch SG, Patterson DA, Cooke SJ, Willmore WG. Examining the relationships between egg cortisol and oxidative stress in developing wild sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka). Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2016; 200:87-93. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2016.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2015] [Revised: 06/03/2016] [Accepted: 06/08/2016] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
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17
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Chaby LE. Why are there lasting effects from exposure to stress during development? An analysis of current models of early stress. Physiol Behav 2016; 164:164-81. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.05.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2016] [Revised: 04/29/2016] [Accepted: 05/17/2016] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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18
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Jeffrey JD, Gilmour KM. Programming of the hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal axis by maternal social status in zebrafish (Danio rerio). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 219:1734-43. [PMID: 27045091 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.138826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2016] [Accepted: 03/17/2016] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
The present study examined the effects of maternal social status, with subordinate status being a chronic stressor, on development and activity of the stress axis in zebrafish embryos and larvae. Female zebrafish were confined in pairs for 48 h to establish dominant/subordinate hierarchies; their offspring were reared to 144 h post-fertilization (hpf) and sampled at five time points over development. No differences were detected in maternal cortisol contribution, which is thought to be an important programmer of offspring phenotype. However, once zebrafish offspring began to synthesize cortisol de novo (48 hpf), larvae of dominant females exhibited significantly lower baseline cortisol levels than offspring of subordinate females. These lower cortisol levels may reflect reduced hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal (HPI) axis activity, because corticotropin-releasing factor (crf) and cytochrome p450 side chain cleavage enzyme (p450scc) mRNA levels also were lower in larvae from dominant females. Moreover, baseline mRNA levels of HPI axis genes continued to be affected by maternal social status beyond 48 hpf. At 144 hpf, stress-induced cortisol levels were significantly lower in offspring of subordinate females. These results suggest programming of stress axis function in zebrafish offspring by maternal social status, emphasizing the importance of maternal environment and experience on offspring stress axis activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer D Jeffrey
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
| | - Kathleen M Gilmour
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
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Feiner ZS, Coulter DP, Guffey SC, Höök TO. Does overwinter temperature affect maternal body composition and egg traits in yellow perch Perca flavescens? JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2016; 88:1524-1543. [PMID: 26939992 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.12929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2015] [Accepted: 01/26/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Female yellow perch Perca flavescens exposed to three overwinter temperature regimes (4, 8 and 13° C) for 150 days spawned in markedly different proportions upon spring warming (37% of females in 4° C v. 64 and 91% in 8 and 13° C treatments, respectively), but exhibited no differences in fecundity, egg size or egg lipid content. Females held at 4° C also exhibited less within-clutch egg size variation than females held at 13° C. Moreover, eggs differed among temperature treatments in the overall proportions of 18 fatty acids, with the colder treatments resulting in potentially higher quality eggs containing more of the unsaturated fatty acids C16:1, C22:6-n3 and C18:2 cis. Female somatic condition also varied with temperature. Maternal somatic growth and protein content increased while lipid content decreased in 13° C compared to the colder treatments. There were, however, no differences among treatments in the fatty acid composition of maternal muscle. These results suggest that the temperatures experienced during winter may be less influential to P. flavescens egg size or number, which may exhibit relatively little plasticity in this species, but can alter both the number of females that spawn and the overall composition of eggs and maternal somatic tissues, which may have implications for future reproductive success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z S Feiner
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, 195 Marsteller St, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, U.S.A
| | - D P Coulter
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, 195 Marsteller St, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, U.S.A
| | - S C Guffey
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, 195 Marsteller St, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, U.S.A
| | - T O Höök
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, 195 Marsteller St, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, U.S.A
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Sopinka NM, Donaldson MR, O’Connor CM, Suski CD, Cooke SJ. Stress Indicators in Fish. FISH PHYSIOLOGY 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-802728-8.00011-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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Cortez Ghio S, Boudreau Leblanc A, Audet C, Aubin-Horth N. Effects of maternal stress and cortisol exposure at the egg stage on learning, boldness and neophobia in brook trout. BEHAVIOUR 2016. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-00003377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The environment experienced by females can have long-lasting effects on offspring phenotype. The objective of this study was to determine if maternal stress-induced behaviour reprogramming in offspring is found in brook char and to test whether cortisol is the main mediator, by separating the potential effects of cortisol from that of other potential maternal factors. We exposed female brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) to different parallel treatments during the oogenesis period: undisturbed as controls (1) fed cortisol through food (2) or physically stressed by handling once a week (3). Additionally, we exposed half of the control eggs to a cortisol suspension before fertilisation (4). Cortisol consumption and handling did not elevate either maternal plasma or egg cortisol, although egg cortisol level was significantly increased when eggs were bathed in the suspension. We measured spatial learning and memory, boldness and neophobia in 6 month-old offspring and found no effects of treatments on learning, memory or behaviour. Our results suggest that the relationship between maternal stress, circulating and egg cortisol levels, other maternal factors, and behavioural reprogramming is context and species-specific.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Cortez Ghio
- Département de Biologie and Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada G1V 0A6
| | - Antoine Boudreau Leblanc
- Département de Biologie and Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada G1V 0A6
| | - Céline Audet
- Institut des sciences de la mer de Rimouski, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, Québec, Canada G5L 2Z9
| | - Nadia Aubin-Horth
- Département de Biologie and Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada G1V 0A6
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Colson V, Valotaire C, Geffroy B, Kiilerich P. Egg Cortisol Exposure Enhances Fearfulness in Larvae and Juvenile Rainbow Trout. Ethology 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Violaine Colson
- INRA; UR1037; Fish Physiology and Genomics; F-35000 Rennes France
| | | | - Benjamin Geffroy
- INRA; UR1037; Fish Physiology and Genomics; F-35000 Rennes France
| | - Pia Kiilerich
- INRA; UR1037; Fish Physiology and Genomics; F-35000 Rennes France
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A review of the potential effects of suspended sediment on fishes: potential dredging-related physiological, behavioral, and transgenerational implications. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s10669-015-9557-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
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Sopinka NM, Hinch SG, Healy SJ, Harrison PM, Patterson DA. Egg cortisol treatment affects the behavioural response of coho salmon to a conspecific intruder and threat of predation. Anim Behav 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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