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Iglesias Pastrana C, Navas González FJ, Delgado Bermejo JV, Ciani E. Lunar Cycle, Climate, and Onset of Parturition in Domestic Dromedary Camels: Implications of Species-Specific Metabolic Economy and Social Ecology. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:biology12040607. [PMID: 37106807 PMCID: PMC10136027 DOI: 10.3390/biology12040607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/16/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
Given energy costs for gestating and caring for male offspring are higher than those of female newborns, external environmental conditions might be regarded as likely to affect the timing of delivery processes differentially depending on the sex of the newborn calf to be delivered. The aim of the present paper is to evaluate the association between environmental stressors such as the moon phase and weather-related factors and the onset of labor in female dromedaries. A binary logistic regression model was developed to find the most parsimonious set of variables that are most effective in predicting the probability for a gravid female dromedary to give birth to a male or a female calf, assuming that higher gestational costs and longer labor times are ascribed to the production of a male offspring. Although the differences in the quantitative distribution of spontaneous onset of labor across lunar phases and the mean climate per onset event along the whole study period were deemed nonsignificant (p > 0.05), a non-negligible prediction effect of a new moon, mean wind speed and maximum wind gust was present. At slightly brighter nights and lower mean wind speeds, a calf is more likely to be male. This microevolutionary response to the external environment may have been driven by physiological and behavioral adaptation of metabolic economy and social ecology to give birth to cooperative groups with the best possible reduction of thermoregulatory demands. Model performance indexes then highlighted the heterothermic character of camels to greatly minimize the impact of the external environment. The overall results will also enrich the general knowledge of the interplay between homeostasis and arid and semi-arid environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Iglesias Pastrana
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, University of Córdoba, 14014 Córdoba, Spain
| | | | | | - Elena Ciani
- Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Environment, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro', 70125 Bari, Italy
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Xie CT, Tan ML, Li YW, Chen QL, Shen YJ, Liu ZH. Chronic exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of carbamazepine interferes with anxiety response of adult female zebrafish through GABA /5-HT pathway and HPI axis. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol 2023; 266:109574. [PMID: 36781090 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2023.109574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/13/2023]
Abstract
Carbamazepine (CBZ) is one of the widely distributed pharmaceutical residues in aquatic environments, yet few researches have addressed its chronic effect on the anxiety of fish, and the mechanisms possibly involved remained elusive. In this study, adult female zebrafish (Danio rerio) were exposed to environmental relevant concentrations of CBZ (CBZ-low, 10 μg/L; CBZ-high, 100 μg/L) for 28 days. After exposure, CBZ-high didn't affect the anxiety of fish. However, the onset time to the higher half of the tank was delayed and the total duration in the lower half of the tank was increased in CBZ-low fish, suggesting an increased anxiety. Further investigation indicated that CBZ-low significantly decreased the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) level in the brain, while increased the serotonin (5-HT) level in the brain and cortisol level in plasma. Accordingly, the mRNA levels of genes in GABA (gad2, abat, gabrb2, gabrg2, gria1a and slc12a2) pathway and HPI (crha, actha, pc1 and pc2) axis were also altered. Despite the upregulation of tph2 was consistent with increased 5-HT level in the brain, significantly downregulated htr1aa and htr1b may indicate attenuated 5-HT potency. Although CBZ-high significantly reduced GABA level in the brain and increased cortisol level in plasma, the effects were dramatically alleviated than that of CBZ-low. Consistently, the expression of genes in HPI (crha, actha, pc1 and pc2) axis and GABA (gad2 and abat) pathway were also altered by CBZ-high, probably due to inconspicuous anxiety response of CBZ-high. Briefly, our data suggested that low concentration of CBZ disrupted zebrafish anxiety by interfering with neurotransmission and endocrine system, thereby bringing about adverse ecological consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng-Ting Xie
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Animal Biology, College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing 401331, China
| | - Mei-Ling Tan
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Animal Biology, College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing 401331, China
| | - Ying-Wen Li
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Animal Biology, College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing 401331, China
| | - Qi-Liang Chen
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Animal Biology, College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing 401331, China
| | - Yan-Jun Shen
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Animal Biology, College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing 401331, China
| | - Zhi-Hao Liu
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Animal Biology, College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing 401331, China.
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Munley KM, Han Y, Lansing MX, Demas GE. Winter madness: Melatonin as a neuroendocrine regulator of seasonal aggression. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY. PART A, ECOLOGICAL AND INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 337:873-889. [PMID: 35451566 PMCID: PMC9587138 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Individuals of virtually all vertebrate species are exposed to annual fluctuations in the deterioration and renewal of their environments. As such, organisms have evolved to restrict energetically expensive processes and activities to a specific time of the year. Thus, the precise timing of physiology and behavior is critical for individual reproductive success and subsequent fitness. Although the majority of research on seasonality has focused on seasonal reproduction, pronounced fluctuations in other non-reproductive social behaviors, including agonistic behaviors (e.g., aggression), also occur. To date, most studies that have investigated the neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying seasonal aggression have focused on the role of photoperiod (i.e., day length); prior findings have demonstrated that some seasonally breeding species housed in short "winter-like" photoperiods display increased aggression compared with those housed in long "summer-like" photoperiods, despite inhibited reproduction and low gonadal steroid levels. While fewer studies have examined how the hormonal correlates of environmental cues regulate seasonal aggression, our previous work suggests that the pineal hormone melatonin acts to increase non-breeding aggression in Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus) by altering steroid hormone secretion. This review addresses the physiological and cellular mechanisms underlying seasonal plasticity in aggressive and non-aggressive social behaviors, including a key role for melatonin in facilitating a "neuroendocrine switch" to alternative physiological mechanisms of aggression across the annual cycle. Collectively, these studies highlight novel and important mechanisms by which melatonin regulates aggressive behavior in vertebrates and provide a more comprehensive understanding of the neuroendocrine bases of seasonal social behaviors broadly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen M. Munley
- Department of Biology and Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Yuqi Han
- Department of Biology and Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Matt X. Lansing
- Department of Biology and Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Gregory E. Demas
- Department of Biology and Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
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Bilu C, Kronfeld-Schor N, Zimmet P, Einat H. Sex differences in the response to circadian disruption in diurnal sand rats. Chronobiol Int 2021; 39:169-185. [PMID: 34711113 DOI: 10.1080/07420528.2021.1989448] [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] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Most animal model studies on physiological functions and pathologies are conducted in males. However, diseases such as depression, type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and cardiovascular disease, all show different prevalence and characteristics in females and males. Moreover, most mammal studies are conducted in nocturnal mice and rats, while modelling diurnal humans. We therefore used male and female fat sand rats (Psammomys obesus), which are diurnal in the wild, as an animal model for T2DM, to explore the effects of mild circadian disruption on behavior, glucose tolerance, cholesterol and heart weight. We found significant differences between the sexes: on average, in response to short photoperiods (SP) acclimation, males showed higher levels of depression-like behavior, lower glucose tolerance, and increased plasma cholesterol levels compared with females, with no effect on heart/body weight ratio. Females, however did show an increase in heart/body weight ratio in response to SP acclimation. We also found that regardless of sex, arrhythmic animals showed higher blood glucose levels, cholesterol levels, heart/body weight ratio, and depressive-like behavior compared with rhythmic animals. Hence, we suggest that the expression of the Circadian Syndrome could be different between males and females. Additional work with females is required to clearly delineate the specific effects in both sexes, and promote sex-based health care, prevention measures and therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmel Bilu
- School of Zoology, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Noga Kronfeld-Schor
- School of Zoology, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.,Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Paul Zimmet
- Department of Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Haim Einat
- School of Behavioral Sciences, Tel Aviv-Yaffo Academic College, Tel-Aviv, Israel
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Short photoperiod condition increases susceptibility to stress in adolescent male rats. Behav Brain Res 2015; 300:38-44. [PMID: 26655789 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2015] [Revised: 11/30/2015] [Accepted: 12/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The seasonality of depressive symptoms is prevalent in children and adolescents. However, the mechanisms that underlie such susceptibility to seasonal influences on mood disorders are unclear. We examined the effects of a short photoperiod condition on the susceptibility to subchronic unpredictable mild stress (SCUS) and rhythmic alterations of plasma corticosterone (CORT), melatonin, and neuropeptide Y (NPY) in adolescent male rats. Compared with the 12h/12h light/dark photoperiod control (CON) rats, the 8h/16h photoperiod SCUS rats exhibited significant anhedonia, a core symptom of human depression, together with a blunted diurnal rhythm and elevation of 24h CORT, melatonin, and NPY levels. The 8h/16h photoperiod condition also blunted the rhythmicity of CORT, caused a phase inversion of melatonin, and caused a phase delay of NPY compared with 12h/12h CON rats. Such abnormalities of plasma CORT, NPY, and melatonin might cause adolescent individuals to present higher stress reactivity and greater vulnerability to stress over their lifetimes. The present study provides evidence of the susceptibility to the seasonality of stress-related disorders in adolescence.
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Walton JC, Weil ZM, Nelson RJ. Influence of photoperiod on hormones, behavior, and immune function. Front Neuroendocrinol 2011; 32:303-19. [PMID: 21156187 PMCID: PMC3139743 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2010.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 119] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2010] [Revised: 11/30/2010] [Accepted: 12/03/2010] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Photoperiodism is the ability of plants and animals to measure environmental day length to ascertain time of year. Central to the evolution of photoperiodism in animals is the adaptive distribution of energetically challenging activities across the year to optimize reproductive fitness while balancing the energetic tradeoffs necessary for seasonally-appropriate survival strategies. The ability to accurately predict future events requires endogenous mechanisms to permit physiological anticipation of annual conditions. Day length provides a virtually noise free environmental signal to monitor and accurately predict time of the year. In mammals, melatonin provides the hormonal signal transducing day length. Duration of pineal melatonin is inversely related to day length and its secretion drives enduring changes in many physiological systems, including the HPA, HPG, and brain-gut axes, the autonomic nervous system, and the immune system. Thus, melatonin is the fulcrum mediating redistribution of energetic investment among physiological processes to maximize fitness and survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- James C Walton
- Department of Neuroscience, The Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
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Steinman MQ, Crean KK, Trainor BC. Photoperiod interacts with food restriction in performance in the Barnes maze in female California mice. Eur J Neurosci 2010; 33:361-70. [PMID: 21198981 DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2010.07528.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Food restriction has been reported to have positive effects on cognition. This study examines how another environmental factor, daylength, can alter the impact of food restriction on the brain and behavior. Female California mice (Peromyscus californicus), housed on either long days (16 h of light and 8 h of darkness) or short days (8 h of light and 16 h of darkness), were restricted to 80% of their normal baseline food intake or provided with food ad libitum. Testing in a Barnes maze revealed that the effects of food restriction depended on photoperiod, and that these effects differed for acquisition vs. reversal learning. During acquisition testing, food restriction increased latency to finding the target hole in short-day mice but not in long-day mice. In reversal testing, food restriction decreased latency to finding the target hole in long-day mice but not in short-day mice. Latency to finding the hole was positively and independently correlated with both errors and time spent freezing, suggesting that changes in both spatial learning and anxiety-like behavior contributed to performance. Short days increased hippocampal expression of the synaptic protein, synapsin I, which was reversed by food restriction. Short days also reduced plasma corticosterone levels, but diet had no effect. There was no effect of diet or photoperiod on hippocampal expression of the glial marker, glial fibrillary acidic protein. The present findings suggest that, in female California mice, the differential effects of food restriction on acquisition and reversal learning are photoperiod-dependent. These results justify further testing of the relationship between food restriction and hippocampal synapsin I in the context of spatial learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Q Steinman
- Department of Psychology, University of California, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
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Workman JL, Nelson RJ. Potential animal models of seasonal affective disorder. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2010; 35:669-79. [PMID: 20800614 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2010.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2010] [Revised: 08/13/2010] [Accepted: 08/19/2010] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is characterized by depressive episodes during winter that are alleviated during summer and by morning bright light treatment. Currently, there is no animal model of SAD. However, it may be possible to use rodents that respond to day length (photoperiod) to understand how photoperiod can shape the brain and behavior in humans. As nights lengthen in the autumn, the duration of the nightly elevation of melatonin increase; seasonally breeding animals use this information to orchestrate seasonal changes in physiology and behavior. SAD may originate from the extended duration of nightly melatonin secretion during fall and winter. These similarities between humans and rodents in melatonin secretion allows for comparisons with rodents that express more depressive-like responses when exposed to short day lengths. For instance, Siberian hamsters, fat sand rats, Nile grass rats, and Wistar rats display a depressive-like phenotype when exposed to short days. Current research in depression and animal models of depression suggests that hippocampal plasticity may underlie the symptoms of depression and depressive-like behaviors, respectively. It is also possible that day length induces structural changes in human brains. Many seasonally breeding rodents undergo changes in whole brain and hippocampal volume in short days. Based on strict validity criteria, there is no animal model of SAD, but rodents that respond to reduced day lengths may be useful to approximate the neurobiological phenomena that occur in people with SAD, leading to greater understanding of the etiology of the disorder as well as novel therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna L Workman
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43201, USA.
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Garcia NW, Greives TJ, Zysling DA, French SS, Chester EM, Demas GE. Exogenous insulin enhances humoural immune responses in short-day, but not long-day, Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus). Proc Biol Sci 2010; 277:2211-8. [PMID: 20236973 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2009.2230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Many animals experience marked seasonal fluctuations in environmental conditions. In response, animals display adaptive alterations in physiology and behaviour, including seasonal changes in immune function. During winter, animals must reallocate finite energy stores from relatively costly, less exigent systems (e.g. reproduction and immunity) to systems critical for immediate survival (e.g. thermoregulation). Seasonal changes in immunity are probably mediated by neuroendocrine factors signalling current energetic state. One potential hormonal candidate is insulin, a metabolic hormone released in response to elevated blood glucose levels. The aim of the present study was to explore the potential role of insulin in signalling energy status to the immune system in a seasonally breeding animal, the Siberian hamster (Phodopus sungorus). Specifically, exogenous insulin was administered to male hamsters housed in either long 'summer-like' or short 'winter-like' days. Animals were then challenged with an innocuous antigen and immune responses were measured. Insulin treatment significantly enhanced humoural immune responses in short, but not long days. In addition, insulin treatment increased food intake and decreased blood glucose levels across photoperiodic treatments. Collectively, these data support the hypothesis that insulin acts as an endocrine signal integrating seasonal energetic changes and immune responses in seasonally breeding rodents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas W Garcia
- Department of Biology, Program in Neuroscience and Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
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Panshikar S, Haldar C. Immune responses of Indian Jungle Bush Quail,P. asiatica, to different photoperiodic regimens during the reproductively inactive phase. BIOL RHYTHM RES 2009. [DOI: 10.1080/09291010701875328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Cheprakov MI. Differences in the reaction of collared lemmings Dicrostonyx torquatus to changes in the photoperiod. DOKLADY BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES : PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE USSR, BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES SECTIONS 2008; 421:269-270. [PMID: 18841812 DOI: 10.1134/s0012496608040145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- M I Cheprakov
- Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Division, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Vos'mogo Marta 202, Yekaterinburg, 620144 Russia
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