Energetic efficiency under stress underlies positive genetic correlations between longevity and other fitness traits in natural populations

Concentration- and Time-Dependent Dietary Exposure to Graphene Oxide and Silver Nanoparticles: Effects on Food Consumption and Assimilation, Digestive Enzyme Activities, and Body Mass in Acheta domesticus

The advancement of nanotechnology poses a real risk of insect exposure to nanoparticles (NPs) that can enter the digestive system through contaminated food or nanopesticides. This study examines whether the exposure of model insect species-Acheta domesticus-to increasing graphene oxide (GO) and silver nanoparticle (AgNP) concentrations (2, 20, and 200 ppm and 4, 40, and 400 ppm, respectively) could change its digestive functions: enzymes' activities, food consumption, and assimilation. We noticed more pronounced alterations following exposure to AgNPs than to GO. They included increased activity of α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and lipase but inhibited protease activity. Prolonged exposure to higher concentrations of AgNPs resulted in a significantly decreased food consumption and changed assimilation compared with the control in adult crickets. A increase in body weight was observed in the insects from the Ag4 group and a decrease in body weight or no effects were observed in crickets from the Ag40 and Ag400 groups (i.e., 4, 40, or 400 ppm of AgNPs, respectively), suggesting that even a moderate disturbance in nutrient and energy availability may affect the body weight of an organism and its overall condition. This study underscores the intricate interplay between NPs and digestive enzymes, emphasizing the need for further investigation to comprehend the underlying mechanisms and consequences of these interactions.

Response of juvenile Lophiosilurus alexandri to osmotic and thermic shock

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the physiological responses of juvenile Lophiosilurus alexandri submitted to osmotic and thermic shock. Thirty juveniles were used for each test, of which 10 were not subjected to stress and remained in normal conditions (fresh water at 28.0 °C). The others were submitted to stress shock (saline water of 10.0 g of salt/L or water cooled to 18.0 °C). Blood samples were taken at 0 h (no exposure to the stress factor) and 1 h and 24 h after the tests. At 24 h, the survivorship was 100% in both tests. In both the osmotic and thermic shock tests, cortisol and glucose levels were higher at 1 h but then decreased after 24 h. Lactate dehydrogenase showed differences in the temperature test, but there was no difference between 1 and 24 h after exposure to osmotic shock (P > 0.05). The difference was recorded in blood gas variables (pH, PvCO₂, PvO₂, hemoglobin, sO₂, BE, tCO₂, HCO₃^-, and stHCO₃^-) and electrolytes (Na⁺, Ca⁺⁺, nCa⁺⁺, and K⁺) in both experiments. With regard to hematology and blood biochemistry, exposure to thermal shock did not affect (P > 0.05) ALP, total plasma protein, hematocrit, and ALT and AST at 1 h and 24 h. ALP and total protein in the blood of fish submitted to the osmotic shock were lowest (P < 0.05) at 24 h. Leukocyte and erythrocyte counts exhibited differences after osmotic shock, in contrast to erythrocyte counts of the temperature test, which did not change in 24 h (P > 0.05). Juveniles of L. alexandri were able to reestablish the main indicators of stress (cortisol, glucose), while the others (hematological, biochemical, and gasometric) varied in compensation for normal physiological reestablishment.

Energetic costs and biochemical biomarkers associated with esfenvalerate exposure in Sericostoma vittatum

Pyrethroid insecticides have been used for decades and their worldwide market continues to increase, despite their high toxicity to non-target insects. Recent studies reveal that it is essential to investigate the secondary mechanisms of action of type II pyrethroids to understand their cellular effects on invertebrates. The aim of this study was to evaluate the lethality, behaviour and physiological alterations and energetic costs in caddisfly larvae exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of esfenvalerate (ESF). ESF caused both mortality and feeding inhibition of exposed caddisfly larvae: nominal ESF 96 h LC₅₀ was 2.29 μg/L; feeding activity was impaired at concentrations equal or above 0.25 μg/L. At the cellular level, glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activity was increased on caddisfly larvae exposed to 0.25 and 0.5 μg/L ESF, which might contribute to prevent oxidative damage since levels of lipid peroxidation (LPO) were not altered. The energy budget of exposed caddisfly larvae was impaired by exposure to 0.25 μg/L ESF since sugar and protein contents decreased, while a decline of energy consumption was observed. The analysis of feeding, energy reserves and consumption data through structural equation modelling (SEM) allowed to quantify the direct and indirect effects of ESF exposure on bioenergetics of caddisfly larvae. SEM analysis showed a strong negative direct influence of ESF onto feeding activity, sugars content and energy consumption, highlighting a significant positive relationship between sugars and protein contents. These results show that energy expenditure is related to oxidative defense mechanisms induced by ESF stress that may lead to deleterious effects on growth and development.

In silico metabolic network analysis of Arabidopsis leaves

Background

During the last decades, we face an increasing interest in superior plants to supply growing demands for human and animal nutrition and for the developing bio-based economy. Presently, our limited understanding of their metabolism and its regulation hampers the targeted development of desired plant phenotypes. In this regard, systems biology, in particular the integration of metabolic and regulatory networks, is promising to broaden our knowledge and to further explore the biotechnological potential of plants.

Results

The thale cress Arabidopsis thaliana provides an ideal model to understand plant primary metabolism. To obtain insight into its functional properties, we constructed a large-scale metabolic network of the leaf of A. thaliana. It represented 511 reactions with spatial separation into compartments. Systematic analysis of this network, utilizing elementary flux modes, investigates metabolic capabilities of the plant and predicts relevant properties on the systems level: optimum pathway use for maximum growth and flux re-arrangement in response to environmental perturbation. Our computational model indicates that the A. thaliana leaf operates near its theoretical optimum flux state in the light, however, only in a narrow range of photon usage. The simulations further demonstrate that the natural day-night shift requires substantial re-arrangement of pathway flux between compartments: 89 reactions, involving redox and energy metabolism, substantially change the extent of flux, whereas 19 reactions even invert flux direction. The optimum set of anabolic pathways differs between day and night and is partly shifted between compartments. The integration with experimental transcriptome data pinpoints selected transcriptional changes that mediate the diurnal adaptation of the plant and superimpose the flux response.

Conclusions

The successful application of predictive modelling in Arabidopsis thaliana can bring systems-biological interpretation of plant systems forward. Using the gained knowledge, metabolic engineering strategies to engage plants as biotechnological factories can be developed.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12918-016-0347-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Reduction in the cumulative effect of stress-induced inbreeding depression due to intragenerational purging in Drosophila melanogaster

Environmental stress generally exacerbates the harmful effects of inbreeding and it has been proposed that this could be exploited in purging deleterious alleles from threatened inbred populations. However, understanding what factors contribute to variability in the strength of inbreeding depression (ID) observed across adverse environmental conditions remains a challenge. Here, we examined how the nature and timing of stress affects ID and the potential for purging using inbred and outbred Drosophila melanogaster larvae exposed to biotic (larval competition, bacteria infection) and abiotic (ethanol, heat) stressors compared with unstressed controls. ID was measured during (larval survival) and after (male mating success) stress exposure. The level of stress imposed by each stressor was approximately equal, averaging a 42% reduction in outbred larval survival relative to controls. All stressors induced on average the same ID, causing a threefold increase in lethal equivalents for larval survival relative to controls. However, stress-induced ID in larval success was followed by a 30% reduction in ID in mating success of surviving males. We propose that this fitness recovery is due to 'intragenerational purging' whereby fitness correlations facilitate stress-induced purging that increases the average fitness of survivors in later life history stages. For biotic stressors, post-stress reductions in ID are consistent with intragenerational purging, whereas for abiotic stressors, there appeared to be an interaction between purging and stress-induced physiological damage. For all stressors, there was no net effect of stress on lifetime ID compared with unstressed controls, undermining the prediction that stress enhances the effectiveness of population-level purging across generations.

Loss of the RNA polymerase III repressor MAF1 confers obesity resistance

MAF1 is a global repressor of RNA polymerase III transcription that regulates the expression of highly abundant noncoding RNAs in response to nutrient availability and cellular stress. Thus, MAF1 function is thought to be important for metabolic economy. Here we show that a whole-body knockout of Maf1 in mice confers resistance to diet-induced obesity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease by reducing food intake and increasing metabolic inefficiency. Energy expenditure in Maf1(-/-) mice is increased by several mechanisms. Precursor tRNA synthesis was increased in multiple tissues without significant effects on mature tRNA levels, implying increased turnover in a futile tRNA cycle. Elevated futile cycling of hepatic lipids was also observed. Metabolite profiling of the liver and skeletal muscle revealed elevated levels of many amino acids and spermidine, which links the induction of autophagy in Maf1(-/-) mice with their extended life span. The increase in spermidine was accompanied by reduced levels of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase, which promotes polyamine synthesis, enables nicotinamide salvage to regenerate NAD(+), and is associated with obesity resistance. Consistent with this, NAD(+) levels were increased in muscle. The importance of MAF1 for metabolic economy reveals the potential for MAF1 modulators to protect against obesity and its harmful consequences.

Association between SNP heterozygosity and quantitative traits in the Framingham Heart Study

Associations between multilocus heterozygosity and fitness traits, also termed heterozygosity and fitness correlations (HFCs), have been reported in numerous organisms. These studies, in general, indicate a positive relationship between heterozygosity and fitness traits. We studied the association between genome-wide heterozygosity at 706 non-synonymous and synonymous SNPs and 19 quantitative traits, including morphological, biochemical and fitness traits in the Framingham Heart Study. Statistically significant association was found between heterozygosity and systolic and diastolic blood pressures as well as left ventricular diameter and wall thickness. These results suggest that heterozygosity may be associated with traits, such as blood pressure that closely track environmental variations. Balancing selection may be operating in the maintenance of heterozygosity and the major components of blood pressure and hypertension. Genome wide SNP heterozygosity may be used to understand the phenomenon of dominance as well as the evolutionary basis of many quantitative traits in humans.

Antagonistic pleiotropy and the stress theory of aging

The ecological stress theory of aging incorporates the normally harsh environments of natural populations and hence restricted resources. Especially towards lethal extremes, positive associations are expected among fitness traits underlain by selection for energetic efficiency favoring genotypes for stress resistance. Positive pleiotropy is therefore expected for fitness traits across varying ages under these conditions. Furthermore, hormetic zones are regions of maximum energetic efficiency, also implying positive pleiotropy. Negative pleiotropy may therefore be mainly a phenomenon of benign environments.

The ecological stress theory of aging and hormesis: an energetic evolutionary model

Free-living organisms normally struggle to exist in harsh environments that are nutritionally and energetically inadequate, where evolutionary adaptation is challenged by internal stresses within organisms and external stresses from the environment. The incorporation of environmental variables into aging theories such as the free-radical and metabolic rate/oxidative stress theories, is the basis of the ecological stress theory of aging and hormesis. Environmental variation from optimum to lethal extremes gives a fitness-stress continuum, where energetic efficiency, or fitness, is inversely related to stress level; in the evolutionary context survival is a more direct measure of fitness for assessing aging than is lifespan. On this continuum, the hormetic zone is in the optimum region, while aging emphasizes survival towards lethal extremes. At the limits of survival, a convergence of physiological and genetical processes is expected under accumulating stress from Reactive Oxygen Species, ROS. Limited ecologically-oriented studies imply that major genes are important towards limits of survival compared with the hormetic zone. Future investigations could usefully explore outlier populations physiologically and genetically, since there is the likelihood that genetic variability may be lower in those cohorts managing to survive to extremely advanced ages as found in highly stressed ecological outlier populations. If so, an evolutionary explanation of the mortality-rate decline typical of cohorts of the extremely old emerges. In summary, an energetic evolutionary approach produces a general aging theory which automatically incorporates hormesis, since the theory is based on a fitness-stress continuum covering the whole range of possible abiotic environments of natural populations.

Survival and longevity improvements at extreme ages: an interpretation assuming an ecological stress theory of aging

The primary determinant of survival during aging is the energetic efficiency and metabolic stability required to counter the accumulated internal and external stresses of a lifetime. Hence, genetically stress-resistant individuals should accumulate with age; frailer, less robust, less energetically efficient and less metabolically stable individuals should succumb in parallel. This selection process implies the accumulation of energetically efficient stress-resistant individuals with age to the exclusion of all others. High additive genetic variability for survival is expected under extreme circumstances, however there is limited evidence close to the absolute extremes of life that diversity may fall. At this stage, only a few highly adaptive, oxidative-stress-resistant and presumably somewhat homozygous genotypes should remain. Therefore a fall in variability may occur in these outliers, when frailer individuals are unable to cope and are eliminated at extreme ages. This process could provide an explanation of mortality-rate declines in domesticated (laboratory) and free-living populations of the extremely old. That is, mortality-rate declines may be an expectation from a process of genetic sorting resulting from the accumulated responses to environmental stress over time. Application of an ecological stress theory of aging, which combines the external stresses to which organisms are exposed with internal stresses, appears to be the prerequisite for this conclusion.

Do Energetic Costs Underlie Variability and Evolutionary Potential Across Variably Stressful Environments?

Stress can be viewed as an environmental probe that targets energy carriers, and hence can determine the energetic efficiency or fitness to survive. Thus, variability and evolutionary potential are interpreted in terms of the ecological scenario of predominantly stressful environments in the wild that restrict energy availability. This can explain how the observed variability of direct fitness traits is high at extremes of abiotic stresses, giving U-shaped curves for variability that incorporate more benign regions between the extremes. Some consistency with interpretations based upon conventional quantitative genetic techniques occurs, incorporating this ecological/energetic approach. However, investigations into the quantification of stress levels are required for more comprehensive assessments. Even so, evolutionary potential can in principle be investigated in terms of energetic consequences of the functional biology of organisms in their challenging habitats. This approach appears predictive for variability patterns of direct fitness traits as well as for developmentally more complex morphometric traits and for relationships among fitness traits in natural populations. That is, energetic costs are basic in determining evolutionary potential across variably stressful environments.