1
|
Jenni-Eiermann S, Jenni L, Olano Marin J, Homberger B. Seasonal changes in yolk hormone concentrations carry-over to offspring traits. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2020; 287:113346. [PMID: 31790656 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2019.113346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2019] [Revised: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Yolk hormones are substances which transmit non-genetic factors from the mother to the next generation. The systematic changes of yolk hormone concentrations within asynchronously hatching clutches have been interpreted as a means to adaptively shape the offspring's phenotype. However, in synchronously hatching clutches the role of yolk hormones is less understood. We investigated whether seasonal changes between eggs in the yolk hormones testosterone (Testo), progesterone (Prog) and corticosterone (Cort) also occur in the grey partridge, a synchronously hatching precocial species without direct food competition between siblings. Specifically we asked whether yolk hormone concentrations systematically vary with season and whether they affect the offspring's hatching mass, mass gain, circulating baseline and stress-induced Cort. Additionally, we investigated the effect of genetic background and food availability on yolk hormone concentrations by subjecting grey partridge hens of two strains (wild and domesticated) to two different feeding regimes (predictable vs. unpredictable feeding) during egg laying. We hypothesized that egg hormone concentrations change over the season, but breeding in captivity over many generations and ad libitum food access could have resulted in domestication effects which abolished potential seasonal effects. Results showed that progressing season had a strong positive effect on yolk Prog and yolk Testo, but not on yolk Cort. Feeding regimes and strain had no effect on yolk hormones. Offspring mass and mass gain increased and baseline Cort decreased with progressing season. In addition, yolk Testo correlated positively with offspring mass gain and negatively with baseline Cort, while yolk Prog had a positive correlation with baseline Cort. Strain and feeding regimes of the mother had no effect on offspring traits. In conclusion, grey partridge chicks hatching late in the season might benefit from the increased concentrations of the growth-stimulating yolk Testo and by this catch-up in development. Hence, yolk hormone concentration could adaptively shape the offspring phenotype in a precocial species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Lukas Jenni
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Seerose 1, 6204 Sempach, Switzerland
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Peixoto MRLV, Karrow NA, Widowski TM. Effects of prenatal stress and genetics on embryonic survival and offspring growth of laying hens. Poult Sci 2020; 99:1618-1627. [PMID: 32111329 PMCID: PMC7587848 DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2019.10.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Revised: 10/01/2019] [Accepted: 10/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Early-life exposure to stressors can shape the phenotype of the offspring resulting in changes that may affect their prehatch and posthatch development. This can be modeled indirectly through maternal exposure to stressors (natural model) or by offspring exposure to stress hormones (pharmacological model). In this study, both models were used to investigate the effects of genetic line on hatchability, late embryonic mortality, sex ratio, and body weight until 17 wk of age. To form the parent stock, fertilized eggs of 4 commercial genetic lines — two brown (brown 1 and 2), two white (white 1 and 2), and a pure line White Leghorn — were incubated, hatched, and housed identically in 4 flocks of 27 birds (24 females and 3 males) per strain. Each strain was equally separated into 2 groups: “maternal stress,” where hens were subjected to a series of acute psychological stressors (e.g., physical restraint, transportation) for 8 D before egg collection, and “control,” where hens received routine husbandry. At 3 maternal ages, fertile eggs from both treatments were collected, and additional eggs from the control group were injected with corticosterone (10 ng/mL egg content) (“CORT”). A “vehicle” treatment was included to account for effects of egg manipulation. Each maternal age comprised a replicate over time. Eggs were incubated and hatched, and the offspring (N = 1,919) were brooded until 17 wk under identical conditions. The results show that prenatal stress interacted with strain to decrease embryonic survival and growth. Among all strains, brown 2 was consistently the most affected line in both prehatch and posthatch development. Our study shows that embryonic survival and offspring growth are mostly affected by the pharmacological model and that strain differences may increase susceptibility to prenatal stress. Moreover, it suggests that the natural stressor model may be useful for quantifying the response of the mother to stressors, whereas the pharmacological model may be useful for quantifying the response of the embryo to increased levels of corticosterone.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Niel A Karrow
- Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1
| | - Tina M Widowski
- Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Hanover AM, Husak JF, Lovern M. Corticosterone in Lizard Egg Yolk Is Reduced by Maternal Diet Restriction but Unaltered by Maternal Exercise. Physiol Biochem Zool 2019; 92:573-578. [PMID: 31584858 DOI: 10.1086/705708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
When females face adverse environmental conditions, physiological changes, such as elevated corticosterone levels, to cope with the stressors may also impact their offspring. Such maternal effects are often considered adaptive and may "prime" the offspring for the same adverse environment, but maternal corticosterone levels do not always match that of the eggs produced. We examined how diet restriction and increased locomotor activity, via exercise training, affected steroid hormone levels of female green anole lizards, as well as the hormone levels in the yolk of their eggs. Diet restriction did not affect female hormone levels, but training increased corticosterone levels. Despite this, training did not affect yolk steroid levels, but eggs from females with diet restriction had lower corticosterone levels in yolk. This suggests that two common stressors, food shortage and increased locomotor activity, impact female physiology in a way that is not translated to her offspring.
Collapse
|
4
|
Will A, Wynne‐Edwards K, Zhou R, Kitaysky A. Of 11 candidate steroids, corticosterone concentration standardized for mass is the most reliable steroid biomarker of nutritional stress across different feather types. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:11930-11943. [PMID: 31695898 PMCID: PMC6822065 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2019] [Revised: 08/28/2019] [Accepted: 09/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Measuring corticosterone in feathers has become an informative tool in avian ecology, enabling researchers to investigate carry-over effects and responses to environmental variability. Few studies have, however, explored whether corticosterone is the only hormone expressed in feathers and is the most indicative of environmental stress. Essential questions remain as to how to compare hormone concentrations across different types of feathers and whether preening adds steroids, applied after feather growth.We used liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry to quantify a suite of 11 steroid hormones in back, breast, tail, and primary feathers naturally grown at overlapping time intervals by rhinoceros auklet Cerorhinca monocerata captive-reared fledglings and wild-caught juveniles. The captive-reared birds were raised on either a restricted or control diet. Measured steroids included intermediates in the adrenal steroidogenesis pathway to glucocorticoids and the sex steroids pathway to androgens and estrogens.Corticosterone was detected in the majority of feathers of each type. We also detected cortisone in back feathers, androstenedione in breast feathers, and testosterone in primary feathers. Captive fledglings raised on a restricted diet had higher concentrations of corticosterone in all four feather types than captive fledglings raised on a control diet. Corticosterone concentrations were reliably repeatable across feather types when standardized for feather mass, but not for feather length. Of the seven hormones looked for in uropygial gland secretions, only corticosterone was detected in one out of 23 samples.We conclude that corticosterone is the best feather-steroid biomarker for detection of developmental nutritional stress, as it was the only hormone to manifest a signal of nutritional stress, and that exposure to stress can be compared among different feather types when corticosterone concentrations are standardized by feather mass.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexis Will
- Institute of Arctic BiologyUniversity of Alaska FairbanksFairbanksAlaska
| | | | - Ruokun Zhou
- Veterinary Medicine & Hotchkiss Brain InstituteUniversity of CalgaryCalgaryAlberta
| | - Alexander Kitaysky
- Institute of Arctic BiologyUniversity of Alaska FairbanksFairbanksAlaska
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Carter AW, Bowden RM, Paitz RT. Evidence of embryonic regulation of maternally derived yolk corticosterone. J Exp Biol 2018; 221:jeb182600. [PMID: 30266787 PMCID: PMC6262762 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.182600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2018] [Accepted: 09/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, the potential for maternal stress effects to adaptively alter offspring phenotype has received considerable attention. This research has identified offspring traits that are labile in response to maternal stress; however, an understanding of the mechanisms underlying these effects is lagging and is crucial to appreciating the significance of this maternal effect. In the present study, we sought to better understand maternal stress effects by examining the potential for embryonic regulation of corticosterone exposure, determining the phenotypic consequences of elevated corticosterone during development, and characterizing the levels of maternally transferred corticosterone in unmanipulated eggs using Trachemys scripta By dosing eggs with tritiated corticosterone and tracking the steroid throughout development, we found that most corticosterone is metabolized, and less than 1% of the corticosterone dose reaches the embryo as free corticosterone. We also found that exogenous dosing of corticosterone, in concentrations sufficient to overwhelm embryonic metabolism, reduces embryonic survival and negatively impacts hatchling traits important to fitness. Our results demonstrate that concentrations of maternal corticosterone in the yolks of unmanipulated eggs are low and are significantly lower than the doses of corticosterone required to elicit phenotypic effects in hatchlings. Taken together, these results provide evidence that both the embryo and the female may minimize corticosterone accumulation in the embryo to avoid reductions in embryonic survival and negative impacts on offspring phenotype and fitness.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amanda W Carter
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61761, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
| | - Rachel M Bowden
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61761, USA
| | - Ryan T Paitz
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61761, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Della Costa NS, Navarro JL, Busso JM, Marin RH, Martella MB. Distribution and concentration of maternal progesterone in the yolk of Greater Rhea eggs (Rhea americana). JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART 2018; 327:143-148. [PMID: 29356448 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2016] [Revised: 04/04/2017] [Accepted: 04/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Progesterone is the most concentrated maternal yolk steroid characterized to date in birds; however, no information about it is available in ratite eggs. We collected freshly laid eggs from zoo-housed Greater Rhea females (Rhea americana) bred under similar rearing conditions during two breeding seasons to characterize concentration and distribution of maternal yolk progesterone. After high-performance liquid chromatography analysis, yolk hormone was measured using a commercial electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Progesterone concentrations were found to vary significantly among the yolk layers, supporting a follicular origin for this steroid in Greater Rhea eggs. Additionally, highly similar mean absolute yolk progesterone concentrations were detected between 2013 and 2015 breeding seasons (1,332.98 ± 82.59 and 1,313.59 ± 85.19 ng/g, respectively). These values are also comparable to those found in some domestic carinate species. Findings suggest that at population level, when rearing conditions are similar, mean absolute yolk maternal progesterone concentrations also appear bounded. Future research on the factors and mechanisms that regulate progesterone deposition in Greater Rhea eggs is needed to better understand whether its levels depend on different rearing conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Soledad Della Costa
- Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal (IDEA, CONICET-UNC) and Centro de Zoología Aplicada, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Joaquín Luis Navarro
- Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal (IDEA, CONICET-UNC) and Centro de Zoología Aplicada, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Juan Manuel Busso
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de los Alimentos (IIBYT, CONICET-UNC), Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Raúl Héctor Marin
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de los Alimentos (IIBYT, CONICET-UNC), Córdoba, Argentina.,Cátedra de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba
| | - Mónica Beatriz Martella
- Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal (IDEA, CONICET-UNC) and Centro de Zoología Aplicada, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Hu Y, Sun Q, Zong Y, Liu J, Idriss AA, Omer NA, Zhao R. Prenatal betaine exposure alleviates corticosterone-induced inhibition of CYP27A1 expression in the liver of juvenile chickens associated with its promoter DNA methylation. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2017; 246:241-248. [PMID: 28039067 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2016.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2016] [Revised: 12/01/2016] [Accepted: 12/26/2016] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Sterol 27-hydroxylase (CYP27A1) plays an important role in cholesterol homeostasis by degrading cholesterol to bile acids. Betaine can alleviate high-fat diet-induced hepatic cholesterol accumulation and maternal betaine treatment programs the hepatic expression of CYP27A1 in offspring. Excessive corticosterone (CORT) exposure causes hepatic cholesterol deposition in chickens, yet it remains unknown whether prenatal betaine modulates CORT-induced cholesterol accumulation in chicken liver later in life and whether it involves epigenetic gene regulation of CYP27A1. In this study, fertilized eggs were injected with saline or betaine at 2.5mg/egg before incubation, and the hatchlings were raised under the same condition till 56days of age followed by 7days of subcutaneous CORT injection. Plasma concentrations of total cholesterol (Tch), HDL- and LDL-cholesterol were significantly increased (P<0.05), after CORT challenge, in both control and betaine groups. However, prenatal betaine exposure prevented CORT-induced increase (P<0.05) in hepatic Tch content. Hepatic expression of cholesterol biosynthesis genes and ACAT1 protein that esterifies cholesterol for storage, were activated in both control and betaine groups upon CORT challenge. However, betaine-treated chickens were protected from CORT-induced repression (P<0.05) in LXR and CYP27A1 expression in the liver. CORT-induced down-regulation of LXR and CYP27A1 coincided with significantly increased (P<0.05) CpG methylation on their promoters, which was significantly ameliorated in betaine-treated chickens. These results suggest that in ovo betaine injection alleviates CORT-induced hepatic cholesterol deposition most probably through epigenetic regulation of CYP27A1 and LXR genes in juvenile chickens.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yun Hu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology & Biochemistry, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China
| | - Qinwei Sun
- Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology & Biochemistry, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China
| | - Yibo Zong
- Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology & Biochemistry, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China
| | - Jie Liu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology & Biochemistry, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China
| | - Abdulrahman A Idriss
- Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology & Biochemistry, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China
| | - Nagmeldin A Omer
- Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology & Biochemistry, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China
| | - Ruqian Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology & Biochemistry, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China; Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Centre of Meat Production and Processing, Quality and Safety Control, Nanjing 210095, PR China.
| |
Collapse
|