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Stevenson TJ. An introduction to the Special Issue on seasonal rhythms in birds and mammals. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART A: ECOLOGICAL AND INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 337:871-872. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.2668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tyler J. Stevenson
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine University of Glasgow Glasgow UK
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2
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Rosvall KA. Evolutionary endocrinology and the problem of Darwin's tangled bank. Horm Behav 2022; 146:105246. [PMID: 36029721 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Revised: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Like Darwin's tangled bank of biodiversity, the endocrine mechanisms that give rise to phenotypic diversity also exhibit nearly endless forms. This tangled bank of mechanistic diversity can prove problematic as we seek general principles on the role of endocrine mechanisms in phenotypic evolution. A key unresolved question is therefore: to what degree are specific endocrine mechanisms re-used to bring about replicated phenotypic evolution? Related areas of inquiry are booming in molecular ecology, but behavioral traits are underrepresented in this literature. Here, I leverage the rich comparative tradition in evolutionary endocrinology to evaluate whether and how certain mechanisms may be repeated hotspots of behavioral evolutionary change. At one extreme, mechanisms may be parallel, such that evolution repeatedly uses the same gene or pathway to arrive at multiple independent (or, convergent) origins of a particular behavioral trait. At the other extreme, the building blocks of behavior may be unique, such that outwardly similar phenotypes are generated via lineage-specific mechanisms. This review synthesizes existing case studies, phylogenetic analyses, and experimental evolutionary research on mechanistic parallelism in animal behavior. These examples show that the endocrine building blocks of behavior have some elements of parallelism across replicated evolutionary events. However, support for parallelism is variable among studies, at least some of which relates to the level of complexity at which we consider sameness (i.e. pathway vs. gene level). Moving forward, we need continued experimentation and better testing of neutral models to understand whether, how - and critically, why - mechanism A is used in one lineage and mechanism B is used in another. We also need continued growth of large-scale comparative analyses, especially those that can evaluate which endocrine parameters are more or less likely to undergo parallel evolution alongside specific behavioral traits. These efforts will ultimately deepen understanding of how and why hormone-mediated behaviors are constructed the way that they are.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly A Rosvall
- Indiana University, Bloomington, USA; Department of Biology, USA; Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, USA.
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3
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Munley KM, Wade KL, Pradhan DS. Uncovering the seasonal brain: Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) as a biochemical approach for studying seasonal social behaviors. Horm Behav 2022; 142:105161. [PMID: 35339904 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Revised: 03/12/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Many animals show pronounced changes in physiology and behavior across the annual cycle, and these adaptations enable individuals to prioritize investing in the neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying reproduction and/or survival based on the time of year. While prior research has offered valuable insight into how seasonal variation in neuroendocrine processes regulates social behavior, the majority of these studies have investigated how a single hormone influences a single behavioral phenotype. Given that hormones are synthesized and metabolized via complex biochemical pathways and often act in concert to control social behavior, these approaches provide a limited view of how hormones regulate seasonal changes in behavior. In this review, we discuss how seasonal influences on hormones, the brain, and social behavior can be studied using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), an analytical chemistry technique that enables researchers to simultaneously quantify the concentrations of multiple hormones and the activities of their synthetic enzymes. First, we examine studies that have investigated seasonal plasticity in brain-behavior interactions, specifically by focusing on how two groups of hormones, sex steroids and nonapeptides, regulate sexual and aggressive behavior. Then, we explain the operations of LC-MS/MS, highlight studies that have used LC-MS/MS to study the neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying social behavior, both within and outside of a seasonal context, and discuss potential applications for LC-MS/MS in the field of behavioral neuroendocrinology. We propose that this cutting-edge technology will provide a more comprehensive understanding of how the multitude of hormones that comprise complex neuroendocrine networks affect seasonal variation in the brain and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen M Munley
- Department of Biology and Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
| | - Kristina L Wade
- Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID 83209, USA
| | - Devaleena S Pradhan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID 83209, USA
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4
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Word KR, Austin SH, Wingfield JC. Allostatic Load in Gambel’s White Crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii: Relationships With Glucocorticoids. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.855152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Regulation of energetic expenditure in a changing environment, considered here as allostatic load, is central to organism-environment interactions. The value of responses that modify behavior or physiology in coping strategies is often measured in terms of energetic benefits. In this study, the total energetic cost incurred by Gambel’s white-crowned sparrows, Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii, was assessed using heart-rate transmitters. The use of heart rate was validated as a proxy for metabolic rate via flow-through respirometry. Applying heart rate as an indicator of allostatic load, we confirmed that ambient temperature under wintering conditions influences allostatic load. However, baseline corticosterone, proposed to mediate physiological responses to variation in allostatic load, does not appear to vary with heart rate or temperature in captivity, or with temperature under ambient conditions in the field. The relationship between allostatic load and plasma corticosterone levels was also investigated by manipulating feeding effort for captive Gambel’s white-crowned sparrows using a sand-excavation challenge that approximated a type of foraging work that these birds normally perform in the wild. This experiment was designed to test the hypothesis that experimentally increased allostatic load induces elevation in baseline corticosteroids. We did not find support for this hypothesis. We suggest that the adrenocortical response to increased allostatic load may be limited to overload or environmental conditions that meaningfully threaten energy imbalance, indicating new targets for further research.
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5
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LaDage LD. Seasonal variation in gonadal hormones, spatial cognition, and hippocampal attributes: More questions than answers. Horm Behav 2022; 141:105151. [PMID: 35299119 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
A large body of research has been dedicated to understanding the factors that modulate spatial cognition and attributes of the hippocampus, a highly plastic brain region that underlies spatial processing abilities. Variation in gonadal hormones impacts spatial memory and hippocampal attributes in vertebrates, although the direction of the effect has not been entirely consistent. To add complexity, individuals in the field must optimize fitness by coordinating activities with the appropriate environmental cues, and many of these behaviors are correlated tightly with seasonal variation in gonadal hormone release. As such, it remains unclear if the relationship among systemic gonadal hormones, spatial cognition, and the hippocampus also exhibits seasonal variation. This review presents an overview of the relationship among gonadal hormones, the hippocampus, and spatial cognition, and how the seasonal release of gonadal hormones correlates with seasonal variation in spatial cognition and hippocampal attributes. Additionally, this review presents other neuroendocrine mechanisms that may be involved in modulating the relationship among seasonality, gonadal hormone release, and the hippocampus and spatial cognition, including seasonal rhythms of steroid hormone binding globulins, neurosteroids, sex steroid hormone receptor expression, and hormone interactions. Here, endocrinology, ecology, and behavioral neuroscience are brought together to present an overview of the research demonstrating the mechanistic effects of systemic gonadal hormones on spatial cognition and the hippocampus, while, at a functional level, superimposing seasonal effects to examine ecologically-relevant circannual changes in gonadal hormones and spatial behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara D LaDage
- Penn State Altoona, Division of Mathematics & Natural Sciences, 3000 Ivyside Dr., Altoona, PA 16601, USA.
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6
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Husak JF, Lailvaux SP. Conserved and convergent mechanisms underlying performance-life-history trade-offs. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:274252. [PMID: 35119073 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Phenotypic trade-offs are inevitable in nature, but the mechanisms driving them are poorly understood. Movement and oxygen are essential to all animals, and as such, the common ancestor to all living animals passed on mechanisms to acquire oxygen and contract muscle, sometimes at the expense of other activities or expression of traits. Nevertheless, convergent pathways have also evolved to deal with critical trade-offs that are necessary to survive ubiquitous environmental challenges. We discuss how whole-animal performance traits, such as locomotion, are important to fitness, yet costly, resulting in trade-offs with other aspects of the phenotype via specific conserved and convergent mechanistic pathways across all animals. Specifically, we discuss conserved pathways involved in muscle structure and signaling, insulin/insulin-like signaling, sirtuins, mitochondria and hypoxia-inducible factors, as well as convergent pathways involved in energy regulation, development, reproductive investment and energy storage. The details of these mechanisms are only known from a few model systems, and more comparative studies are needed. We make two main recommendations as a framework for future studies of animal form and function. First, studies of performance should consider the broader life-history context of the organism, and vice versa, as performance expression can require a large portion of acquired resources. Second, studies of life histories or mechanistic pathways that measure performance should do so in meaningful and standardized ways. Understanding proximate mechanisms of phenotypic trade-offs will not only better explain the phenotypes of the organisms we study, but also allow predictions about phenotypic variation at the evolutionary scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerry F Husak
- Department of Biology, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN 55105, USA
| | - Simon P Lailvaux
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA 70148, USA
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7
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Zimmer C, Woods HA, Martin LB. Information theory in vertebrate stress physiology. Trends Endocrinol Metab 2022; 33:8-17. [PMID: 34750063 DOI: 10.1016/j.tem.2021.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Information theory has been applied productively across biology, but it has been used minimally in endocrinology. Here, we advocate for the integration of information theory into stress endocrinology. Presently, the majority of models of stress center on the regulation of hormone concentrations, even though what interests most endocrinologists and matters in terms of individual health and evolutionary fitness is the information content of hormones. In neuroscience, the free energy principle, a concept offered to explain how the brain infers current and future states of the environment, could be a guide for resolving how information is instantiated in hormones such as the glucocorticoids. Here, we offer several ideas and promising options for research addressing how hormones encode and cells respond to information in glucocorticoids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cedric Zimmer
- Global Health and Infectious Disease Research Center, University of South Florida, FL 33612, USA; Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, LEEC, UR 4443, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, 93430, Villetaneuse, France.
| | - H Arthur Woods
- University of Montana, Division of Biological Sciences, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Lynn B Martin
- Global Health and Infectious Disease Research Center, University of South Florida, FL 33612, USA
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8
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Bauer CM, Watts HE. Corticosterone's roles in avian migration: Assessment of three hypotheses. Horm Behav 2021; 135:105033. [PMID: 34273707 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2021.105033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Revised: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 07/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
While corticosterone (CORT) is often suggested to be an important hormone regulating processes necessary for avian migration, there has been no systematic assessment of CORT's role in migration. Prior to migration, birds increase fat stores and flight muscle size to prepare for the high energetic costs associated with long-distance flight. After attaining sufficient energetic stores, birds then make the actual decision to depart from their origin site. Once en route birds alternate between periods of flight and stopovers, during which they rest and refuel for their next bouts of endurance flight. Here, we evaluate three non-mutually exclusive hypotheses that have been proposed in the literature for CORT's role in migration. (1) CORT facilitates physiological preparations for migration [e.g. hyperphagia, fattening, and flight muscle hypertrophy]. (2) CORT stimulates departure from origin or stopover sites. (3) CORT supports sustained migratory travel. After examining the literature to test predictions stemming from each of these three hypotheses, we found weak support for a role of CORT in physiological preparation for migration. However, we found moderate support for a role of CORT in stimulating departures, as CORT increases immediately prior to departure and is higher when migratory restlessness is displayed. We also found moderate support for the hypothesis that CORT helps maintain sustained travel, as CORT is generally higher during periods of flight, though few studies have tested this hypothesis. We provide recommendations for future studies that would help to further resolve the role of CORT in migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolyn M Bauer
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, USA.
| | - Heather E Watts
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA; Center for Reproductive Biology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
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9
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Guindre-Parker S, Rubenstein DR. Long-Term Measures of Climate Unpredictability Shape the Avian Endocrine Stress Axis. Am Nat 2021; 198:394-405. [PMID: 34403319 DOI: 10.1086/715628] [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] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe vertebrate glucocorticoid stress response is an important mechanism facilitating pleiotropic phenotypic adjustments for coping with environmental change and optimizing fitness. Although circulating glucocorticoid hormones are mediators of plasticity that individuals can adjust rapidly in response to environmental challenges, they are also shaped by ecological selection. It remains unclear, however, how environmental variation on different timescales influences glucocorticoids. Here, we use an intraspecific comparative approach to determine how variation in precipitation on different timescales (months, years, decades) shapes distinct components of the glucocorticoid response. We sampled superb starlings (Lamprotornis superbus) at eight sites across Kenya in multiple years that differed in precipitation. Among-population variation in baseline glucocorticoids was shaped by both short- and long-term precipitation, whereas variation in stress-induced levels was poorly explained by precipitation on any timescale. Adrenal sensitivity, quantified via adrenocorticotropic hormone injections, was shaped by long-term precipitation and was highest in unpredictable environments. Together, these results suggest that variation in glucocorticoids can be best explained by environmental variation at timescales that extend beyond the lives of individuals, although baseline glucocorticoids also reflect short-term environmental conditions. Patterns of long-term precipitation may represent a microevolutionary selective pressure shaping the endocrine stress axis across populations and influencing how individuals cope with environmental change.
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10
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Miglioli A, Canesi L, Gomes IDL, Schubert M, Dumollard R. Nuclear Receptors and Development of Marine Invertebrates. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12010083. [PMID: 33440651 PMCID: PMC7827873 DOI: 10.3390/genes12010083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Revised: 12/31/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Nuclear Receptors (NRs) are a superfamily of transcription factors specific to metazoans that have the unique ability to directly translate the message of a signaling molecule into a transcriptional response. In vertebrates, NRs are pivotal players in countless processes of both embryonic and adult physiology, with embryonic development being one of the most dynamic periods of NR activity. Accumulating evidence suggests that NR signaling is also a major regulator of development in marine invertebrates, although ligands and transactivation dynamics are not necessarily conserved with respect to vertebrates. The explosion of genome sequencing projects and the interpretation of the resulting data in a phylogenetic context allowed significant progress toward an understanding of NR superfamily evolution, both in terms of molecular activities and developmental functions. In this context, marine invertebrates have been crucial for characterizing the ancestral states of NR-ligand interactions, further strengthening the importance of these organisms in the field of evolutionary developmental biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angelica Miglioli
- Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-Mer (LBDV), Institut de la Mer de Villefranche, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, 181 Chemin du Lazaret, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France; (A.M.); (I.D.L.G.); (M.S.)
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell’Ambiente e della Vita (DISTAV), Università degli Studi di Genova, Corso Europa 26, 16132 Genova, Italy;
| | - Laura Canesi
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell’Ambiente e della Vita (DISTAV), Università degli Studi di Genova, Corso Europa 26, 16132 Genova, Italy;
| | - Isa D. L. Gomes
- Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-Mer (LBDV), Institut de la Mer de Villefranche, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, 181 Chemin du Lazaret, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France; (A.M.); (I.D.L.G.); (M.S.)
| | - Michael Schubert
- Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-Mer (LBDV), Institut de la Mer de Villefranche, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, 181 Chemin du Lazaret, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France; (A.M.); (I.D.L.G.); (M.S.)
| | - Rémi Dumollard
- Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-Mer (LBDV), Institut de la Mer de Villefranche, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, 181 Chemin du Lazaret, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France; (A.M.); (I.D.L.G.); (M.S.)
- Correspondence:
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11
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Stevenson TJ, Hanson HE, Martin LB. Theory, hormones and life history stages: an introduction to the symposium epigenetic variation in endocrine systems. Integr Comp Biol 2020; 60:1454-1457. [PMID: 33326579 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icaa140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
All organisms must respond to environmental stimuli, and most metazoans do so through endocrine system regulation. Hormonal fluctuations allow organisms to maintain and return to homeostasis following perturbations, making them vital for survival and fitness. Many components of the endocrine system (e.g., proteins, steroids, receptors, genome response elements, etc.) and the physiological and behavioral processes they regulate are conserved among vertebrates (e.g., the glucocorticoid stress response). However, there are sometimes dramatic differences among and within species, particularly in how hormonal variation affects phenotypes. Some such variation is driven by internal factors such as genetics, developmental stage, sex, individual age, and body condition in addition to external factors such as the type, magnitude, and duration of environmental stimuli. Eco-evolutionary endocrinology has been quite successful in describing this variation among and within species, but we have only just begun to understand how these factors interact to affect phenotypic diversity, ecological function, and evolution. Mounting evidence suggests that various molecular epigenetic modifications of genome structure and activity, such as deoxyribonucleic acid methylation, histone modifications, non-coding RNAs, and small RNAs, mediate the interactions between environmental conditions, individual traits, and the endocrine system. As some epigenetic modifications can be induced or removed by environmental stimuli, they represent promising candidates underlying endocrine regulation and variation, particularly epigenetic marks that can be stably inherited. This symposium discussed the role of epigenetic modifications in endocrine systems, mainly in natural populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler J Stevenson
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland
| | - Haley E Hanson
- Center for Global Health and Infectious Disease Research, College of Public Health University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Lynn B Martin
- Center for Global Health and Infectious Disease Research, College of Public Health University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
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12
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Wingfield JC, Goymann W, Jalabert C, Soma KK. Reprint of "Concepts derived from the Challenge Hypothesis". Horm Behav 2020; 123:104802. [PMID: 32540136 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2019] [Revised: 06/28/2019] [Accepted: 06/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The Challenge Hypothesis was developed to explain why and how regulatory mechanisms underlying patterns of testosterone secretion vary so much across species and populations as well as among and within individuals. The hypothesis has been tested many times over the past 30years in all vertebrate groups as well as some invertebrates. Some experimental tests supported the hypothesis but many did not. However, the emerging concepts and methods extend and widen the Challenge Hypothesis to potentially all endocrine systems, and not only control of secretion, but also transport mechanisms and how target cells are able to adjust their responsiveness to circulating levels of hormones independently of other tissues. The latter concept may be particularly important in explaining how tissues respond differently to the same hormone concentration. Responsiveness of the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonad (HPG) axis to environmental and social cues regulating reproductive functions may all be driven by gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) or gonadotropin-inhibiting hormone (GnIH), but the question remains as to how different contexts and social interactions result in stimulation of GnRH or GnIH release. These concepts, although suspected for many decades, continue to be explored as integral components of environmental endocrinology and underlie fundamental mechanisms by which animals, including ourselves, cope with a changing environment. Emerging mass spectrometry techniques will have a tremendous impact enabling measurement of multiple steroids in specific brain regions. Such data will provide greater spatial resolution for studying how social challenges impact multiple steroids within the brain. Potentially the Challenge Hypothesis will continue to stimulate new ways to explore hormone-behavior interactions and generate future hypotheses.
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Affiliation(s)
- John C Wingfield
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
| | - Wolfgang Goymann
- Department of Behavioral Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Cecilia Jalabert
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Djavad Mofawaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Kiran K Soma
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Djavad Mofawaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
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13
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Pradhan DS, Van Ness R, Jalabert C, Hamden JE, Austin SH, Soma KK, Ramenofsky M, Schlinger BA. Phenotypic flexibility of glucocorticoid signaling in skeletal muscles of a songbird preparing to migrate. Horm Behav 2019; 116:104586. [PMID: 31473198 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.104586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2019] [Revised: 08/19/2019] [Accepted: 08/20/2019] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Glucocorticoids are commonly associated with responses to stress, but other important functions include homeostatic regulation, energy metabolism and tissue remodeling. At low circulating levels, glucocorticoids bind to high-affinity mineralocorticoid receptors (MR) to activate tissue repair and homeostasis (anabolic pathways), whereas at elevated levels, glucocorticoids bind to glucocorticoid receptors (GR) to activate catabolic pathways. Long distance migrations, such as those performed by Gambel's white-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii), require modification of anatomy, physiology and behavior. Plasma corticosterone (CORT) increases in association with impending departure and flight and may promote muscle-specific anabolic states. To test this idea, we explored glucocorticoid signaling in the pectoralis (flight) and gastrocnemius (leg) muscles of male sparrows on the wintering grounds at three stages leading up to spring departure: winter (February), pre-nuptial molt (March), and pre-departure (April). CORT was detected in plasma and in both muscles, but measures of CORT signaling differed across muscles and stages. Expression of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11β-HSD) Type 2 (inactivates CORT) increased in the pectoralis at pre-departure, whereas 11β-HSD Type 1 (regenerates CORT) did not change. Neither of the two 11β-HSD isoforms was detectable in the gastrocnemius. Expression of MR, but not GR, was elevated in the pectoralis at pre-departure, while only GR expression was elevated at pre-nuptial molt in gastrocnemius. These data suggest that anabolic functions predominate in the pectoralis only while catabolic activity is undetected in either muscle at pre-departure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devaleena S Pradhan
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, United States of America; Laboratory for Neuroendocrinology, University of California, Los Angeles, United States of America.
| | - Raymond Van Ness
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, United States of America
| | - Cecilia Jalabert
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Jordan E Hamden
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Suzanne H Austin
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, United States of America
| | - Kiran K Soma
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Marilyn Ramenofsky
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, Behavior, University of California, Davis, United States of America
| | - Barney A Schlinger
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, United States of America; Laboratory for Neuroendocrinology, University of California, Los Angeles, United States of America; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, United States of America
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14
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Haim A, Boynao S, Elsalam Zubidat A. Consequences of Artificial Light at Night: The Linkage between Chasing Darkness Away and Epigenetic Modifications. Epigenetics 2019. [DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.84789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/01/2023] Open
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15
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Wingfield JC, Goymann W, Jalabert C, Soma KK. Concepts derived from the Challenge Hypothesis. Horm Behav 2019; 115:104550. [PMID: 31265826 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2019] [Revised: 06/28/2019] [Accepted: 06/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The Challenge Hypothesis was developed to explain why and how regulatory mechanisms underlying patterns of testosterone secretion vary so much across species and populations as well as among and within individuals. The hypothesis has been tested many times over the past 30years in all vertebrate groups as well as some invertebrates. Some experimental tests supported the hypothesis but many did not. However, the emerging concepts and methods extend and widen the Challenge Hypothesis to potentially all endocrine systems, and not only control of secretion, but also transport mechanisms and how target cells are able to adjust their responsiveness to circulating levels of hormones independently of other tissues. The latter concept may be particularly important in explaining how tissues respond differently to the same hormone concentration. Responsiveness of the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonad (HPG) axis to environmental and social cues regulating reproductive functions may all be driven by gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) or gonadotropin-inhibiting hormone (GnIH), but the question remains as to how different contexts and social interactions result in stimulation of GnRH or GnIH release. These concepts, although suspected for many decades, continue to be explored as integral components of environmental endocrinology and underlie fundamental mechanisms by which animals, including ourselves, cope with a changing environment. Emerging mass spectrometry techniques will have a tremendous impact enabling measurement of multiple steroids in specific brain regions. Such data will provide greater spatial resolution for studying how social challenges impact multiple steroids within the brain. Potentially the Challenge Hypothesis will continue to stimulate new ways to explore hormone-behavior interactions and generate future hypotheses.
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Affiliation(s)
- John C Wingfield
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
| | - Wolfgang Goymann
- Department of Behavioral Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Cecilia Jalabert
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Djavad Mofawaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Kiran K Soma
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Djavad Mofawaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
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Vitousek MN, Johnson MA, Husak JF. Illuminating Endocrine Evolution: The Power and Potential of Large-Scale Comparative Analyses. Integr Comp Biol 2018; 58:712-719. [DOI: 10.1093/icb/icy098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Maren N Vitousek
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
| | - Michele A Johnson
- Department of Biology, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX 78212, USA
| | - Jerry F Husak
- Department of Biology, University of St. Thomas, 2115 Summit Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55105, USA
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