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Filice M, Gattuso A, Imbrogno S, Mazza R, Amelio D, Caferro A, Agnisola C, Icardo JM, Cerra MC. Functional, structural, and molecular remodelling of the goldfish (Carassius auratus) heart under moderate hypoxia. FISH PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY 2024; 50:667-685. [PMID: 38198074 PMCID: PMC11021278 DOI: 10.1007/s10695-024-01297-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/01/2024] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
The goldfish (Carassius auratus) is known for its physiologic ability to survive even long periods of oxygen limitation (hypoxia), adapting the cardiac performance to the requirements of peripheral tissue perfusion. We here investigated the effects of short-term moderate hypoxia on the heart, focusing on ventricular adaptation, in terms of hemodynamics and structural traits. Functional evaluations revealed that animals exposed to 4 days of environmental hypoxia increased the hemodynamic performance evaluated on ex vivo cardiac preparations. This was associated with a thicker and more vascularized ventricular compact layer and a reduced luminal lacunary space. Compared to normoxic animals, ventricular cardiomyocytes of goldfish exposed to hypoxia showed an extended mitochondrial compartment and a modulation of proteins involved in mitochondria dynamics. The enhanced expression of the pro-fission markers DRP1 and OMA1, and the modulation of the short and long forms of OPA1, suggested a hypoxia-related mitochondria fission. Our data propose that under hypoxia, the goldfish heart undergoes a structural remodelling associated with a potentiated cardiac activity. The energy demand for the highly performant myocardium is supported by an increased number of mitochondria, likely occurring through fission events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariacristina Filice
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, Italy
| | - Alfonsina Gattuso
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, Italy
| | - Sandra Imbrogno
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, Italy.
| | - Rosa Mazza
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, Italy
| | - Daniela Amelio
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, Italy
| | - Alessia Caferro
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, Italy
| | - Claudio Agnisola
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - José Manuel Icardo
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain
| | - Maria Carmela Cerra
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, Italy
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Cerra MC, Filice M, Caferro A, Mazza R, Gattuso A, Imbrogno S. Cardiac Hypoxia Tolerance in Fish: From Functional Responses to Cell Signals. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24021460. [PMID: 36674975 PMCID: PMC9866870 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24021460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Aquatic animals are increasingly challenged by O2 fluctuations as a result of global warming, as well as eutrophication processes. Teleost fish show important species-specific adaptability to O2 deprivation, moving from intolerance to a full tolerance of hypoxia and even anoxia. An example is provided by members of Cyprinidae which includes species that are amongst the most tolerant hypoxia/anoxia teleosts. Living at low water O2 requires the mandatory preservation of the cardiac function to support the metabolic and hemodynamic requirements of organ and tissues which sustain whole organism performance. A number of orchestrated events, from metabolism to behavior, converge to shape the heart response to the restricted availability of the gas, also limiting the potential damages for cells and tissues. In cyprinids, the heart is extraordinarily able to activate peculiar strategies of functional preservation. Accordingly, by using these teleosts as models of tolerance to low O2, we will synthesize and discuss literature data to describe the functional changes, and the major molecular events that allow the heart of these fish to sustain adaptability to O2 deprivation. By crossing the boundaries of basic research and environmental physiology, this information may be of interest also in a translational perspective, and in the context of conservative physiology, in which the output of the research is applicable to environmental management and decision making.
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An ACE2-Alamandine Axis Modulates the Cardiac Performance of the Goldfish Carassius auratus via the NOS/NO System. Antioxidants (Basel) 2022; 11:antiox11040764. [PMID: 35453449 PMCID: PMC9026556 DOI: 10.3390/antiox11040764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/10/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Alamandine is a peptide of the Renin Angiotensin System (RAS), either generated from Angiotensin A via the Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2), or directly from Ang-(1-7). In mammals, it elicits cardioprotection via Mas-related G-protein-coupled receptor D (MrgD), and the NOS/NO system. In teleost fish, RAS is known to modulate heart performance. However, no information is available on the presence of a cardioactive ACE2/Alamandine axis. To fill this gap, we used the cyprinid teleost Carassius auratus (goldfish) for in silico and in vitro analyses. Via the NCBI Blast P suite we found that in cyprinids ace2 is phylogenetically detectable in a subcluster of proteins including ace2-like isoforms, and is correlated with a hypoxia-dependent pathway. By real-time PCR, Western Blotting, and HPLC, ACE2 and Alamandine were identified in goldfish heart and plasma, respectively. Both increased after chronic exposure to low O2 (2.6 mg O2 L-1). By using an ex-vivo working goldfish-heart preparation, we observed that in vitro administration of exogenous Alamandine dose-dependently stimulates myocardial contractility starting from 10-11 M. The effect that involved Mas-related receptors and PKA occurred via the NOS/NO system. This was shown by exposing the perfused heart to the NOS inhibitor L-NMMA (10-5 M) that abolished the cardiac effect of Alamandine and was supported by the increased expression of the phosphorylated NOS enzyme in the extract from goldfish heart exposed to 10-10 M Alamandine. Our data are the first to show that an ACE2/Alamandine axis is present in the goldfish C. auratus and, to elicit cardiac modulation, requires the obligatory involvement of the NOS/NO system.
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Sandra I, Verri T, Filice M, Barca A, Schiavone R, Gattuso A, Cerra MC. Shaping the cardiac response to hypoxia: NO and its partners in teleost fish. Curr Res Physiol 2022; 5:193-202. [PMID: 35434651 PMCID: PMC9010694 DOI: 10.1016/j.crphys.2022.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2021] [Revised: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The reduced availability of dissolved oxygen is a common stressor in aquatic habitats that affects the ability of the heart to ensure tissue oxygen supply. Among key signalling molecules activated during cardiac hypoxic stress, nitric oxide (NO) has emerged as a central player involved in the related adaptive responses. Here, we outline the role of the nitrergic control in modulating tolerance and adaptation of teleost heart to hypoxia, as well as major molecular players that participate in the complex NO network. The purpose is to provide a framework in which to depict how the heart deals with limitations in oxygen supply. In this perspective, defining the relational interplay between the multiple (sets of) proteins that, due to the gene duplication events that occurred during the teleost fish evolutive radiation, do operate in parallel with similar functions in the (different) heart (districts) and other body districts under low levels of oxygen supply, represents a next goal of the comparative research in teleost fish cardiac physiology. The flexibility of the teleost heart to O2 limitations is illustrated by using cyprinids as hypoxia tolerance models. Major molecular mediators of the teleost cardiac response are discussed with a focus on the nitrergic system. A comparative analysis of gene duplication highlights conserved targets which may orchestrate the cardiac response to hypoxia.
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Filice M, Imbrogno S, Gattuso A, Cerra MC. Hypoxic and Thermal Stress: Many Ways Leading to the NOS/NO System in the Fish Heart. Antioxidants (Basel) 2021; 10:1401. [PMID: 34573033 PMCID: PMC8471457 DOI: 10.3390/antiox10091401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Revised: 08/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Teleost fish are often regarded with interest for the remarkable ability of several species to tolerate even dramatic stresses, either internal or external, as in the case of fluctuations in O2 availability and temperature regimes. These events are naturally experienced by many fish species under different time scales, but they are now exacerbated by growing environmental changes. This further challenges the intrinsic ability of animals to cope with stress. The heart is crucial for the stress response, since a proper modulation of the cardiac function allows blood perfusion to the whole organism, particularly to respiratory organs and the brain. In cardiac cells, key signalling pathways are activated for maintaining molecular equilibrium, thus improving stress tolerance. In fish, the nitric oxide synthase (NOS)/nitric oxide (NO) system is fundamental for modulating the basal cardiac performance and is involved in the control of many adaptive responses to stress, including those related to variations in O2 and thermal regimes. In this review, we aim to illustrate, by integrating the classic and novel literature, the current knowledge on the NOS/NO system as a crucial component of the cardiac molecular mechanisms that sustain stress tolerance and adaptation, thus providing some species, such as tolerant cyprinids, with a high resistance to stress.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sandra Imbrogno
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Arcavacata di Rende, Italy; (M.F.); (M.C.C.)
| | - Alfonsina Gattuso
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Arcavacata di Rende, Italy; (M.F.); (M.C.C.)
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Filice M, Cerra MC, Imbrogno S. The goldfish Carassius auratus: an emerging animal model for comparative cardiac research. J Comp Physiol B 2021; 192:27-48. [PMID: 34455483 PMCID: PMC8816371 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-021-01402-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2021] [Revised: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The use of unconventional model organisms is significantly increasing in different fields of research, widely contributing to advance life sciences understanding. Among fishes, the cyprinid Carassius auratus (goldfish) is largely used for studies on comparative and evolutionary endocrinology, neurobiology, adaptive and conservation physiology, as well as for translational research aimed to explore mechanisms that may be useful in an applicative biomedical context. More recently, the research possibilities offered by the goldfish are further expanded to cardiac studies. A growing literature is available to illustrate the complex networks involved in the modulation of the goldfish cardiac performance, also in relation to the influence of environmental signals. However, an overview on the existing current knowledge is not yet available. By discussing the mechanisms that in C. auratus finely regulate the cardiac function under basal conditions and under environmental challenges, this review highlights the remarkable flexibility of the goldfish heart in relation not only to the basic morpho-functional design and complex neuro-humoral traits, but also to its extraordinary biochemical-metabolic plasticity and its adaptive potential. The purpose of this review is also to emphasize the power of the heart of C. auratus as an experimental tool useful to investigate mechanisms that could be difficult to explore using more conventional animal models and complex cardiac designs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariacristina Filice
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036, Arcavacata di Rende, CS, Italy.
| | - Maria Carmela Cerra
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036, Arcavacata di Rende, CS, Italy
| | - Sandra Imbrogno
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036, Arcavacata di Rende, CS, Italy
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Carnevale C, Syme DA, Gamperl AK. Effects of hypoxic acclimation, muscle strain, and contraction frequency on nitric oxide-mediated myocardial performance in steelhead trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss). Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2021; 320:R588-R610. [PMID: 33501888 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00014.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Whether hypoxic acclimation influences nitric oxide (NO)-mediated control of fish cardiac function is not known. Thus, we measured the function/performance of myocardial strips from normoxic- and hypoxic-acclimated (40% air saturation; ∼8 kPa O2) trout at several frequencies (20-80 contractions·min-1) and two muscle strain amplitudes (8% and 14%) when exposed to increasing concentrations of the NO donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP) (10-9 to 10-4 M). Further, we examined the influence of 1) nitric oxide synthase (NOS) produced NO [by blocking NOS with 10-4 M NG-monomethyl-l-arginine (l-NMMA)] and 2) soluble guanylyl cyclase mediated, NOS-independent, NO effects (i.e., after blockade with 10-4 M ODQ), on myocardial contractility. Hypoxic acclimation increased twitch duration by 8%-10% and decreased mass-specific net power by ∼35%. However, hypoxic acclimation only had minor impacts on the effects of SNP and the two blockers on myocardial function. The most surprising finding of the current study was the degree to which contraction frequency and strain amplitude influenced NO-mediated effects on myocardial power. For example, at 8% strain, 10-4 SNP resulted in a decrease in net power of ∼30% at 20 min-1 but an increase of ∼20% at 80 min-1, and this effect was magnified at 14% strain. This research suggests that hypoxic acclimation has only minor effects on NO-mediated myocardial contractility in salmonids, is the first to report the high frequency- and strain-dependent nature of NO effects on myocardial contractility in fishes, and supports previous work showing that NO effects on the heart (myocardium) are finely tuned spatiotemporally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Carnevale
- Department of Ocean Sciences and Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada
| | - Douglas A Syme
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - A Kurt Gamperl
- Department of Ocean Sciences and Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada
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Filice M, Leo S, Mazza R, Amelio D, Garofalo F, Imbrogno S, Cerra MC, Gattuso A. The heart of the adult goldfish Carassius auratus as a target of Bisphenol A: a multifaceted analysis. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2021; 269:116177. [PMID: 33290955 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.116177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Revised: 11/21/2020] [Accepted: 11/27/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a contaminant whose presence in aquatic environments is increasing. In fish embryos and larvae, it severely affects cardiac development; however, its influence on the heart function of adult fish has been scarcely analyzed. This study investigated the effects of the in vivo exposure to BPA on heart physiology, morphology, and oxidative balance in the goldfish Carassius auratus. Adult fish were exposed for 4 and 10 days to two BPA concentrations (10 μM and 25 μM). Ex vivo working heart preparations showed that high concentrations of BPA negatively affected cardiac hemodynamics, as revealed by an impaired Frank-Starling response. This was paralleled by increased cardio-somatic indices and by myocardial structural changes. An altered oxidative status and a modulation of stress (HSPs) and pro-apoptotic (Bax and Cytochrome C) proteins expression were also observed in the heart of animals exposed to BPA, with detrimental effects at the highest concentration and the longest exposure time. Results suggest that, in the adult goldfish, BPA may induce stressful conditions to the heart with time- and concentration-dependent deleterious morpho-functional alterations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariacristina Filice
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036, Arcavacata di Rende (CS), Italy
| | - Serena Leo
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036, Arcavacata di Rende (CS), Italy
| | - Rosa Mazza
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036, Arcavacata di Rende (CS), Italy
| | - Daniela Amelio
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036, Arcavacata di Rende (CS), Italy
| | - Filippo Garofalo
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036, Arcavacata di Rende (CS), Italy
| | - Sandra Imbrogno
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036, Arcavacata di Rende (CS), Italy
| | - Maria Carmela Cerra
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036, Arcavacata di Rende (CS), Italy
| | - Alfonsina Gattuso
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036, Arcavacata di Rende (CS), Italy.
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Filice M, Barca A, Amelio D, Leo S, Mazzei A, Del Vecchio G, Verri T, Cerra MC, Imbrogno S. Morpho-functional remodelling of the adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) heart in response to waterborne angiotensin II exposure. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2021; 301:113663. [PMID: 33220301 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2020.113663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Angiotensin II (AngII), the principal effector of the Renin-Angiotensin System, is a pluripotent humoral agent whose biological actions include short-term modulations and long-term adaptations. In fish, short-term cardio-tropic effects of AngII are documented, but information on the role of AngII in long-term cardiac remodelling is not fully understood. Here, we describe a direct approach to disclose long-term morpho-functional effects of AngII on the zebrafish heart. Adult fish exposed to waterborne teleost analogue AngII for 8 weeks showed enhanced heart weight and cardio-somatic index, coupled to myocardial structural changes (i.e. augmented compacta thickness and fibrosis), and increased heart rate. These findings were paralleled by an up-regulation of type-1 and type-2 AngII receptors expression, and by changes in the expression of GATA binding protein 4, nuclear factor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B-cells 1 and superoxide dismutase 1 soluble mRNAs, as well as of cytochrome b-245 beta polypeptide protein, indicative of cardiac remodelling. Our results suggest that waterborne AngII can sustain and robustly affect the cardiac morpho-functional remodelling of adult zebrafish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariacristina Filice
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, CS, Italy
| | - Amilcare Barca
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, Via Provinciale Lecce-Monteroni, I-73100 Lecce, Italy
| | - Daniela Amelio
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, CS, Italy
| | - Serena Leo
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, CS, Italy
| | - Aurora Mazzei
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, Via Provinciale Lecce-Monteroni, I-73100 Lecce, Italy
| | - Gianmarco Del Vecchio
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, Via Provinciale Lecce-Monteroni, I-73100 Lecce, Italy
| | - Tiziano Verri
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, Via Provinciale Lecce-Monteroni, I-73100 Lecce, Italy
| | - Maria Carmela Cerra
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, CS, Italy
| | - Sandra Imbrogno
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, CS, Italy.
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Filice M, Mazza R, Leo S, Gattuso A, Cerra MC, Imbrogno S. The Hypoxia Tolerance of the Goldfish ( Carassius auratus) Heart: The NOS/NO System and Beyond. Antioxidants (Basel) 2020; 9:antiox9060555. [PMID: 32604810 PMCID: PMC7346152 DOI: 10.3390/antiox9060555] [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: 05/22/2020] [Revised: 06/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The extraordinary capacity of the goldfish (Carassius auratus) to increase its cardiac performance under acute hypoxia is crucial in ensuring adequate oxygen supply to tissues and organs. However, the underlying physiological mechanisms are not yet completely elucidated. By employing an ex vivo working heart preparation, we observed that the time-dependent enhancement of contractility, distinctive of the hypoxic goldfish heart, is abolished by the Nitric Oxide Synthase (NOS) antagonist L-NMMA, the Nitric Oxide (NO) scavenger PTIO, as well as by the PI3-kinase (PI3-K) and sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase 2a (SERCA2a) pumps’ inhibition by Wortmannin and Thapsigargin, respectively. In goldfish hearts exposed to hypoxia, an ELISA test revealed no changes in cGMP levels, while Western Blotting analysis showed an enhanced expression of the phosphorylated protein kinase B (pAkt) and of the NADPH oxidase catalytic subunit Nox2 (gp91phox). A significant decrease of protein S-nitrosylation was observed by Biotin Switch assay in hypoxic hearts. Results suggest a role for a PI3-K/Akt-mediated activation of the NOS-dependent NO production, and SERCA2a pumps in the mechanisms conferring benefits to the goldfish heart under hypoxia. They also propose protein denitrosylation, and the possibility of nitration, as parallel intracellular events.
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Leo S, Gattuso A, Mazza R, Filice M, Cerra MC, Imbrogno S. Cardiac influence of the β3-adrenoceptor in the goldfish ( Carassius auratus): a protective role under hypoxia? ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 222:jeb.211334. [PMID: 31527180 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.211334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2019] [Accepted: 09/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The goldfish (Carassius auratus) exhibits a remarkable capacity to survive and remain active under prolonged and severe hypoxia, making it a good model for studying cardiac function when oxygen availability is a limiting factor. Under hypoxia, the goldfish heart increases its performance, representing a putative component of hypoxia tolerance; however, the underlying mechanisms have not yet been elucidated. Here, we aimed to investigate the role of β3-adrenoreceptors (ARs) in the mechanisms that modulate goldfish heart performance along with the impact of oxygen levels. By western blotting analysis, we found that the goldfish heart expresses β3-ARs, and this expression increases under hypoxia. The effects of β3-AR stimulation were analysed by using an ex vivo working heart preparation. Under normoxia, the β3-AR-selective agonist BRL37344 (10-12 to 10-7 mol l-1) elicited a concentration-dependent increase of contractility that was abolished by a specific β3-AR antagonist (SR59230A; 10-8 mol l-1), but not by α/β1/β2-AR inhibitors (phentolamine, nadolol and ICI118,551; 10-7 mol l-1). Under acute hypoxia, BRL37344 did not affect goldfish heart performance. However, SR59230A, but not phentolamine, nadolol or ICI118,551, abolished the time-dependent enhancement of contractility that characterizes the hypoxic goldfish heart. Under both normoxia and hypoxia, adenylate cyclase and cAMP were found to be involved in the β3-AR-dependent downstream transduction pathway. In summary, we show the presence of functional β3-ARs in the goldfish heart, whose activation modulates basal performance and contributes to a hypoxia-dependent increase of contractility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serena Leo
- Dept of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences (BEST), University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende (CS), Italy
| | - Alfonsina Gattuso
- Dept of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences (BEST), University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende (CS), Italy
| | - Rosa Mazza
- Dept of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences (BEST), University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende (CS), Italy
| | - Mariacristina Filice
- Dept of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences (BEST), University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende (CS), Italy
| | - Maria Carmela Cerra
- Dept of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences (BEST), University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende (CS), Italy
| | - Sandra Imbrogno
- Dept of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences (BEST), University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende (CS), Italy
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