Comparison of sarcoplasmic reticulum capabilities in toadfish (Opsanus tau) sonic muscle and rat fast twitch muscle

Ca2+-Dependent Glucose Transport in Skeletal Muscle by Diphlorethohydroxycarmalol, an Alga Phlorotannin: In Vitro and In Vivo Study

Diphlorethohydroxycarmalol (DPHC), a type of phlorotannin isolated from the marine alga Ishige okamurae, reportedly alleviates impaired glucose tolerance. However, the molecular mechanisms of DPHC regulatory activity and by which it exerts potential beneficial effects on glucose transport into skeletal myotubes to control glucose homeostasis remain largely unexplored. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of DPHC on cytosolic Ca2+ levels and its correlation with blood glucose transport in skeletal myotubes in vitro and in vivo. Cytosolic Ca2+ levels upon DPHC treatment were evaluated in skeletal myotubes and zebrafish larvae by Ca2+ imaging using Fluo-4. We investigated the effect of DPHC on the blood glucose level and glucose transport pathway in a hyperglycemic zebrafish. DPHC was shown to control blood glucose levels by accelerating glucose transport; this effect was associated with elevated cytosolic Ca2+ levels in skeletal myotubes. Moreover, the increased cytosolic Ca2+ level caused by DPHC can facilitate the Glut4/AMPK pathways of the skeletal muscle in activating glucose metabolism, thereby regulating muscle contraction through the regulation of expression of troponin I/C, CaMKII, and ATP. Our findings provide insights into the mechanism of DPHC activity in skeletal myotubes, suggesting that increased cytosolic Ca2+ levels caused by DPHC can promote glucose transport into skeletal myotubes to modulate blood glucose levels, thus indicating the potential use of DPHC in the prevention of diabetes.

Sound production, hearing sensitivity, and in-depth study of the sound-producing muscles in the cowfish (Lactoria cornuta)

The ability to produce sounds has been reported in various Ostraciidae but not deeply studied. In some Ostracion species, two different sound-producing muscles allow these boxfishes to produce two different kinds of sounds in a sequence. This study investigates sound production in another Indo-Pacific species, the longhorn cowfish Lactoria cornuta that also possesses two pairs of sonic muscles associated with the swim bladder: extrinsic sonic muscles (ESMs) and intrinsic sonic muscles (ISMs). The cowfish produces two kinds of sounds called hums and clicks. Hums are made of trains of low amplitude pulses that last for long periods of time, suggesting that they are produced by fatigue-resistant muscles, whereas clicks correspond to shorter sounds with greater amplitude than the hums, suggesting that they result from more powerful contractions. Ultra-structural differences are found between extrinsic and intrinsic sonic muscles. According to features such as long sarcomeres, long I-bands, a high number of mitochondria, and a proliferation of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), ESMs would be able to produce fast, strong, and short contractions corresponding to clicks (the shortest sounds with the greatest amplitude). ISMs have the thinnest cells, the smallest number of myofilaments that have long I-bands, the highest volume of mitochondria, and well-developed SR supporting these muscles; these features should generate fast and prolonged contractions that could correspond to the hums that can be produced over long periods of time. A concluding figure shows clear comparisons of the different fibers that were studied in L. cornuta. This study also compared the call features of each sound with the cowfish's hearing ability and supports L. cornuta was more sensitive to frequencies ranging between at least 100 and 400 Hz with thresholds of 128-143 dB re 1 µPa over this range, meaning that they are sensitive to the frequencies produced by conspecifics.

Effects of acute warming on cardiac and myotomal sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum ATPase (SERCA) of thermally acclimated brown trout (Salmo trutta)

At high temperatures, ventricular beating rate collapses and depresses cardiac output in fish. The role of sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca²⁺-ATPase (SERCA) in thermal tolerance of ventricular function was examined in brown trout (Salmo trutta) by measuring heart SERCA and comparing it to that of the dorsolateral myotomal muscle. Activity of SERCA was measured from crude homogenates of cold-acclimated (+ 3 °C, c.a.) and warm-acclimated (+ 13 °C, w.a.) brown trout as cyclopiazonic acid (20 µM) sensitive Ca²⁺-ATPase between + 3 and + 33 °C. Activity of the heart SERCA was significantly higher in c.a. than w.a. trout and increased strongly between + 3 and + 23 °C with linear Arrhenius plots but started to plateau between + 23 and + 33 °C in both acclimation groups. The rate of thermal inactivation of the heart SERCA at + 35 °C was similar in c.a. and w.a. fish. Activity of the muscle SERCA was less temperature dependent and more heat resistant than that of the heart SERCA and showed linear Arrhenius plots between + 3 and + 33 °C in both c.a. and w.a. fish. SERCA activity of the c.a. muscle was slightly higher than that of w.a. muscle. The rate of thermal inactivation at + 40 °C was similar for both c.a. and w.a. muscle SERCA at + 40 °C. Although the heart SERCA is more sensitive to high temperatures than the muscle SERCA, it is unlikely to be a limiting factor for heart rate, because its heat tolerance, unlike that of the ventricular beating rate, was not changed by temperature acclimation.

Neuroanatomical and neurophysiological mechanisms of acoustic and weakly electric signaling in synodontid catfish

To what extent do modifications in the nervous system and peripheral effectors contribute to novel behaviors? Using a combination of morphometric analysis, neuroanatomical tract‐tracing, and intracellular neuronal recording, we address this question in a sound‐producing and a weakly electric species of synodontid catfish, Synodontis grandiops, and Synodontis nigriventris, respectively. The same peripheral mechanism, a bilateral pair of protractor muscles associated with vertebral processes (elastic spring mechanism), is involved in both signaling systems. Although there were dramatic species differences in several morphometric measures, electromyograms provided strong evidence that simultaneous activation of paired protractor muscles accounts for an individual sound and electric discharge pulse. While the general architecture of the neural network and the intrinsic properties of the motoneuron population driving each target was largely similar, differences could contribute to species‐specific patterns in electromyograms and the associated pulse repetition rate of sounds and electric discharges. Together, the results suggest that adaptive changes in both peripheral and central characters underlie the transition from an ancestral sound to a derived electric discharge producing system, and thus the evolution of a novel communication channel among synodontid catfish. Similarities with characters in other sonic and weakly electric teleost fish provide a striking example of convergent evolution in functional adaptations underlying the evolution of the two signaling systems among distantly related taxa.

Seasonal Variation of Captive Meagre Acoustic Signalling: A Manual and Automatic Recognition Approach

Many species rely on acoustic communication to fulfil several functions such as advertisement and mediation of social interactions (e.g., agonistic, mating). Therefore, fish calls can be an important source of information, e.g., to recognize reproductive periods or to assess fish welfare, and should be considered a potential non-intrusive tool in aquaculture management. Assessing fish acoustic activity, however, often requires long sound recordings. To analyse these long recordings automatic methods are invaluable tools to detect and extract the relevant biological information. Here we present a study to characterize meagre (Argyrosomus regius) acoustic activity during social contexts in captivity using an automatic pattern-recognition methodology based on the Hidden Markov Model. Calls produced by meagre during the breading season showed a richer repertoire than previously reported. Besides the dense choruses composed by grunts already known for this species, meagre emitted successive series of isolated pulses, audible as ‘knocks’. Grunts with a variable number of pulses were also registered. The overall acoustic activity was concurrent with the number of spawning events. A diel call rhythms exhibit peak of calling activity from 15:00 to midnight. In addition, grunt acoustic parameters varied significantly along the reproduction season. These results open the possibility to use the meagre vocal activity to predict breeding and approaching spawning periods in aquaculture management.

Simultaneous production of two kinds of sounds in relation with sonic mechanism in the boxfish Ostracion meleagris and O. cubicus

In fishes, sonic abilities for communication purpose usually involve a single mechanism. We describe here the sonic mechanism and sounds in two species of boxfish, the spotted trunkfish Ostracion meleagris and the yellow boxfish Ostracion cubicus. The sonic mechanism utilizes a T-shaped swimbladder with a swimbladder fenestra and two separate sonic muscle pairs. Extrinsic vertical muscles attach to the vertebral column and the swimbladder. Perpendicularly and below these muscles, longitudinal intrinsic muscles cover the swimbladder fenestra. Sounds are exceptional since they are made of two distinct types produced in a sequence. In both species, humming sounds consist of long series (up to 45 s) of hundreds of regular low-amplitude pulses. Hums are often interspersed with irregular click sounds with an amplitude that is ten times greater in O. meleagris and forty times greater in O. cubicus. There is no relationship between fish size and many acoustic characteristics because muscle contraction rate dictates the fundamental frequency. We suggest that hums and clicks are produced by either separate muscles or by a combination of the two. The mechanism complexity supports an investment of boxfish in this communication channel and underline sounds as having important functions in their way of life.

Woodpecker drumming behavior is linked to the elevated expression of genes that encode calcium handling proteins in the neck musculature

Many animals perform elaborate physical displays for social communication. Identifying molecular mechanisms that co-evolve with these complex behavioral signals can therefore help reveal how forces of selection shape animal design. To study this issue, we examined gene expression profiles in select skeletal muscles that actuate woodpecker drum displays. This remarkable whole-body signal is produced when individuals rapidly hammer their bill against trees. We found that, compared with muscles that play no part in producing this behavior, the main muscle used to drum abundantly expresses two genes that encode proteins that support myocytic calcium (Ca²⁺) handling dynamics - namely parvalbumin (PV) and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca²⁺ ATPase 1 (SERCA1). Meanwhile, we found no such difference in the expression of another gene similarly vital to Ca²⁺ handling, ryanodine receptor 1 (RYR1). These differences are not present in a non-woodpecker species, which readily produce much slower drum-like movements for foraging (but not social signaling). Our data therefore point to an association between the fast drum displays of woodpeckers and muscle-specific expression of genes whose protein products enhance select aspects of myocytic Ca²⁺ handling.

Wall structure and material properties cause viscous damping of swimbladder sounds in the oyster toadfish Opsanus tau

Despite rapid damping, fish swimbladders have been modelled as underwater resonant bubbles. Recent data suggest that swimbladders of sound-producing fishes use a forced rather than a resonant response to produce sound. The reason for this discrepancy has not been formally addressed, and we demonstrate, for the first time, that the structure of the swimbladder wall will affect vibratory behaviour. Using the oyster toadfish Opsanus tau, we find regional differences in bladder thickness, directionality of collagen layers (anisotropic bladder wall structure), material properties that differ between circular and longitudinal directions (stress, strain and Young's modulus), high water content (80%) of the bladder wall and a 300-fold increase in the modulus of dried tissue. Therefore, the swimbladder wall is a viscoelastic structure that serves to damp vibrations and impart directionality, preventing the expression of resonance.

Effects of seawater temperature on sound characteristics in Ophidion rochei (Ophidiidae)

Although the sound production mechanisms of male and female Ophidion rochei (Ophidiidae) differ significantly, temperature affects them in the same manner. In both sexes, temperature correlated negatively with pulse period and positively with sound frequencies but had no, or weak effects on other sound characteristics.

Intracellular calcium movements during relaxation and recovery of superfast muscle fibers of the toadfish swimbladder

Ca²⁺ movements during intercall intervals in superfast toadfish swimbladder muscle fibers depend on the accumulation of Ca²⁺ on parvalbumin and a consequent slow rate of Ca²⁺ pumping.

The mating call of the Atlantic toadfish is generated by bursts of high-frequency twitches of the superfast twitch fibers that surround the swimbladder. At 16°C, a calling period can last several hours, with individual 80–100-Hz calls lasting ∼500 ms interleaved with silent periods (intercall intervals) lasting ∼10 s. To understand the intracellular movements of Ca²⁺ during the intercall intervals, superfast fibers were microinjected with fluo-4, a high-affinity fluorescent Ca²⁺ indicator, and stimulated by trains of 40 action potentials at 83 Hz, which mimics fiber activity during calling. The fluo-4 fluorescence signal was measured during and after the stimulus trains; the signal was also simulated with a kinetic model of the underlying myoplasmic Ca²⁺ movements, including the binding and transport of Ca²⁺ by the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca²⁺ pumps. The estimated total amount of Ca²⁺ released from the SR during a first stimulus train is ∼6.5 mM (concentration referred to the myoplasmic water volume). At 40 ms after cessation of stimulation, the myoplasmic free Ca²⁺ concentration ([Ca²⁺]) is below the threshold for force generation (∼3 µM), yet the estimated concentration of released Ca²⁺ remaining in the myoplasm (Δ[Ca_M]) is large, ∼5 mM, with ∼80% bound to parvalbumin. At 10 s after stimulation, [Ca²⁺] is ∼90 nM (three times the assumed resting level) and Δ[Ca_M] is ∼1.3 mM, with 97% bound to parvalbumin. Ca²⁺ movements during the intercall interval thus appear to be strongly influenced by (a) the accumulation of Ca²⁺ on parvalbumin and (b) the slow rate of Ca²⁺ pumping that ensues when parvalbumin lowers [Ca²⁺] near the resting level. With repetitive stimulus trains initiated at 10-s intervals, Ca²⁺ release and pumping come quickly into balance as a result of the stability (negative feedback) supplied by the increased rate of Ca²⁺ pumping at higher [Ca²⁺].

Development of the ultrastructure of sonic muscles: a kind of neoteny?

Background

Drumming muscles of some sound-producing fish are ‘champions’ of contraction speed, their rate setting the fundamental frequency. In the piranha, contraction of these muscles at 150 Hz drives a sound at the same frequency. Drumming muscles of different not closely related species show evolutionary convergences. Interestingly, some characters of sonic muscles can also be found in the trunk muscles of newly hatched larvae that are able to maintain tail beat frequencies up to 100 Hz. The aim of this work was to study the development of sound production and sonic and epaxial muscles simultaneously in the red bellied piranhas (Pygocentrus nattereri) to seek for possible common characteristics.

Results

Call, pulse and period durations increased significantly with the fish size, but the call dominant frequencies decreased, and the number of pulses and the call amplitude formed a bell curve. In epaxial muscles, the fibre diameters of younger fish are first positioned in the graphical slope corresponding to sonic muscles, before diverging. The fibre diameter of older fish trunk muscles was bigger, and the area of the myofibrils was larger than in sonic muscles. Moreover, in two of the biggest fish, the sonic muscles were invaded by fat cells and the sonic muscle ultrastructure was similar to the epaxial one. These two fish were also unable to produce any sound, meaning they lost their ability to contract quickly.

Conclusions

The volume occupied by myofibrils determines the force of contraction, the volume of sarcoplasmic reticulum sets the contraction frequency, and the volume of mitochondria sets the level of sustained performance. The functional outcomes in muscles are all attributable to shifts in the proportions of those structures. A single delay in the development restricts the quantity of myofibrils, maintains a high proportion of space in the sarcoplasm and develops sarcoplasmic reticulum. High-speed sonic muscles could thus be skeletal muscles with delayed development. This hypothesis has the advantage that it could easily explain why high-speed sonic muscles have evolved so many times in different lineages.

A superfast muscle in the complex sonic apparatus of Ophidion rochei (Ophidiiformes): histological and physiological approaches

In teleosts, superfast muscles are generally associated with the swimbladder wall whose vibrations result in sound production. In Ophidion rochei, three pairs of muscles were named 'sonic' because their contractions affect swimbladder position: the dorsal sonic muscle (DSM), the intermediate sonic muscle (ISM), and the ventral sonic muscle (VSM). These muscles were investigated thanks to electron microscopy and electromyography in order to determine their function in sound production. Fibers of the VSM and DSM were much thinner than the fibers of the ISM and epaxial musculature. However, only VSM fibers had the typical ultrastructure of superfast muscles: low proportion of myofibrils, and high proportions of sarcoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria. In females, each sound onset was preceded by the onset of electrical activity in the VSM and the DSM (ISM was not tested). The electromyograms of the VSM were very similar to the waveforms of the sounds: means for the pulse period were 3.6±0.5 ms and 3.6±0.7 ms, respectively. This shows that the fast VSM (ca. 280 Hz) is responsible for the pulse period and fundamental frequency of female sounds. DSM electromyograms were generally characterized by one or two main peaks followed by periods of lower electrical activity which suggests a sustained contraction over the course of the sound. The fiber morphology of the ISM and its antagonistic position relative to the DSM are not indicative of a muscle capable of superfast contractions. Overall, this study experimentally shows the complexity of the sound production mechanism in the nocturnal fish O. rochei.

Parvalbumin characteristics in the sonic muscle of a freshwater ornamental grunting toadfish (Allenbatrachus grunniens)

The grunting toadfish, Allenbatrachus grunniens, is an ornamental fish in freshwater aquariums, and it has the ability to produce sounds. The sonic muscle of the toadfish is the fastest vertebrate muscle ever measured, and the rates of Ca(2+) transport and cross-bridge dissociation are also the fastest. Parvalbumins (PAs) are Ca(2+)-binding proteins that help in muscle relaxation in vertebrates. Several PA isoforms have been identified in variable ratios in different muscle types. Both male and female grunting toadfish have intrinsic sonic muscles attached to their swim bladders, but no significant difference in morphology between male and female sonic muscles has been observed. In this study, we used SDS-PAGE and western blotting to characterize the total PA expression and to identify the PAs from the sonic muscle and the white body muscle of A. grunniens. Although the total PA concentrations were similar in sonic and white muscles, there were differences in the isoform percentages. Two and four PA isoforms were identified from sonic muscle and white muscle, respectively. The estimated sizes of PA1, PA2, and PA3 in the sonic muscle of the grunting toadfish were 10, 10.5, and 10.5 kDa, respectively, and the isoelectric points of PA1, PA2, and PA3 in the grunting toadfish were 4.77, 4.58, and 4.42, respectively. In the sonic muscle, the primary PA isoform was PA1, which comprised more than 94 % of total PA, whereas PA2 comprised only 5 % of the total PA content. In contrast, in white muscle, the primary isoform was PA2, which comprised 58 % of the total PA. Both PA1 (with PA1a) and PA3 represented approximately 20 % of the total PA in white muscle. These results indicate that there is no positive correlation between a high PA content and the speed of muscle relaxation; however, PA1 might have the greatest effect on the relaxation of the grunting toadfish's sonic muscle.

Sexual dimorphism of sonic apparatus and extreme intersexual variation of sounds in Ophidion rochei (Ophidiidae): first evidence of a tight relationship between morphology and sound characteristics in Ophidiidae

Background

Many Ophidiidae are active in dark environments and display complex sonic apparatus morphologies. However, sound recordings are scarce and little is known about acoustic communication in this family. This paper focuses on Ophidion rochei which is known to display an important sexual dimorphism in swimbladder and anterior skeleton. The aims of this study were to compare the sound producing morphology, and the resulting sounds in juveniles, females and males of O. rochei.

Results

Males, females, and juveniles possessed different morphotypes. Females and juveniles contrasted with males because they possessed dramatic differences in morphology of their sonic muscles, swimbladder, supraoccipital crest, and first vertebrae and associated ribs. Further, they lacked the ‘rocker bone’ typically found in males. Sounds from each morphotype were highly divergent. Males generally produced non harmonic, multiple-pulsed sounds that lasted for several seconds (3.5 ± 1.3 s) with a pulse period of ca. 100 ms. Juvenile and female sounds were recorded for the first time in ophidiids. Female sounds were harmonic, had shorter pulse period (±3.7 ms), and never exceeded a few dozen milliseconds (18 ± 11 ms). Moreover, unlike male sounds, female sounds did not have alternating long and short pulse periods. Juvenile sounds were weaker but appear to be similar to female sounds.

Conclusions

Although it is not possible to distinguish externally male from female in O. rochei, they show a sonic apparatus and sounds that are dramatically different. This difference is likely due to their nocturnal habits that may have favored the evolution of internal secondary sexual characters that help to distinguish males from females and that could facilitate mate choice by females. Moreover, the comparison of different morphotypes in this study shows that these morphological differences result from a peramorphosis that takes place during the development of the gonads.

Seasonal changes in atrophy-associated proteins of the sonic muscle in the big-snout croaker, Johnius macrorhynus (Pisces, Sciaenidae), identified by using a proteomic approach

In most sciaenids, males possess sonic muscles and produce sound through the contraction of these muscles and amplification of the swim bladder. The sonic muscles in some fishes exhibit seasonal changes in size. For example, they are hypertrophic in the spawning season, and atrophic in the non-spawning months. The protein profiles of the sonic muscle, red muscle, and white muscle in the Johnius macrorhynus were shown by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) and were compared to reveal differential protein expressions. About 80 up-regulated protein spots in the sonic muscle, and 30 spots related to six contractile proteins (fast muscle myosin heavy chain, skeletal alpha actin, alpha actin cardiac, tropomyosin, myosin light chain 2, and myosin light chain 3), four energy metabolic enzymes (enolase, acyl-CoA synthetase, creatine kinase, and cytochrome P450 monooxygenase), and two miscellaneous proteins (DEAD box protein and cyclin H) were identified. Seasonal hypertrophy and atrophy of the sonic muscles related to the reproductive cycle were verified in male big-snout croaker. The contents of some proteins were significantly different in the muscles under these conditions. The levels of cytochrome P450 monooxygenase, fast muscle myosin heavy chain, DEAD box proteins, isocitrate dehydrogenase, and creatine kinase were up-regulated in the hypertrophic muscle, but the levels of alpha actin cardiac, myosin light 2, and myosin light 3 were lower than in the atrophic muscle. Potential reasons for these differences in protein expression related to physiological adaptation are discussed.

An Intermediate in the evolution of superfast sonic muscles

BACKGROUND

Intermediate forms in the evolution of new adaptations such as transitions from water to land and the evolution of flight are often poorly understood. Similarly, the evolution of superfast sonic muscles in fishes, often considered the fastest muscles in vertebrates, has been a mystery because slow bladder movement does not generate sound. Slow muscles that stretch the swimbladder and then produce sound during recoil have recently been discovered in ophidiiform fishes. Here we describe the disturbance call (produced when fish are held) and sonic mechanism in an unrelated perciform pearl perch (Glaucosomatidae) that represents an intermediate condition in the evolution of super-fast sonic muscles.

RESULTS

The pearl perch disturbance call is a two-part sound produced by a fast sonic muscle that rapidly stretches the bladder and an antagonistic tendon-smooth muscle combination (part 1) causing the tendon and bladder to snap back (part 2) generating a higher-frequency and greater-amplitude pulse. The smooth muscle is confirmed by electron microscopy and protein analysis. To our knowledge smooth muscle attachment to a tendon is unknown in animals.

CONCLUSION

The pearl perch, an advanced perciform teleost unrelated to ophidiiform fishes, uses a slow type mechanism to produce the major portion of the sound pulse during recoil, but the swimbladder is stretched by a fast muscle. Similarities between the two unrelated lineages, suggest independent and convergent evolution of sonic muscles and indicate intermediate forms in the evolution of superfast muscles.

Paying the piper: the cost of Ca2+ pumping during the mating call of toadfish

Superfast fibres of toadfish swimbladder muscle generate a series of superfast Ca(2+) transients, a necessity for high-frequency calling. How is this accomplished with a relatively low rate of Ca(2+) pumping by the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR)? We hypothesized that there may not be complete Ca(2+) saturation and desaturation of the troponin Ca(2+) regulatory sites with each twitch during calling. To test this, we determined the number of regulatory sites by measuring the concentration of troponin C (TNC) molecules, 33.8 μmol per kg wet weight. We then estimated how much SR Ca(2+) is released per twitch by measuring the recovery oxygen consumption in the presence of a crossbridge blocker, N-benzyl-p-toluene sulphonamide (BTS). The results agreed closely with SR release estimates obtained with a kinetic model used to analyse Ca(2+) transient measurements. We found that 235 μmol of Ca(2+) per kg muscle is released with the first twitch of an 80 Hz stimulus (15(o)C). Release per twitch declines dramatically thereafter such that by the 10th twitch release is only 48 μmol kg(-1) (well below the concentration of TNC Ca(2+) regulatory sites, 67.6 μmol kg(-1)). The ATP usage per twitch by the myosin crossbridges remains essentially constant at ∼25 μmol kg(-1) throughout the stimulus period. Hence, for the first twitch, ∼80% of the energy goes into pumping Ca(2+) (which uses 1 ATP per 2 Ca(2+) ions pumped), but by the 10th and subsequent twitches the proportion is ∼50%. Even though by the 10th stimulus the Ca(2+) release per twitch has dropped 5-fold, the Ca(2+) remaining in the SR has declined by only ∼18%; hence dwindling SR Ca(2+) content is not responsible for the drop. Rather, inactivation of the Ca(2+) release channel by myoplasmic Ca(2+) likely explains this reduction. If inactivation did not occur, the SR would run out of Ca(2+) well before the end of even a 40-twitch call. Hence, inactivation of the Ca(2+) release channel plays a critical role in swimbladder muscle during normal in vivo function.

Effects of temperature on sound production and auditory abilities in the Striped Raphael catfish Platydoras armatulus (Family Doradidae)

Background

Sound production and hearing sensitivity of ectothermic animals are affected by the ambient temperature. This is the first study investigating the influence of temperature on both sound production and on hearing abilities in a fish species, namely the neotropical Striped Raphael catfish Platydoras armatulus.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Doradid catfishes produce stridulation sounds by rubbing the pectoral spines in the shoulder girdle and drumming sounds by an elastic spring mechanism which vibrates the swimbladder. Eight fish were acclimated for at least three weeks to 22°, then to 30° and again to 22°C. Sounds were recorded in distress situations when fish were hand-held. The stridulation sounds became shorter at the higher temperature, whereas pulse number, maximum pulse period and sound pressure level did not change with temperature. The dominant frequency increased when the temperature was raised to 30°C and the minimum pulse period became longer when the temperature decreased again. The fundamental frequency of drumming sounds increased at the higher temperature. Using the auditory evoked potential (AEP) recording technique, the hearing thresholds were tested at six different frequencies from 0.1 to 4 kHz. The temporal resolution was determined by analyzing the minimum resolvable click period (0.3–5 ms). The hearing sensitivity was higher at the higher temperature and differences were more pronounced at higher frequencies. In general, latencies of AEPs in response to single clicks became shorter at the higher temperature, whereas temporal resolution in response to double-clicks did not change.

Conclusions/Significance

These data indicate that sound characteristics as well as hearing abilities are affected by temperatures in fishes. Constraints imposed on hearing sensitivity at different temperatures cannot be compensated even by longer acclimation periods. These changes in sound production and detection suggest that acoustic orientation and communication are affected by temperature changes in the neotropical catfish P. armatulus.

Acoustical properties of the swimbladder in the oyster toadfish Opsanus tau

Both the swimbladder and sonic muscles of the oyster toadfish Opsanus tau (Linnaeus) increase in size with fish growth making it difficult to distinguish their relative contributions to sound production. We examined acoustics of the swimbladder independent of the sonic muscles by striking it with a piezoelectric impact hammer. Amplitude and timing characteristics of bladder sound and displacement were compared for strikes of different amplitudes. Most of the first cycle of sound occurred during swimbladder compression, indicating that the bladder rapidly contracted and expanded as force increased during the strike. Harder hits were shorter in duration and generated a 30 dB increase in amplitude for a 5-fold or 14 dB range in displacement. For an equivalent strike dominant frequency, damping, bladder displacement and sound amplitude did not change with fish size, i.e. equal input generated equal output. The frequency spectrum was broad, and dominant frequency was driven by the strike and not the natural frequency of the bladder. Bladder displacement decayed rapidly (zeta averaged 0.33, equivalent to an automobile shock absorber), and the bladder had a low Q (sharpness of tuning), averaging 1.8. Sound output of an acoustic source is determined by volume velocity (surface area x velocity), and bladder surface area, muscle dimensions and contraction amplitude increase with fish size. Therefore, larger fish will be capable of producing more intense sound. Because the bladder is a low Q resonator, its output will follow muscle contraction rates independent of its size and natural frequency.

A comparative analysis of parvalbumin expression in pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides) and toadfish (Opsanus sp.)

This study examines the role of a myoplasmic protein, parvalbumin, in enhancing muscle relaxation by fishes. Parvalbumin is thought to bind free Ca(2+) during muscle contraction, thereby reducing intracellular [Ca(2+)] in muscle and speeding muscle relaxation by reducing Ca(2+) availability to the troponin complex. We hypothesized that parvalbumin expression is ubiquitously expressed in fish muscle and that its expression levels and role in muscle relaxation would depend on the activity level and the thermal environment of a given fish species. Muscle contractile properties and patterns of parvalbumin expression were examined in pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides) and two species of toadfish (gulf toadfish, Opsanus beta, and oyster toadfish, Opsanus tau). Unlike another sparid (sheepshead), the active swimming pinfish does not express parvalbumin in its slow-twitch red muscle. However, both sheepshead and pinfish have relatively high levels of parvalbumin in their myotomal white muscle. Gulf toadfish from the Gulf of Mexico expressed higher levels of parvalbumin and had faster muscle relaxation rates than oyster toadfish from more northern latitudes. The faster muscle of gulf toadfish also expressed relatively more of one parvalbumin isoform, suggesting differences in the binding properties of the two isoforms observed in toadfish swimming muscle. Parvalbumin expression and its role in muscle relaxation appear to vary widely in fishes. There are many control points involved in the calcium transient of contracting muscle, leading to a variety of species-specific solutions to the modulation of muscle relaxation.

Is high concentration of parvalbumin a requirement for superfast relaxation?

It is generally thought that the rapid relaxation of fast muscles is facilitated by the Ca(2+) binding protein parvalbumin (Parv). Indeed superfast swimbladder (SWB) muscle of toadfish contains the largest concentration of this protein ever observed (up to 1.5 mM). At 15 degrees C toadfish perform a 100 Hz call, 400 ms in duration, followed by a long (5-15 s) intercall interval. It has been proposed that Parv helps sequester the Ca(2+) during the call, and then Ca(2+) unbinds and is pumped back into the sarcoplasmic reticulum during the long intercall interval. Midshipman (Porichthys notatus) is another fish which calls at a high frequency; 80-100 Hz at a temperature of 12-15 degrees C. However, unlike toadfish, midshipman call with a 100% duty cycle. Without an intercall interval, Parv would seem of little use as it would become saturated early in calling. Here we show that the midshipman SWB has only about 1/8th of the Parv in toadfish. Moreover, total Parv content in calling male midshipman SWB was not different from that in the non-calling female and the much slower locomotory muscles. These data suggest that Parv does not play a large role in the calling of midshipman, which is accomplished without a high concentration of this protein. Native gel-electrophoresis also revealed presence of three major (PA-I, PA-II and PA-III) and two minor (PA-Ia and PA-IIIa, <5% of total content) Parv isoforms in adult toadfish SWB. Midshipman SWB contained about equal amounts of PA-I and PA-II and also a small (approximately 10%) amount of PA-III. By amino acid composition, toadfish PA-Ia and PA-I isoforms were different from PA-II and PA-III isoforms (by 24 and 14 residues, respectively).

Parvalbumin correlates with relaxation rate in the swimming muscle of sheepshead and kingfish

Parvalbumin is a muscle protein that aids in relaxation from contraction. Parvalbumin binds myoplasmic Ca(2+) during contractions, reducing calcium concentration and enhancing relaxation. Different isoforms of parvalbumin have varying affinities for calcium, and relaxation rates in skeletal muscle may be affected by variations in the isoforms of parvalbumin expressed. This study examines the effect of expression levels of parvalbumin isoforms on relaxation rate in the sheepshead, Archosargus probatocephalus (Pisces, F. Sparidae). We measured relaxation rate of each of the three fiber types, white (fast-twitch), red (slow-twitch) and pink (intermediate), from three longitudinal body positions. Sheepshead show a significant longitudinal shift in relaxation rate in red muscle, with anterior muscle displaying faster rates of relaxation than posterior, but this pattern was not significant in the pink and white muscle. We hypothesized that patterns of parvalbumin expression determine relaxation rate along the length of the fish. The prediction is that total parvalbumin content and the relative expression of parvalbumin isoforms will differ between the anterior and posterior red muscle, but little longitudinal variation will be observed in parvalbumin expression in white and pink muscle. We successfully employed protein electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) with western blots to identify two parvalbumin isoforms in each muscle fiber type. SDS-PAGE and densitometry were used to determine the relative expression levels of the two parvalbumin isoforms and total parvalbumin expression. Red muscle displays a significant shift, from anterior to posterior, in the relative expression of the two isoforms, both in their relative contribution and in total parvalbumin content, but white and pink muscle did not. The red muscle of southern kingfish, Menticirrhus americanus (Pisces, F. Scianidae) showed a pattern similar to the red muscle of sheepshead.

Sound production mechanism in carapid fish: first example with a slow sonic muscle

Fish sonic swimbladder muscles are the fastest muscles in vertebrates and have fibers with numerous biochemical and structural adaptations for speed. Carapid fishes produce sounds with a complex swimbladder mechanism, including skeletal components and extrinsic sonic muscle fibers with an exceptional helical myofibrillar structure. To study this system we stimulated the sonic muscles, described their insertion and action and generated sounds by slowly pulling the sonic muscles. We find the sonic muscles contract slowly, pulling the anterior bladder and thereby stretching a thin fenestra. Sound is generated when the tension trips a release system that causes the fenestra to snap back to its resting position. The sound frequency does not correspond to the calculated resonant frequency of the bladder, and we hypothesize that it is determined by the snapping fenestra interacting with an overlying bony swimbladder plate. To our knowledge this tension release mechanism is unique in animal sound generation.

Characterization of the primary sonic muscles in Carapus acus (Carapidae): a multidisciplinary approach

Sound production in carapid fishes results from the action of extrinsic muscles that insert into the swim bladder. Biochemical, histochemical and morphological techniques were used to examine the sonic muscles and compare them with epaxial muscles in Carapus acus. Sonic fibres are thicker than red and thinner than white epaxial fibres, and sonic fibres and myofibrils exhibit an unusual helicoidal organization: the myofibrils of the centre are in a straight line whereas they are more and more twisted towards the periphery. Sonic muscles have both features of red (numerous mitochondria, high glycogen content) and white (alkali-stable ATPase) fibres. They differ also in the isoforms of the light chain (LC3) and heavy chain (HC), in having T tubules at both the Z-line and the A-I junction and in a unique parvalbumin isoform (PAI) that may aid relaxation. All these features lead to the expression of two assumptions about sound generation: the sonic muscle should be able to perform fast and powerful contractions that provoke the forward movement of the forepart of the swim bladder and the stretching and "flapping" of the swim bladder fenestra; the helicoidal organization allows progressive drawing of the swim bladder fenestra which emits a sound when rapidly released in a spring-like manner.

Cross-bridge blocker BTS permits direct measurement of SR Ca2+ pump ATP utilization in toadfish swimbladder muscle fibers

Because the major processes involved in muscle contraction require rapid utilization of ATP, measurement of ATP utilization can provide important insights into the mechanisms of contraction. It is necessary, however, to differentiate between the contribution made by cross-bridges and that of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ pumps. Specific and potent SR Ca2+ pump blockers have been used in skinned fibers to permit direct measurement of cross-bridge ATP utilization. Up to now, there was no analogous cross-bridge blocker. Recently, N-benzyl-p-toluene sulfonamide (BTS) was found to suppress force generation at micromolar concentrations. We tested whether BTS could be used to block cross-bridge ATP utilization, thereby permitting direct measurement of SR Ca2+ pump ATP utilization in saponin-skinned fibers. At 25 microM, BTS virtually eliminates force and cross-bridge ATP utilization (both <4% of control value). By taking advantage of the toadfish swimbladder muscle's unique right shift in its force-Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]) relationship, we measured SR Ca2+ pump ATP utilization in the presence and absence of BTS. At 25 microM, BTS had no effect on SR pump ATP utilization. Hence, we used BTS to make some of the first direct measurements of ATP utilization of intact SR over a physiological range of [Ca2+]at 15 degrees C. Curve fits to SR Ca2+ pump ATP utilization vs. pCa indicate that they have much lower Hill coefficients (1.49) than that describing cross-bridge force generation vs. pCa (approximately 5). Furthermore, we found that BTS also effectively eliminates force generation in bundles of intact swimbladder muscle, suggesting that it will be an important tool for studying integrated SR function during normal motor behavior.

Concentric intermediate filament lattice links to specialized Z-band junctional complexes in sonic muscle fibers of the type I male midshipman fish

Type I male midshipman fish produce high-frequency hums for prolonged durations using sonic muscle fibers, each of which contains a hollow tube of radially oriented thin and flat myofibrils that display extraordinarily wide ( approximately 1.2 microm) Z bands. We have revealed an elaborate cytoskeletal network of desmin filaments associated with the contractile cylinder that form interconnected concentric ring structures in the core and periphery at the level of the Z bands. Stretch and release of single fibers revealed reversible length changes in the elastic desmin lattice. This lattice is linked to Z bands via novel intracellular desmosome-like junctional complexes that collectively form a ring, termed the "Z corset," around the periphery and within the core of the cylinder. The junctional complex consists of regularly spaced parallel approximately 900-nm-long cytoskeletal rods, or "Z bars," interconnected with slender (3-4 nm) plectin-positive filaments. Z bars are linked to the Z band by plectin filaments and on the opposite side to a dense mesh of desmin filaments. Adjacent Z bands are linked by slender filaments that appear to suspend sarcotubules. We propose that the highly reinforced elastic desmin cytoskeleton and the unique Z band junctions are structural adaptations that enable the muscles' high-frequency and high-endurance activity.

Optimal range for parvalbumin as relaxing agent in adult cardiac myocytes: gene transfer and mathematical modeling

Parvalbumin (PV) has recently been shown to increase the relaxation rate when expressed in intact isolated cardiac myocytes via adenovirus gene transfer. We report here a combined experimental and mathematical modeling approach to determine the dose-response and the sarcomere length (SL) shortening-frequency relationship of PV in adult rat cardiac myocytes in primary culture. The dose-response was obtained experimentally by observing the PV-transduced myocytes at different time points after gene transfer. Calcium transients and unloaded mechanical contractions were measured. The results were as follows. At low estimated [PV] (approximately 0.01 mM), contractile parameters were unchanged; at intermediate [PV], relaxation rate of the mechanical contraction and the decay rate of the calcium transient increased with little effects on amplitude; and at high [PV] (approximately 0.1 mM), relaxation rate was further increased, but the amplitudes of the mechanical contraction and the calcium transient were diminished when compared with control myocytes. The SL shortening-frequency relationship exhibited a biphasic response to increasing stimulus frequency in controls (decrease in amplitude and re-lengthening time from 0.2 to 1.0 Hz followed by an increase in these parameters from 2.0 to 4.0 Hz). The effect of PV was to flatten this frequency response. This flattening effect was partly explained by a reduction in the variation in fractional binding of PV to calcium during beats at high frequency. In conclusion, experimental results and mathematical modeling indicate that there is an optimal PV range for which relaxation rate is increased with little effect on contractile amplitude and that PV effectiveness decreases as the stimulus frequency increases.

Metabolic costs of sound production in the oyster toadfish,Opsanus tau

The energetics of mate calling has been studied in insects, frogs, birds, and mammals, but not in fishes. The oyster toadfish, Opsanus tau, produces a boatwhistle advertisement call using one of the fastest muscles known in vertebrates. Because toadfish will not boatwhistle in a respirometer, we measured oxygen consumption after eliciting sound production by electrically stimulating the sonic swim bladder muscle nerve. Induced sounds were similar to a male calling at a rapid rate. Stimulation of the sonic nerve increased the respiration rate by 40–60% in males, but they became agitated. Repeating the experiment decreased agitation, and in most fish respiration rates approximated control levels by the second or third replication. Elicited sounds and therefore sonic-muscle performance were similar in all repetitions, hence it appears that the increased oxygen consumption in the first trial was caused by the fish's agitation. Controls indicated that electrode implantation and electrical stimulation of the body cavity did not affect the respiration rate. We suggest that allocation of a small amount of the total energy budget to sound production is reasonable in toadfish, and probably most other fish species, because of the small amount of time that the sonic muscles actually contract and their small size (about 1% of body mass).

Sound-generating and -detecting motor system in catfish: design of swimbladder muscles in doradids and pimelodids

Catfishes have evolved a diversity of swimbladder muscles serving in the generation of different sounds and probably other acoustic functions. In order to find out if anatomical and acoustical differences are parallelled by fine structural differences, I examined the sonic muscles of the doradid Platydoras and the pimelodid Pimelodus by gross dissections and ultrastructural methods. In Platydoras, the sound-generating (drumming) muscle (DM) inserts on a dorsal bony plate that vibrates the swimbladder. In pimelodids, the large DM attaches directly on the ventral surface of the swimbladder, whereas the small tensor tripodis muscle (TT) inserts on the rostral surface near the tripus, the most caudal Weberian ossicle. Fibers of all three muscles possess an extensive development of sarcoplasmatic reticulum (SR) in association with very thin myofibrils (MF) but differed widely in their arrangement. In Platydoras, ribbons of MFs are arranged radially around a central core. Mitochondria were found within the core and the peripheral sarcoplasm. Pimelodus does not have a differentiated core and the cross-sectional area of DM-MFs is about 15% larger as determined by stereological measurements. The TT possesses shorter sarcomeres and more mitochondria than DMs, which were primarily found between MFs. This suggests faster contraction properties and greater resistance to fatigue compared with sonic muscles. Data indicate that the higher amount of DM-myofibrils in pimelodids might result in stronger muscle contractions and, presumably, in higher sound intensities. The fine structure of the TT reveals that contractions most likely prevent transmission of swimbladder vibrations to the inner ear via the Weberian ossicles during vocalization.

ATP utilization for calcium uptake and force production in different types of human skeletal muscle fibres

The contractile properties and ATPase activity of skinned human skeletal muscle fibres from vastus lateralis were examined. Fibre types were resolved from single fibre segments by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. ATPase activity was determined by enzymatic coupling of ATP resynthesis to the oxidation of NADH. The partitioning of ATPase activity into (a) calcium-activated activity due to actomyosin (AM) interaction, (b) calcium-activated activity of the sarcoplasmic reticular (SR) calcium pump, and (c) basal (calcium independent) activity was investigated by comparing ATP utilization before and after exposure of the preparations for 30 min to a solution containing 0.5 % Triton X-100, which effectively abolished the SR ATPase activity. Partitioning of ATPase activity was also determined by measuring ATP utilization and force at different concentrations of butanedione monoxime (BDM), which inhibits AM interaction. The results obtained with Triton X-100 and BDM were similar. At saturating Ca2+ concentrations and 20 degrees C, the AM, SR and basal ATPase activities per litre cell volume (+/- S.E.M.) amounted to 46 +/- 4, 51 +/- 4 and 19 +/- 2 muM s-1 in type I fibres (n = 21), 139 +/- 14, 69 +/- 8 and 30 +/- 3 muM s-1 in type IIA fibres (n = 25), 137 +/- 22, 175 +/- 28 and 26 +/- 8 muM s-1 in type IIA/B fibres (n = 4) and 108 +/- 13, 169 +/- 42 and 32 +/- 8 muM s-1 in type IIB fibres (n = 2). These results indicate that ATP utilization for SR Ca2+ pumping in fast fibres is considerably larger than in slow fibres. The SR ATPase activity in human muscle represents a considerable fraction of the total (AM + SR + basal) ATPase activity.

Superfast contractions without superfast energetics: ATP usage by SR-Ca2+ pumps and crossbridges in toadfish swimbladder muscle

1. The rate at which an isometrically contracting muscle uses energy is thought to be proportional to its twitch speed. In both slow and fast muscles, however, a constant proportion (25-40 %) of the total energy has been found to be used by SR-Ca2+ pumps and the remainder by crossbridges. We examined whether SR-Ca2+ pumps account for a larger proportion of the energy in the fastest vertebrate muscle known (the toadfish swimbladder), and whether the swimbladder muscle utilizes energy at the superfast rate one would predict from its mechanics. 2. The ATP utilization rates of the SR-Ca2+ pumps and crossbridges were measured using a coupled assay system on fibres skinned with saponin. Surprisingly, despite its superfast twitch speed, the ATP utilization rate of swimbladder was no higher than that of much slower fast-twitch amphibian muscles. 3. The swimbladder achieves tremendous twitch speeds with a modest steady-state ATP utilization rate by employing two mechanisms: having a small number of attached crossbridges and probably utilizing intracellular Ca2+ buffers (parvalbumin) to spread out the time over which Ca2+ pumping can occur. 4. Finally, although the total ATP utilization rate was not as rapid as expected, the relative proportions used by SR-Ca2+ pumps and the crossbridges were similar to other muscles.

Effects of fish size and temperature on weakfish disturbance calls: implications for the mechanism of sound generation

To categorize variation in disturbance calls of the weakfish Cynoscion regalis and to understand their generation, we recorded sounds produced by different-sized fish, and by similar-sized fish at different temperatures, as well as muscle electromyograms. Single, simultaneous twitches of the bilateral sonic muscles produce a single sound pulse consisting of a two- to three-cycle acoustic waveform. Typical disturbance calls at 18 degrees C consist of trains of 2–15 pulses with a sound pressure level (SPL) of 74 dB re 20 microPa at 10 cm, a peak frequency of 540 Hz, a repetition rate of 20 Hz and a pulse duration of 3.5 ms. The pulse duration suggests an incredibly short twitch time. Sound pressure level (SPL) and pulse duration increase and dominant frequency decreases in larger fish, whereas SPL, repetition rate and dominant frequency increase and pulse duration decreases with increasing temperature. The dominant frequency is inversely related to pulse duration and appears to be determined by the duration of muscle contraction. We suggest that the lower dominant frequency of larger fish is caused by a longer pulse (=longer muscle twitch) and not by the lower resonant frequency of a larger swimbladder.