1
|
Xu JH, Xu XY, Huang XY, Chen KX, Wen H, Li M, Liu JS. Long-term fasting induced basal thermogenesis flexibility in female Japanese quails. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2024; 292:111611. [PMID: 38432457 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2024.111611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
Male Japanese quails (Coturnix japonica) have been found to exhibit a three-phase metabolic change when subjected to prolonged fasting, during which basal thermogenesis is significantly reduced. A study had shown that there is a significant difference in the body temperature between male and female Japanese quails. However, whether female Japanese quails also show the same characteristic three-phase metabolic change during prolonged fasting and the underlying thermogenesis mechanisms associated with such changes are still unclear. In this study, female Japanese quails were subjected to prolonged starvation, and the body mass, basal metabolic rate (BMR), body temperature, mass of tissues and organs, body fat content, the state-4 respiration (S4R) and cytochrome c oxidase (CCO) activity in the muscle and liver of these birds were measured to determine the status of metabolic changes triggered by the starvation. In addition, the levels of glucose, triglyceride (TG) and uric acid, and thyroid hormones (T3 and T4) in the serum and the mRNA levels of myostatin (MSTN) and avian uncoupling protein (av-UCP) in the muscle were also measured. The results revealed the existence of a three-phase stage similar to that found in male Japanese quails undergoing prolonged starvation. Fasting resulted in significantly lower body mass, BMR, body temperature, tissues masses and most organs masses, as well as S4R and CCO activity in the muscle and liver. The mRNA level of av-UCP decreased during fasting, while that of MSTN increased but only during Phase I and II and decreased significantly during Phase III. Fasting also significantly lowered the T3 level and the ratio of T3/T4 in the serum. These results indicated that female Japanese quails showed an adaptive response in basal thermogenesis at multiple hierarchical levels, from organismal to biochemical, enzyme and cellular level, gene and endocrine levels and this integrated adjustment could be a part of the adaptation used by female quails to survive long-term fasting.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jie-Heng Xu
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University Chashan University Town, Wenzhou 325035, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Water Environment and Marine Biological Resources Protection, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Xin-Yu Xu
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University Chashan University Town, Wenzhou 325035, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Water Environment and Marine Biological Resources Protection, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Xing-Yu Huang
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University Chashan University Town, Wenzhou 325035, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Water Environment and Marine Biological Resources Protection, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Ke-Xin Chen
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University Chashan University Town, Wenzhou 325035, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Water Environment and Marine Biological Resources Protection, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China
| | - He Wen
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University Chashan University Town, Wenzhou 325035, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Water Environment and Marine Biological Resources Protection, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Ming Li
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University Chashan University Town, Wenzhou 325035, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Water Environment and Marine Biological Resources Protection, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China.
| | - Jin-Song Liu
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University Chashan University Town, Wenzhou 325035, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Water Environment and Marine Biological Resources Protection, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Elowe CR, Babbitt C, Gerson AR. White-throated sparrow ( Zonotrichia albicollis) liver and pectoralis flight muscle transcriptomic changes in preparation for migration. Physiol Genomics 2023; 55:544-556. [PMID: 37694280 DOI: 10.1152/physiolgenomics.00018.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Migratory songbirds undertake challenging journeys to reach their breeding grounds each spring. They accomplish these nonstop flapping feats of endurance through a suite of physiological changes, including the development of substantial fat stores and flight muscle hypertrophy and an increased capacity for fat catabolism. In addition, migratory birds may show large reductions in organ masses during flight, including the flight muscle and liver, which they must rapidly rebuild during their migratory stopover before replenishing their fat stores. However, the molecular basis of this capacity for rapid tissue remodeling and energetic output has not been thoroughly investigated. We performed RNA-sequencing analysis of the liver and pectoralis flight muscle of captive white-throated sparrows in experimentally photostimulated migratory and nonmigratory condition to explore the mechanisms of seasonal change to metabolism and tissue mass regulation that may facilitate these migratory journeys. Based on transcriptional changes, we propose that tissue-specific adjustments in preparation for migration may alleviate the damaging effects of long-duration activity, including a potential increase to the inflammatory response in the muscle. Furthermore, we hypothesize that seasonal hypertrophy balances satellite cell recruitment and apoptosis, while little evidence appeared in the transcriptome to support myostatin-, insulin-like growth factor 1-, and mammalian target of rapamycin-mediated pathways for muscle growth. These findings can encourage more targeted molecular studies on the unique integration of pathways that we find in the development of the migratory endurance phenotype in songbirds.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Migratory songbirds undergo significant physiological changes to accomplish their impressive migratory journeys. However, we have a limited understanding of the regulatory mechanisms underlying these changes. Here, we explore the transcriptomic changes to the flight muscle and liver of white-throated sparrows as they develop the migratory condition. We use these patterns to develop hypotheses about metabolic flexibility and tissue restructuring in preparation for migration.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cory R Elowe
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States
- Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Courtney Babbitt
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States
- Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Alexander R Gerson
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States
- Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Li C, Liu C, Hu P, Zheng X, Li M, Liu J. Seasonal adjustments in body mass and basal thermogenesis in Chinese hwameis (Garrulax canorus): the roles of temperature and photoperiod. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:276431. [PMID: 36004672 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.244502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
For small birds to survive during seasonal acclimatization in temperate zones, regulation of body mass and thermogenesis is crucial. To determine the role of temperature and photoperiod in seasonal changes in body mass and thermogenesis in Chinese hwameis (Garrulax canorus), we compared body mass, basal metabolic rate (BMR), energy intake and cellular metabolic capacity of the tissue (muscle) and/ or organs (liver, kidney, heart and small intestine) in seasonally acclimatized and laboratory acclimated hwameis. A significant seasonal influence on body mass and BMR (which peaked in winter) was found, and these variations were mirrored by exposing the housed birds to cold temperatures or a short photoperiod. The level of dry matter intake, gross energy intake and digestible energy intake were higher during winter, and in housed animals that were exposed to cold temperatures. These results suggest that by increasing energy intake and thermogenesis, Chinese hwameis can overcome winter thermoregulatory challenges. When compared with warm-acclimated birds, cold-acclimated birds displayed higher mass-specific and whole-organ state 4 respiration in the muscle, liver and kidney, and higher mass-specific and whole-organ cytochrome c oxidase activity in the liver. These data demonstrated that the cellular thermogenesis partly underpins basal thermoregulation in Chinese hwameis. Cold temperature and short photoperiod can be used as helpful environmental cues during seasonal acclimatization. However, the role of temperature is more significant compared with that of photoperiod in Chinese hwameis, the changes in energy metabolism and thermoregulation induced by temperature appear to be intensified by photoperiod.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chenxing Li
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Chenyu Liu
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Pingxia Hu
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Xiyu Zheng
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Ming Li
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Jinsong Liu
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Swanson DL, Zhang Y, Jimenez AG. Skeletal muscle and metabolic flexibility in response to changing energy demands in wild birds. Front Physiol 2022; 13:961392. [PMID: 35936893 PMCID: PMC9353400 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.961392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Phenotypically plastic responses of animals to adjust to environmental variation are pervasive. Reversible plasticity (i.e., phenotypic flexibility), where adult phenotypes can be reversibly altered according to prevailing environmental conditions, allow for better matching of phenotypes to the environment and can generate fitness benefits but may also be associated with costs that trade-off with capacity for flexibility. Here, we review the literature on avian metabolic and muscle plasticity in response to season, temperature, migration and experimental manipulation of flight costs, and employ an integrative approach to explore the phenotypic flexibility of metabolic rates and skeletal muscle in wild birds. Basal (minimum maintenance metabolic rate) and summit (maximum cold-induced metabolic rate) metabolic rates are flexible traits in birds, typically increasing with increasing energy demands. Because skeletal muscles are important for energy use at the organismal level, especially to maximum rates of energy use during exercise or shivering thermogenesis, we consider flexibility of skeletal muscle at the tissue and ultrastructural levels in response to variations in the thermal environment and in workloads due to flight exercise. We also examine two major muscle remodeling regulatory pathways: myostatin and insulin-like growth factor -1 (IGF-1). Changes in myostatin and IGF-1 pathways are sometimes, but not always, regulated in a manner consistent with metabolic rate and muscle mass flexibility in response to changing energy demands in wild birds, but few studies have examined such variation so additional study is needed to fully understand roles for these pathways in regulating metabolic flexibility in birds. Muscle ultrastrutural variation in terms of muscle fiber diameter and associated myonuclear domain (MND) in birds is plastic and highly responsive to thermal variation and increases in workload, however, only a few studies have examined ultrastructural flexibility in avian muscle. Additionally, the relationship between myostatin, IGF-1, and satellite cell (SC) proliferation as it relates to avian muscle flexibility has not been addressed in birds and represents a promising avenue for future study.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David L. Swanson
- Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, United States
| | - Yufeng Zhang
- College of Health Science, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, United States
| | - Ana Gabriela Jimenez
- Department of Biology, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY, United States
- *Correspondence: Ana Gabriela Jimenez,
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Milbergue MS, Vézina F, Desrosiers V, Blier PU. How does mitochondrial function relate to thermogenic capacity and basal metabolic rate in small birds? J Exp Biol 2022; 225:275832. [PMID: 35762381 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.242612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
We investigated the role of mitochondrial function in the avian thermoregulatory response to a cold environment. Using black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) acclimated to cold (-10°C) and thermoneutral (27°C) temperatures, we expected to observe an upregulation of pectoralis muscle and liver respiratory capacity that would be visible in mitochondrial adjustments in cold-acclimated birds. We also predicted that these adjustments would correlate with thermogenic capacity (Msum) and basal metabolic rate (BMR). Using tissue high-resolution respirometry, mitochondrial performance was measured as respiration rate triggered by proton leak and the activity of complex I (OXPHOSCI) and complex I+II (OXPHOSCI+CII) in the liver and pectoralis muscle. The activity of citrate synthase (CS) and cytochrome c oxidase (CCO) was also used as a marker of mitochondrial density. We found 20% higher total CS activity in the whole pectoralis muscle and 39% higher total CCO activity in the whole liver of cold-acclimated chickadees relative to that of birds kept at thermoneutrality. This indicates that cold acclimation increased overall aerobic capacity of these tissues. Msum correlated positively with mitochondrial proton leak in the muscle of cold-acclimated birds while BMR correlated with OXPHOSCI in the liver with a pattern that differed between treatments. Consequently, this study revealed a divergence in mitochondrial metabolism between thermal acclimation states in birds. Some functions of the mitochondria covary with thermogenic capacity and basal maintenance costs in patterns that are dependent on temperature and body mass.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Myriam S Milbergue
- Département de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, 300 Allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, QC, Canada, G5L 3A1.,Groupe de Recherche sur les Environnements Nordique BORÉAS
| | - François Vézina
- Département de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, 300 Allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, QC, Canada, G5L 3A1.,Groupe de Recherche sur les Environnements Nordique BORÉAS.,Centre d'Études Nordiques
| | | | - Pierre U Blier
- Département de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, 300 Allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, QC, Canada, G5L 3A1.,Groupe de Recherche sur les Environnements Nordique BORÉAS.,Centre de la Science de la Biodiversité du Québec, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Vézina F, Cornelius Ruhs E, O'Connor ES, Le Pogam A, Régimbald L, Love OP, Jimenez AG. Consequences of being phenotypically mismatched with the environment: rapid muscle ultrastructural changes in cold-shocked black-capped chickadees ( Poecile atricapillus). Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2019; 318:R274-R283. [PMID: 31823671 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00203.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Phenotypic flexibility has received considerable attention in the last decade; however, whereas many studies have reported amplitude of variation in phenotypic traits, much less attention has focused on the rate at which traits can adjust in response to sudden changes in the environment. We investigated whole animal and muscle phenotypic changes occurring in black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) acclimated to cold (-5°C) and warm (20°C) temperatures in the first 3 h following a 15°C temperature drop (over 3 h). Before the temperature change, cold-acclimated birds were consuming 95% more food, were carrying twice as much body fat, and had 23% larger pectoralis muscle fiber diameters than individuals kept at 20°C. In the 3 h following the temperature drop, these same birds altered their pectoralis muscle ultrastructure by increasing the number of capillaries per fiber area and the number of nuclei per millimeter of fiber by 22%, consequently leading to a 22% decrease in myonuclear domain (amount of cytoplasm serviced per nucleus), whereas no such changes were observed in the warm-acclimated birds. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of such a rapid adjustment in muscle fiber ultrastructure in vertebrates. These results support the hypothesis that chickadees maintaining a cold phenotype are better prepared than warm-phenotype individuals to respond to a sudden decline in temperature, such as what may be experienced in their natural wintering environment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- François Vézina
- Départment de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, Groupe de Recherche sur les Environnements Nordiques BORÉAS, Centre d'études Nordiques, Centre de la Science de la Biodiversité du Québec Université du Québec à Rimouski, Québec, Canada
| | - Emily Cornelius Ruhs
- Départment de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, Groupe de Recherche sur les Environnements Nordiques BORÉAS, Centre d'études Nordiques, Centre de la Science de la Biodiversité du Québec Université du Québec à Rimouski, Québec, Canada
| | - Erin S O'Connor
- Department of Biology, Colgate University, Hamilton, New York
| | - Audrey Le Pogam
- Départment de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, Groupe de Recherche sur les Environnements Nordiques BORÉAS, Centre d'études Nordiques, Centre de la Science de la Biodiversité du Québec Université du Québec à Rimouski, Québec, Canada
| | - Lyette Régimbald
- Départment de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, Groupe de Recherche sur les Environnements Nordiques BORÉAS, Centre d'études Nordiques, Centre de la Science de la Biodiversité du Québec Université du Québec à Rimouski, Québec, Canada
| | - Oliver P Love
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada
| | | |
Collapse
|
7
|
Swanson DL, King MO, Culver W, Zhang Y. Within-winter flexibility in muscle and heart lipid transport and catabolism in passerine birds. J Comp Physiol B 2019; 189:451-462. [PMID: 31076837 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-019-01218-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2019] [Revised: 04/11/2019] [Accepted: 04/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Small birds in cold climates may show within-winter metabolic flexibility to match metabolic capacities to prevailing weather conditions. This flexibility may occur over periods of days to weeks, but the underlying mechanisms for such flexibility are not well understood. Because lipids are the primary fuel for sustained thermogenesis, we examined whether lipid transport and catabolism can mediate within-winter metabolic flexibility in two small temperate-zone wintering passerine birds, dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis) and house sparrows (Passer domesticus). We used simple and multiple regression analyses to test for correlations of several lipid transporters in pectoralis muscle (plasma membrane-bound and cytosolic fatty acid-binding proteins, FABP; fatty acyl translocase, FAT/CD36) and regulatory enzymes (carnitine acyl transferase, CPT; β-hydroxyacyl CoA dehydrogenase, HOAD) in pectoralis and heart with short-term (ST, 0-7 days), medium-term (MT, 14-30 days) and long-term (LT, 30-year mean daily and extreme minimum temperatures, day of winter season) temperature variables. We hypothesized negative correlations between these regulators and temperature variables. Juncos showed negative correlations for FABPs with ST or MT temperature variables, but other lipid transporters and regulatory enzymes showed positive correlations with ST or MT temperatures for juncos, suggesting no consistent pathway-wide response to within-winter temperatures. LT temperature variables showed several significant associations with lipid transporters and enzymes for juncos, but also not in consistent directions. House sparrows showed the expected negative correlations with LT temperatures for FABPpm, but positive correlations with temperature variables for FABPc, CPT and HOAD. Different species-specific patterns of variation and the absence of consistent pathway-wide responses to temperature suggest that the lipid transport and catabolism pathway is not a uniform mediator of within-winter metabolic flexibility among small birds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David L Swanson
- Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, 414 East Clark Street, Vermillion, SD, 57069, USA.
| | - Marisa O King
- Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, 414 East Clark Street, Vermillion, SD, 57069, USA
- Department of Biology, Grand View University, 1200 Grandview Ave, Des Moines, IA, 50316, USA
| | - William Culver
- Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, 414 East Clark Street, Vermillion, SD, 57069, USA
- Department of Wildlife, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA, 95521, USA
- Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, 205 Duck Pond Drive, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Yufeng Zhang
- Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, 414 East Clark Street, Vermillion, SD, 57069, USA
- School of Health Studies, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, 38152, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Zhang Y, Yap KN, Williams TD, Swanson DL. Experimental Increases in Foraging Costs Affect Pectoralis Muscle Mass and Myostatin Expression in Female, but Not Male, Zebra Finches (Taeniopygia guttata). Physiol Biochem Zool 2018; 91:849-858. [DOI: 10.1086/697153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
|