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Oefele M, Hau M, Ruuskanen S, Casagrande S. Mitochondrial function is enhanced by thyroid hormones during zebra finch development. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:240417. [PMID: 39086825 PMCID: PMC11288688 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.240417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Revised: 06/25/2024] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024]
Abstract
An organism's response to its environment is largely determined by changes in the energy supplied by aerobic mitochondrial metabolism via adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production. ATP is especially important under energy-demanding conditions, such as during rapid growth. It is currently poorly understood how environmental factors influence energy metabolism and mitochondrial functioning, but recent studies suggest the role of thyroid hormones (TH). TH are key regulators of growth and metabolism and can be flexibly adjusted to environmental conditions, such as environmental temperature or food availability. To test whether TH enhancement is causally linked to mitochondrial function and growth, we provided TH orally at physiological concentrations during the main growth phase in zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) nestlings reared in a challenging environment. TH treatment accelerated maximal mitochondrial working capacity-a trait that reflects mitochondrial ATP production, without affecting growth. To our knowledge, this is the first study to characterize the regulation of mitochondria by TH during development in a semi-naturalistic context and to address implications for fitness-related traits, such as growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlene Oefele
- Evolutionary Physiology Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Eberhard-Gwinner-Strasse, Seewiesen82319, Germany
| | - Michaela Hau
- Evolutionary Physiology Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Eberhard-Gwinner-Strasse, Seewiesen82319, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, KonstanzD-78464, Germany
| | - Suvi Ruuskanen
- Environmental Physiology Research Group, University of Jyväskylä, Seminaarinkatu 15, University of Jyväskylä, JyväskyläFI-40014, Finland
| | - Stefania Casagrande
- Evolutionary Physiology Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Eberhard-Gwinner-Strasse, Seewiesen82319, Germany
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2
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Jouanneau W, Léandri-Breton DJ, Herzke D, Moe B, Nikiforov VA, Pallud M, Parenteau C, Gabrielsen GW, Chastel O. Does contaminant exposure disrupt maternal hormones deposition? A study on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in an Arctic seabird. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 868:161413. [PMID: 36621503 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2022] [Revised: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Maternal effects are thought to be essential tools for females to modulate offspring development. The selective deposition of avian maternal hormones could therefore allow females to strategically adjust the phenotype of their offspring to the environmental situation encountered. However, at the time of egg formation, several contaminants are also transferred to the egg, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) which are ubiquitous organic contaminants with endocrine disrupting properties. It is, however, unknown if they can disrupt maternal hormone deposition. In this study we explored relationships between female PFAS burden and maternal deposition in the eggs of steroids (dihydrotestosterone, androstenedione and testosterone), glucocorticoids (corticosterone) and thyroid hormones (triiodothyronine and thyroxine) in a population of the Arctic-breeding black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla). Egg yolk hormone levels were unrelated to female hormone plasma levels. Second-laid eggs had significantly lower concentrations of androstenedione than first-laid eggs. Triiodothyronine yolk levels were decreasing with increasing egg mass but increasing with increasing females' body condition. Testosterone was the only transferred yolk hormone correlated to maternal PFAS burden: specifically, we found a positive correlation between testosterone in yolks and circulating maternal perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDcA) and perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA) in first-laid eggs. This correlative study provides a first insight into the potential of some long-chain perfluoroalkyl acids to disrupt maternal hormones deposition in eggs and raises the question about the consequences of increased testosterone deposition on the developing embryo.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Jouanneau
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS - La Rochelle Université, 17031 La Rochelle, France; Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, NO-9296 Tromsø, Norway.
| | - Don-Jean Léandri-Breton
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS - La Rochelle Université, 17031 La Rochelle, France; Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste Anne-de-Bellevue, QC H9X 3V9, Canada
| | - Dorte Herzke
- NILU - Norwegian Institute for Air Research, Fram Centre, NO-9296 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Børge Moe
- NINA - Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, NO-7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Vladimir A Nikiforov
- NILU - Norwegian Institute for Air Research, Fram Centre, NO-9296 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Marie Pallud
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS - La Rochelle Université, 17031 La Rochelle, France
| | - Charline Parenteau
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS - La Rochelle Université, 17031 La Rochelle, France
| | | | - Olivier Chastel
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS - La Rochelle Université, 17031 La Rochelle, France
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Hsu B, Pakanen V, Boner W, Doligez B, Eeva T, Groothuis TGG, Korpimäki E, Laaksonen T, Lelono A, Monaghan P, Sarraude T, Thomson RL, Tolvanen J, Tschirren B, Vásquez RA, Ruuskanen S. Maternally transferred thyroid hormones and life-history variation in birds. J Anim Ecol 2022; 91:1489-1506. [PMID: 35470435 PMCID: PMC9546341 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
In vertebrates, thyroid hormones (THs) play an important role in the regulation of growth, development, metabolism, photoperiodic responses and migration. Maternally transferred THs are important for normal early phase embryonic development when embryos are not able to produce endogenous THs. Previous studies have shown that variation in maternal THs within the physiological range can influence offspring phenotype. Given the essential functions of maternal THs in development and metabolism, THs may be a mediator of life-history variation across species. We tested the hypothesis that differences in life histories are associated with differences in maternal TH transfer across species. Using birds as a model, we specifically tested whether maternally transferred yolk THs covary with migratory status, developmental mode and traits related to pace-of-life (e.g. basal metabolic rate, maximum life span). We collected un-incubated eggs (n = 1-21 eggs per species, median = 7) from 34 wild and captive bird species across 17 families and six orders to measure yolk THs [both triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4)], compiled life-history trait data from the literature and used Bayesian phylogenetic mixed models to test our hypotheses. Our models indicated that both concentrations and total amounts of the two main forms of THs (T3 and T4) were higher in the eggs of migratory species compared to resident species, and total amounts were higher in the eggs of precocial species, which have longer prenatal developmental periods, than in those of altricial species. However, maternal yolk THs did not show clear associations with pace-of-life-related traits, such as fecundity, basal metabolic rate or maximum life span. We quantified interspecific variation in maternal yolk THs in birds, and our findings suggest higher maternal TH transfer is associated with the precocial mode of development and migratory status. Whether maternal THs represent a part of the mechanism underlying the evolution of precocial development and migration or a consequence of such life histories is currently unclear. We therefore encourage further studies to explore the physiological mechanisms and evolutionary processes underlying these patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin‐Yan Hsu
- Department of BiologyUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
| | - Veli‐Matti Pakanen
- Ecology and Genetics Research UnitUniversity of OuluOuluFinland
- Department of Biological and Environmental SciencesUniversity of GothenburgGothenburgSweden
| | - Winnie Boner
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Healthy and Comparative MedicineUniversity of GlasgowGlasgowUK
| | - Blandine Doligez
- Department of Biometry and Evolutionary Biology, CNRS UMR 5558Université de Lyon 1VilleurbanneFrance
| | - Tapio Eeva
- Department of BiologyUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
| | - Ton G. G. Groothuis
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES)University of GroningenGroningenThe Netherlands
| | | | | | - Asmoro Lelono
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES)University of GroningenGroningenThe Netherlands
- Biology Department, Natural Sciences and Mathematics FacultyJember University of IndonesiaJemberIndonesia
| | - Pat Monaghan
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Healthy and Comparative MedicineUniversity of GlasgowGlasgowUK
| | - Tom Sarraude
- Department of BiologyUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES)University of GroningenGroningenThe Netherlands
| | - Robert L. Thomson
- Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST‐NRF Centre of ExcellenceUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
| | - Jere Tolvanen
- Ecology and Genetics Research UnitUniversity of OuluOuluFinland
| | | | - Rodrigo A. Vásquez
- Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de CienciasUniversidad de ChileSantiagoChile
| | - Suvi Ruuskanen
- Department of BiologyUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
- Department of Biological and Environmental SciencesUniversity of JyväskyläJyväskyläFinland
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Cossin-Sevrin N, Hsu BY, Marciau C, Viblanc VA, Ruuskanen S, Stier A. Effect of prenatal glucocorticoids and thyroid hormones on developmental plasticity of mitochondrial aerobic metabolism, growth and survival: an experimental test in wild great tits. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:jeb243414. [PMID: 35420125 PMCID: PMC10216743 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Developmental plasticity is partly mediated by transgenerational effects, including those mediated by the maternal endocrine system. Glucocorticoid and thyroid hormones may play central roles in developmental programming through their action on metabolism and growth. However, the mechanisms by which they affect growth and development remain understudied. One hypothesis is that maternal hormones directly affect the production and availability of energy-carrying molecules (e.g. ATP) by their action on mitochondrial function. To test this hypothesis, we experimentally increased glucocorticoid and thyroid hormones in wild great tit eggs (Parus major) to investigate their impact on offspring mitochondrial aerobic metabolism (measured in blood cells), and subsequent growth and survival. We show that prenatal glucocorticoid supplementation affected offspring cellular aerobic metabolism by decreasing mitochondrial density, maximal mitochondrial respiration and oxidative phosphorylation, while increasing the proportion of the maximum capacity being used under endogenous conditions. Prenatal glucocorticoid supplementation only had mild effects on offspring body mass, size and condition during the rearing period, but led to a sex-specific (females only) decrease in body mass a few months after fledging. Contrary to our expectations, thyroid hormone supplementation did not affect offspring growth or mitochondrial metabolism. Recapture probability as juveniles or adults was not significantly affected by prenatal hormonal treatment. Our results demonstrate that prenatal glucocorticoids can affect post-natal mitochondrial density and aerobic metabolism. The weak effects on growth and apparent survival suggest that nestlings were mostly able to compensate for the transient decrease in mitochondrial aerobic metabolism induced by prenatal glucocorticoids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Cossin-Sevrin
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland
- Université de Strasbourg, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, UMR 7178, 67087 Strasbourg, France
| | - Bin-Yan Hsu
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland
| | - Coline Marciau
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Battery Point, TAS 7004, Australia
| | - Vincent A. Viblanc
- Université de Strasbourg, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, UMR 7178, 67087 Strasbourg, France
| | - Suvi Ruuskanen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, FI-40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Antoine Stier
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, ENTPE, UMR 5023 LEHNA, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France
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Kärkkäinen T, Teerikorpi P, Schuett W, Stier A, Laaksonen T. Interplays between pre- and post-natal environments affect early-life mortality, body mass and telomere dynamics in the wild. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:jeb231290. [PMID: 33234683 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.231290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Early-life conditions are crucial determinants of phenotype and fitness. The effects of pre- and post-natal conditions on fitness prospects have been widely studied but their interactive effects have received less attention. In birds, asynchronous hatching creates challenging developmental conditions for the last-hatched chicks, but differential allocation in last-laid eggs might help to compensate this initial handicap. The relative importance and potential interaction between pre- and post-hatching developmental conditions for different fitness components remains mostly unknown. We manipulated hatching order in wild pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca), creating three groups: natural asynchrony (last-laid eggs hatching last), reversed asynchrony (last-laid eggs hatching first) and hatching synchrony (all eggs hatching at once). We examined the effects of these manipulations on early-life survival, growth and telomere length, a potential cellular biomarker of fitness prospects. Mortality was mostly affected by hatching order, with last-hatched chicks being more likely to die. Early-life telomere dynamics and growth were influenced by the interplays between laying and hatching order. Last-laid but first-hatched chicks were heavier but had shorter telomeres 5 days after hatching than their siblings, indicating rapid early growth with potential adverse consequences on telomere length. Synchronous chicks did not suffer any apparent cost of hatching synchronously. Impaired phenotypes only occurred when reversing the natural hatching order (i.e. developmental mismatch), suggesting that maternal investment in last-laid eggs might indeed counterbalance the initial handicap of last-hatched chicks. Our experimental study thus highlights that potential interplays between pre- and post-natal environments are likely to shape fitness prospects in the wild.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiia Kärkkäinen
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, Finland
| | | | - Wiebke Schuett
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QG, United Kingdom
- Department of Biology, Institute of Zoology, Universität Hamburg, D-20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Antoine Stier
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, Finland
- Collage of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Toni Laaksonen
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, Finland
- Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE), 20520 Turku, Finland
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6
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Sarraude T, Hsu BY, Groothuis T, Ruuskanen S. Testing the short-and long-term effects of elevated prenatal exposure to different forms of thyroid hormones. PeerJ 2020; 8:e10175. [PMID: 33088630 PMCID: PMC7571413 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Maternal thyroid hormones (THs) are known to be crucial in embryonic development in humans, but their influence on other, especially wild, animals remains poorly understood. So far, the studies that experimentally investigated the consequences of maternal THs focused on short-term effects, while early organisational effects with long-term consequences, as shown for other prenatal hormones, could also be expected. In this study, we aimed at investigating both the short- and long-term effects of prenatal THs in a bird species, the Japanese quail Coturnix japonica. We experimentally elevated yolk TH content (the prohormone T4, and its active metabolite T3, as well as a combination of both hormones). We analysed hatching success, embryonic development, offspring growth and oxidative stress as well as their potential organisational effects on reproduction, moult and oxidative stress in adulthood. We found that eggs injected with T4 had a higher hatching success compared with control eggs, suggesting conversion of T4 into T3 by the embryo. We detected no evidence for other short-term or long-term effects of yolk THs. These results suggest that yolk THs are important in the embryonic stage of precocial birds, but other short- and long-term consequences remain unclear. Research on maternal THs will greatly benefit from studies investigating how embryos use and respond to this maternal signalling. Long-term studies on prenatal THs in other taxa in the wild are needed for a better understanding of this hormone-mediated maternal pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Sarraude
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Bin-Yan Hsu
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Ton Groothuis
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Suvi Ruuskanen
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
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Hsu BY, Sarraude T, Cossin-Sevrin N, Crombecque M, Stier A, Ruuskanen S. Testing for context-dependent effects of prenatal thyroid hormones on offspring survival and physiology: an experimental temperature manipulation. Sci Rep 2020; 10:14563. [PMID: 32884067 PMCID: PMC7471313 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-71511-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Maternal effects via hormonal transfer from the mother to the offspring provide a tool to translate environmental cues to the offspring. Experimental manipulations of maternally transferred hormones have yielded increasingly contradictory results, which may be explained by differential effects of hormones under different environmental contexts. Yet context-dependent effects have rarely been experimentally tested. We therefore studied whether maternally transferred thyroid hormones (THs) exert context-dependent effects on offspring survival and physiology by manipulating both egg TH levels and post-hatching nest temperature in wild pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) using a full factorial design. We found no clear evidence for context-dependent effects of prenatal THs related to postnatal temperature on growth, survival and potential underlying physiological responses (plasma TH levels, oxidative stress and mitochondrial density). We conclude that future studies should test for other key environmental conditions, such as food availability, to understand potential context-dependent effects of maternally transmitted hormones on offspring, and their role in adapting to changing environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin-Yan Hsu
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
| | - Tom Sarraude
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- GELIFES, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Nina Cossin-Sevrin
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Mélanie Crombecque
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Antoine Stier
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health, and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Suvi Ruuskanen
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
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