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Bautista NM, Herrera ND, Shadowitz E, Wearing OH, Cheviron ZA, Scott GR, Storz JF. Local adaptation, plasticity, and evolved resistance to hypoxic cold stress in high-altitude deer mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2412526121. [PMID: 39352929 PMCID: PMC11474095 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2412526121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2024] [Accepted: 08/20/2024] [Indexed: 10/04/2024] Open
Abstract
A fundamental question in evolutionary biology concerns the relative contributions of phenotypic plasticity vs. local adaptation (genotypic specialization) in enabling wide-ranging species to inhabit diverse environmental conditions. Here, we conduct a long-term hypoxia acclimation experiment to assess the relative roles of local adaptation and plasticity in enabling highland and lowland deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) to sustain aerobic thermogenesis at progressively increasing elevations. We assessed the relative physiological performance capacities of highland and lowland natives as they were exposed to progressive, stepwise increases in hypoxia, simulating the gradual ascent from sea level to an elevation of 6,000 m. The final elevation of 6,000 m far exceeds the highest attainable elevations within the species' range, and therefore tests the animals' ability to tolerate levels of hypoxia that surpass the prevailing conditions within their current distributional limits. Our results demonstrate that highland natives exhibit superior thermogenic capacities at the most severe levels of hypoxia, suggesting that the species' broad fundamental niche and its ability to inhabit such a broad range of elevational zones is attributable to genetically based local adaptation, including evolved changes in plasticity. Transcriptomic and physiological measurements identify evolved changes in the acclimation response to hypoxia that contribute to the enhanced thermogenic capacity of highland natives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naim M. Bautista
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE68588
| | | | - Ellen Shadowitz
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ONL8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Oliver H. Wearing
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ONL8S 4K1, Canada
| | | | - Graham R. Scott
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ONL8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Jay F. Storz
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE68588
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2
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Dessureault LM, Tod RA, McClelland GB. Metabolic recovery from submaximal exercise in hypoxia acclimated high altitude deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus). Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol 2024; 274:111004. [PMID: 38945522 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpb.2024.111004] [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: 03/21/2024] [Revised: 06/17/2024] [Accepted: 06/23/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Animals living at high-altitude are faced with unremitting low oxygen availability. This can make it difficult to perform daily tasks that require increases in aerobic metabolism. An activity important for survival is aerobic locomotion, and the rapid recovery of muscle metabolism post exercise. Past work shows that hypoxia acclimated high-altitude mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) have a greater reliance on carbohydrates to power exercise than low altitude mice. However, it is unclear how quickly after aerobic exercise these mice can recovery and replenish muscle glycogen stores. The gastrocnemius muscle of high-altitude deer mice has a more aerobic phenotype and a greater capacity to oxidize lipids than low altitude deer mice. This suggests that high altitude mice may recover more rapidly from exercise than their lowland counterparts due to a greater capacity to support glycogen replenishment using intramuscular triglycerides (IMTG). To explore this possibility, we used low- and high-altitude native deer mice born and raised in common lab conditions and acclimated to chronic hypoxia. We determined changes in oxygen consumption following 15 min of aerobic exercise in 12% O2 and sampled skeletal muscles and liver at various time points during recovery to examine changes in key metabolites, including glycogen and IMTG. We found depletion in glycogen stores during exercise only in lowlanders, which returned to resting levels following 90 min of recovery. In contrast, IMTG did not change significantly with exercise or during recovery in either population. These data suggest that exercise recovery is influenced by altitude ancestry in deer mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren M Dessureault
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Reegan A Tod
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Grant B McClelland
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada.
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3
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Bautista NM, Herrera ND, Shadowitz E, Wearing OH, Cheviron ZA, Scott GR, Storz JF. Local adaptation, plasticity, and evolved resistance to hypoxic cold stress in high-altitude deer mice. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.21.600120. [PMID: 38979138 PMCID: PMC11230211 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.21.600120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/10/2024]
Abstract
A fundamental question in evolutionary biology concerns the relative contributions of phenotypic plasticity vs. local adaptation (genotypic specialization) in enabling wide-ranging species to inhabit diverse environmental conditions. Here we conduct a long-term hypoxia acclimation experiment to assess the relative roles of local adaptation and plasticity in enabling highland and lowland deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) to sustain aerobic thermogenesis at progressively increasing elevations. We assessed the relative physiological performance capacities of highland and lowland natives as they were exposed to progressive, stepwise increases in hypoxia, simulating the gradual ascent from sea level to an elevation of 6000 m. The final elevation of 6000 m far exceeds the highest attainable elevations within the species' range, and therefore tests the animals' ability to tolerate levels of hypoxia that surpass the prevailing conditions within their current distributional limits. Our results demonstrate that highland natives exhibit superior thermogenic capacities at the most severe levels of hypoxia, suggesting that the species' broad fundamental niche and its ability to inhabit such a broad range of elevational zones is attributable to a combination of genetically based local adaptation and plasticity. Transcriptomic and physiological measurements identify evolved changes in the acclimation response to hypoxia that contribute to the enhanced thermogenic capacity of highland natives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naim M Bautista
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588, USA
| | | | - Ellen Shadowitz
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Oliver H Wearing
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Zachary A Cheviron
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812
| | - Graham R Scott
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Jay F Storz
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588, USA
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Zhang MY, Cao RD, Chen Y, Ma JC, Shi CM, Zhang YF, Zhang JX, Zhang YH. Genomic and Phenotypic Adaptations of Rattus tanezumi to Cold Limit Its Further Northward Expansion and Range Overlap with R. norvegicus. Mol Biol Evol 2024; 41:msae106. [PMID: 38829799 PMCID: PMC11184353 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msae106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 05/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Global climate change has led to shifts in the distribution ranges of many terrestrial species, promoting their migration from lower altitudes or latitudes to higher ones. Meanwhile, successful invaders have developed genetic adaptations enabling the colonization of new environments. Over the past 40 years, Rattus tanezumi (RT) has expanded into northern China (Northwest and North China) from its southern origins. We studied the cold adaptation of RT and its potential for northward expansion by comparing it with sympatric Rattus norvegicus (RN), which is well adapted to cold regions. Through population genomic analysis, we revealed that the invading RT rats have split into three distinct populations: the North, Northwest, and Tibetan populations. The first two populations exhibited high genetic diversity, while the latter population showed remarkably low genetic diversity. These rats have developed various genetic adaptations to cold, arid, hypoxic, and high-UV conditions. Cold acclimation tests revealed divergent thermoregulation between RT and RN. Specifically, RT exhibited higher brown adipose tissue activity and metabolic rates than did RN. Transcriptome analysis highlighted changes in genes regulating triglyceride catabolic processes in RT, including Apoa1 and Apoa4, which were upregulated, under selection and associated with local adaptation. In contrast, RN showed changes in carbohydrate metabolism genes. Despite the cold adaptation of RT, we observed genotypic and phenotypic constraints that may limit its ability to cope with severe low temperatures farther north. Consequently, it is less likely that RT rats will invade and overlap with RN rats in farther northern regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming-Yu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Rui-Dong Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yi Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jian-Cang Ma
- Zhangye Maize Stock Production Base, Zhangye 734024, Gansu, China
| | - Cheng-Min Shi
- College of Plant Protection, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, Hebei, China
| | - Yun-Feng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Jian-Xu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yao-Hua Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, Anhui, China
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Blumstein DM, MacManes MD. Impacts of dietary fat on multi tissue gene expression in the desert-adapted cactus mouse. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.03.592397. [PMID: 38746252 PMCID: PMC11092757 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.03.592397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Understanding the relationship between dietary fat and physiological responses is crucial in species adapted to arid environments where water scarcity is common. In this study, we present a comprehensive exploration of gene expression across five tissues (kidney, liver, lung, gastrointestinal tract, and hypothalamus) and 19 phenotypic measurements, investigating the effects of dietary fat in the desert-adapted cactus mouse ( Peromyscus eremicus ). We show impacts on immune function, circadian gene regulation, and mitochondrial function for mice fed a lower-fat diet compared to mice fed a higher-fat diet. In arid environments with severe water scarcity, even subtle changes in organismal health and water balance can affect physical performance, potentially impacting survival and reproductive success. The study sheds light on the complex interplay between diet, physiological processes, and environmental adaptation, providing valuable insights into the multifaceted impacts of dietary choices on organismal well-being and adaptation strategies in arid habitats.
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Garrett EJ, Prasad SK, Schweizer RM, McClelland GB, Scott GR. Evolved changes in phenotype across skeletal muscles in deer mice native to high altitude. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2024; 326:R297-R310. [PMID: 38372126 PMCID: PMC11283899 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00206.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
The cold and hypoxic conditions at high altitude necessitate high metabolic O2 demands to support thermogenesis while hypoxia reduces O2 availability. Skeletal muscles play key roles in thermogenesis, but our appreciation of muscle plasticity and adaptation at high altitude has been hindered by past emphasis on only a small number of muscles. We examined this issue in deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus). Mice derived from both high-altitude and low-altitude populations were born and raised in captivity and then acclimated as adults to normoxia or hypobaric hypoxia (12 kPa O2 for 6-8 wk). Maximal activities of citrate synthase (CS), cytochrome c oxidase (COX), β-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (HOAD), hexokinase (HK), pyruvate kinase (PK), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were measured in 20 muscles involved in shivering, locomotion, body posture, ventilation, and mastication. Principal components analysis revealed an overall difference in muscle phenotype between populations but no effect of hypoxia acclimation. High-altitude mice had greater activities of mitochondrial enzymes and/or lower activities of PK or LDH across many (but not all) respiratory, limb, core and mastication muscles compared with low-altitude mice. In contrast, chronic hypoxia had very few effects across muscles. Further examination of CS in the gastrocnemius showed that population differences in enzyme activity stemmed from differences in protein abundance and mRNA expression but not from population differences in CS amino acid sequence. Overall, our results suggest that evolved increases in oxidative capacity across many skeletal muscles, at least partially driven by differences in transcriptional regulation, may contribute to high-altitude adaptation in deer mice.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Most previous studies of muscle plasticity and adaptation in high-altitude environments have focused on a very limited number of skeletal muscles. Comparing high-altitude versus low-altitude populations of deer mice, we show that a large number of muscles involved in shivering, locomotion, body posture, ventilation, and mastication exhibit greater mitochondrial enzyme activities in the high-altitude population. Therefore, evolved increases in mitochondrial oxidative capacity across skeletal muscles contribute to high-altitude adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily J Garrett
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Srikripa K Prasad
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Rena M Schweizer
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, United States
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Pollinating Insects Research Unit, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, United States
| | | | - Graham R Scott
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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Sun Y, Hao Y, Zhang Q, Liu X, Wang L, Li J, Li M, Li D. Coping with extremes: Alternations in diet, gut microbiota, and hepatic metabolic functions in a highland passerine. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 905:167079. [PMID: 37714349 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/17/2023]
Abstract
In wild animals, diet and gut microbiota interactions are critical moderators of metabolic functions and are highly contingent on habitat conditions. Challenged by the extreme conditions of high-altitude environments, the strategies implemented by highland animals to adjust their diet and gut microbial composition and modulate their metabolic substrates remain largely unexplored. By employing a typical human commensal species, the Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus, ETS), as a model species, we studied the differences in diet, digestive tract morphology and enzyme activity, gut microbiota, and metabolic energy profiling between highland (the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, QTP; 3230 m) and lowland (Shijiazhuang, Hebei; 80 m) populations. Our results showed that highland ETSs had enlarged digestive organs and longer small intestinal villi, while no differences in key digestive enzyme activities were observed between the two populations. The 18S rRNA sequencing results revealed that the dietary composition of highland ETSs were more animal-based and less plant-based than those of the lowland ones. Furthermore, 16S rRNA sequencing results suggested that the intestinal microbial communities were structurally segregated between populations. PICRUSt metagenome predictions further indicated that the expression patterns of microbial genes involved in material and energy metabolism, immune system and infection, and xenobiotic biodegradation were strikingly different between the two populations. Analysis of liver metabolomics revealed significant metabolic differences between highland and lowland ETSs in terms of substrate utilization, as well as distinct sex-specific alterations in glycerophospholipids. Furthermore, the interplay between diet, liver metabolism, and gut microbiota suggests a dietary shift resulting in corresponding changes in gut microbiota and metabolic functions. Our findings indicate that highland ETSs have evolved to optimize digestion and absorption, rely on more protein-rich foods, and possess gut microbiota tailored to their dietary composition, likely adaptive physiological and ecological strategies adopted to cope with extreme highland environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanfeng Sun
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, China; Ocean College, Hebei Agricultural University, Qinhuangdao 066003, China; Hebei Collaborative Innovation Center for Eco-Environment, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, China
| | - Yaotong Hao
- Ocean College, Hebei Agricultural University, Qinhuangdao 066003, China
| | - Qian Zhang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, China
| | - Xu Liu
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, China
| | - Limin Wang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, China
| | - Juyong Li
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, China
| | - Mo Li
- College of Life Sciences, Cangzhou Normal University, Cangzhou 061001, China.
| | - Dongming Li
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, China; Hebei Collaborative Innovation Center for Eco-Environment, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, China.
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8
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Peng X, Cheng J, Li H, Feijó A, Xia L, Ge D, Wen Z, Yang Q. Whole-genome sequencing reveals adaptations of hairy-footed jerboas (Dipus, Dipodidae) to diverse desert environments. BMC Biol 2023; 21:182. [PMID: 37649052 PMCID: PMC10469962 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-023-01680-5] [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: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Environmental conditions vary among deserts across the world, spanning from hyper-arid to high-elevation deserts. However, prior genomic studies on desert adaptation have focused on desert and non-desert comparisons overlooking the complexity of conditions within deserts. Focusing on the adaptation mechanisms to diverse desert environments will advance our understanding of how species adapt to extreme desert environments. The hairy-footed jerboas are well adapted to diverse desert environments, inhabiting high-altitude arid regions, hyper-arid deserts, and semi-deserts, but the genetic basis of their adaptation to different deserts remains unknown. RESULTS Here, we sequenced the whole genome of 83 hairy-footed jerboas from distinct desert zones in China to assess how they responded under contrasting conditions. Population genomics analyses reveal the existence of three species in hairy-footed jerboas distributed in China: Dipus deasyi, Dipus sagitta, and Dipus sowerbyi. Analyses of selection between high-altitude desert (elevation ≥ 3000m) and low-altitude desert (< 500m) populations identified two strongly selected genes, ATR and HIF1AN, associated with intense UV radiation and hypoxia in high-altitude environments. A number of candidate genes involved in energy and water homeostasis were detected in the comparative genomic analyses of hyper-arid desert (average annual precipitation < 70mm) and arid desert (< 200mm) populations versus semi-desert (> 360mm) populations. Hyper-arid desert animals also exhibited stronger adaptive selection in energy homeostasis, suggesting water and resource scarcity may be the main drivers of desert adaptation in hairy-footed jerboas. CONCLUSIONS Our study challenges the view of deserts as homogeneous environments and shows that distinct genomic adaptations can be found among desert animals depending on their habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xingwen Peng
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Jilong Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Hong Li
- Novogene Bioinformatics Institute, Haidian District, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Anderson Feijó
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China
- Negaunee Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL, 60605, USA
| | - Lin Xia
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Deyan Ge
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Zhixin Wen
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Qisen Yang
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China.
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Schweizer RM, Ivy CM, Natarajan C, Scott GR, Storz JF, Cheviron ZA. Gene regulatory changes underlie developmental plasticity in respiration and aerobic performance in highland deer mice. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:3483-3496. [PMID: 37073620 PMCID: PMC10330314 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2023]
Abstract
Phenotypic plasticity can play an important role in the ability of animals to tolerate environmental stress, but the nature and magnitude of plastic responses are often specific to the developmental timing of exposure. Here, we examine changes in gene expression in the diaphragm of highland deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) in response to hypoxia exposure at different stages of development. In highland deer mice, developmental plasticity in diaphragm function may mediate changes in several respiratory traits that influence aerobic metabolism and performance under hypoxia. We generated RNAseq data from diaphragm tissue of adult deer mice exposed to (1) life-long hypoxia (before conception to adulthood), (2) post-natal hypoxia (birth to adulthood), (3) adult hypoxia (6-8 weeks only during adulthood) or (4) normoxia. We found five suites of co-regulated genes that are differentially expressed in response to hypoxia, but the patterns of differential expression depend on the developmental timing of exposure. We also identified four transcriptional modules that are associated with important respiratory traits. Many of the genes in these transcriptional modules bear signatures of altitude-related selection, providing an indirect line of evidence that observed changes in gene expression may be adaptive in hypoxic environments. Our results demonstrate the importance of developmental stage in determining the phenotypic response to environmental stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rena M. Schweizer
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Catherine M. Ivy
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada, L8S 4K1
| | | | - Graham R. Scott
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada, L8S 4K1
| | - Jay F. Storz
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
| | - Zachary A. Cheviron
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
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10
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Li C, Wu Y, Chen B, Cai Y, Guo J, Leonard AS, Kalds P, Zhou S, Zhang J, Zhou P, Gan S, Jia T, Pu T, Suo L, Li Y, Zhang K, Li L, Purevdorj M, Wang X, Li M, Wang Y, Liu Y, Huang S, Sonstegard T, Wang MS, Kemp S, Pausch H, Chen Y, Han JL, Jiang Y, Wang X. Markhor-derived Introgression of a Genomic Region Encompassing PAPSS2 Confers High-altitude Adaptability in Tibetan Goats. Mol Biol Evol 2022; 39:6830663. [PMID: 36382357 PMCID: PMC9728798 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msac253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the genetic mechanism of how animals adapt to extreme conditions is fundamental to determine the relationship between molecular evolution and changing environments. Goat is one of the first domesticated species and has evolved rapidly to adapt to diverse environments, including harsh high-altitude conditions with low temperature and poor oxygen supply but strong ultraviolet radiation. Here, we analyzed 331 genomes of domestic goats and wild caprid species living at varying altitudes (high > 3000 m above sea level and low < 1200 m), along with a reference-guided chromosome-scale assembly (contig-N50: 90.4 Mb) of a female Tibetan goat genome based on PacBio HiFi long reads, to dissect the genetic determinants underlying their adaptation to harsh conditions on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). Population genomic analyses combined with genome-wide association studies (GWAS) revealed a genomic region harboring the 3'-phosphoadenosine 5'-phosphosulfate synthase 2 (PAPSS2) gene showing strong association with high-altitude adaptability (PGWAS = 3.62 × 10-25) in Tibetan goats. Transcriptomic data from 13 tissues revealed that PAPSS2 was implicated in hypoxia-related pathways in Tibetan goats. We further verified potential functional role of PAPSS2 in response to hypoxia in PAPSS2-deficient cells. Introgression analyses suggested that the PAPSS2 haplotype conferring the high-altitude adaptability in Tibetan goats originated from a recent hybridization between goats and a wild caprid species, the markhor (Capra falconeri). In conclusion, our results uncover a hitherto unknown contribution of PAPSS2 to high-altitude adaptability in Tibetan goats on QTP, following interspecific introgression and natural selection.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Peter Kalds
- International Joint Agriculture Research Center for Animal Bio-Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| | - Shiwei Zhou
- International Joint Agriculture Research Center for Animal Bio-Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China,College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| | - Jingchen Zhang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| | - Ping Zhou
- Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Sciences, Shihezi 832000, China,State Key Laboratory of Sheep Genetic Improvement and Healthy Breeding, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Sciences, Shihezi 832000, China
| | - Shangqu Gan
- Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Sciences, Shihezi 832000, China,State Key Laboratory of Sheep Genetic Improvement and Healthy Breeding, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Sciences, Shihezi 832000, China
| | - Ting Jia
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Captive Wildlife Technologies, Beijing Zoo, Beijing 100044, China
| | - Tianchun Pu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Captive Wildlife Technologies, Beijing Zoo, Beijing 100044, China
| | - Langda Suo
- Institute of Animal Science, Tibet Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences, Lhasa 850009, China
| | - Yan Li
- International Joint Agriculture Research Center for Animal Bio-Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| | - Ke Zhang
- International Joint Agriculture Research Center for Animal Bio-Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| | - Lan Li
- International Joint Agriculture Research Center for Animal Bio-Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| | - Myagmarsuren Purevdorj
- Lab of Animal Genetics and Animal Reproductive Technology, Research Institute of Animal Husbandry, Mongolian University of Life Sciences, Ulaanbaatar 17024, Mongolia
| | - Xihong Wang
- International Joint Agriculture Research Center for Animal Bio-Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| | - Ming Li
- International Joint Agriculture Research Center for Animal Bio-Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| | - Yu Wang
- International Joint Agriculture Research Center for Animal Bio-Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| | - Yao Liu
- International Joint Agriculture Research Center for Animal Bio-Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| | - Shuhong Huang
- International Joint Agriculture Research Center for Animal Bio-Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| | | | - Ming-Shan Wang
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 94720
| | - Stephen Kemp
- Livestock Genetics Program, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Nairobi 30709-00100, Kenya
| | - Hubert Pausch
- Animal Genomics, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Yulin Chen
- International Joint Agriculture Research Center for Animal Bio-Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| | | | - Yu Jiang
- Corresponding authors: E-mails: ; ;
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11
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Chen Y, Tan S, Fu J. Modified Metabolism and Response to UV Radiation: Gene Expression Variations Along an Elevational Gradient in the Asiatic Toad (Bufo gargarizans). J Mol Evol 2022; 90:389-399. [PMID: 36029325 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-022-10070-4] [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: 04/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
High-elevation adaptation provides an excellent system for examining adaptive evolution, and adaptive variations may manifest at gene expression or any other phenotypic levels. We examined gene expression profiles of Asiatic toads (Bufo gargarizans) along an elevational gradient from both wild and common-garden acclimated populations. Asiatic toads originated from high altitudes have distinctive gene expression patterns. We identified 18 fixed differentially expressed genes (DEGs), which are different in both wild and acclimated samples, and 1217 plastic DEGs, which are different among wild samples. The expression levels of most genes were linearly correlated with altitude gradient and down-regulated in high-altitude populations. Expression variations of several genes associated with metabolic process are fixed, and we also identified a co-expression module that is significantly different between acclimated populations and has functions related to DNA repair. The differential expression of the vast majority genes, however, are due to phenotypic plasticity, revealing the highly plastic nature of gene expression variations. Expression modification of some specific genes related to metabolism and response to UV radiation play crucial role in adaptation to high altitude for Asiatic toads. Common-garden experiments are essential for evaluating adaptive evolution of natural populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Chen
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China.
- The University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China.
| | - Song Tan
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
- The University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China
| | - Jinzhong Fu
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada.
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12
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Ivy CM, Velotta JP, Cheviron ZA, Scott GR. Genetic variation in HIF-2α attenuates ventilatory sensitivity and carotid body growth in chronic hypoxia in high-altitude deer mice. J Physiol 2022; 600:4207-4225. [PMID: 35797482 DOI: 10.1113/jp282798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
KEY POINTS High-altitude natives of many species have experienced natural selection on the gene encoding HIF-2α, Epas1, including high-altitude populations of deer mice. HIF-2α regulates ventilation and carotid body growth in hypoxia, so the genetic variants in Epas1 in high-altitude natives may underlie evolved changes in control of breathing. Deer mice from controlled crosses between high- and low-altitude populations were used to examine the effects of Epas1 genotype on an admixed genomic background. The high-altitude variant was associated with reduced ventilatory chemosensitivity and carotid body growth in chronic hypoxia, but had no effects on haematology. The results help us better understand the genetic basis for the unique physiological phenotype of high-altitude natives. ABSTRACT The gene encoding HIF-2α, Epas1, has experienced a history of natural selection in many high-altitude taxa, but the functional role of mutations in this gene are still poorly understood. We investigated the influence of the high-altitude variant of Epas1 in North American deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) on control of breathing and carotid body growth during chronic hypoxia. We created hybrids between high- and low-altitude populations of deer mice to disrupt linkages between genetic loci so physiological effects of Epas1 alleles (Epas1H and Epas1L , respectively) could be examined on an admixed genomic background. In general, chronic hypoxia (4 weeks at 12 kPa O2 ) enhanced ventilatory chemosensitivity (assessed as the acute ventilatory response to hypoxia), increased total ventilation and arterial O2 saturation during progressive poikilocapnic hypoxia, and increased haematocrit and blood haemoglobin content across genotypes. However, effects of chronic hypoxia on ventilatory chemosensitivity were attenuated in mice that were homozygous for the high-altitude Epas1 allele (Epas1H/H ). Carotid body growth and glomus cell hyperplasia, which was strongly induced in Epas1L/L mice in chronic hypoxia, was not observed in Epas1H/H mice. Epas1 genotype also modulated the effects of chronic hypoxia on metabolism and body temperature depression in hypoxia, but had no effects on haematological traits. These findings confirm the important role of HIF-2α in modulating ventilatory sensitivity and carotid body growth in chronic hypoxia, and show that genetic variation in Epas1 is responsible for evolved changes in the control of breathing and metabolism in high-altitude deer mice. Abstract figure legend ventilation and carotid body growth in hypoxia, so we investigated the role genetic variants in Epas1 in highaltitude deer mice on the control of breathing. In the lab, hybrids between high- and lowaltitude populations of deer mice were created to disrupt linkages between genetic loci so physiological effects of Epas1 alleles (Epas1H and Epas1L, respectively) could be examined on an admixed genomic background. The high-altitude variant was associated with reduced ventilatory chemosensitivity and carotid body growth after 4 weeks of chronic hypoxia, compared to mice homozygous for the low-altitude allele (Epas1LL). These results help us better understand the genetic basis for the unique physiological phenotype of high-altitude natives. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine M Ivy
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Jonathan P Velotta
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Denver, Denver, CO, 80210, USA
| | - Zachary A Cheviron
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, 59812, USA
| | - Graham R Scott
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada
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13
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Hinckley A, Sanchez-Donoso I, Comas M, Camacho-Sanchez M, Hawkins MTR, Hasan NH, Leonard JA. Challenging ecogeographical rules: Phenotypic variation in the Mountain Treeshrew (Tupaia montana) along tropical elevational gradients. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0268213. [PMID: 35714073 PMCID: PMC9205479 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Bergmann’s and Allen’s rules were defined to describe macroecological patterns across latitudinal gradients. Bergmann observed a positive association between body size and latitude for endothermic species while Allen described shorter appendages as latitude increases. Almost two centuries later, there is still ongoing discussion about these patterns. Temperature, the common variable in these two rules, varies predictably across both latitude and elevation. Although these rules have been assessed extensively in mammals across latitude, particularly in regions with strong seasonality, studies on tropical montane mammals are scarce. We here test for these patterns and assess the variation of several other locomotory, diet-associated, body condition, and thermoregulatory traits across elevation in the Mountain Treeshrew (Tupaia montana) on tropical mountains in Borneo. Based on morphological measurements from both the field and scientific collections, we found a complex pattern: Bergmann’s rule was not supported in our tropical mountain system, since skull length, body size, and weight decreased from the lowest elevations (<1000 m) to middle elevations (2000–2500 m), and then increased from middle elevations to highest elevations. Allen’s rule was supported for relative tail length, which decreased with elevation, but not for ear and hindfoot length, with the former remaining constant and the latter increasing with elevation. This evidence together with changes in presumed diet-related traits (rostrum length, zygomatic breadth and upper tooth row length) along elevation suggest that selective pressures other than temperature, are playing a more important role shaping the morphological variation across the distribution of the Mountain Treeshrew. Diet, food acquisition, predation pressure, and/or intra- and inter-specific competition, are some of the potential factors driving the phenotypic variation of this study system. The lack of variation in body condition might suggest local adaptation of this species across its elevational range, perhaps due to generalist foraging strategies. Finally, a highly significant temporal effect was detected in several traits but not in others, representing the first phenotypic variation temporal trends described on treeshrews.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arlo Hinckley
- Conservation & Evolutionary Genetics Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana-CSIC, Seville, Spain
- Division of Mammals, Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, United States of America
- Departamento de Zoología, Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain
- * E-mail: (AH); (JAL)
| | - Ines Sanchez-Donoso
- Conservation & Evolutionary Genetics Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana-CSIC, Seville, Spain
| | - Mar Comas
- Conservation & Evolutionary Genetics Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana-CSIC, Seville, Spain
- Departamento de Zoología, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, United States of America
| | - Miguel Camacho-Sanchez
- Conservation & Evolutionary Genetics Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana-CSIC, Seville, Spain
- Instituto Andaluz de Investigación y Formación Agraria, Pesquera, Alimentaria y de la Producción Ecológica (IFAPA), Alcalá del Río, Seville, Spain
| | - Melissa T. R. Hawkins
- Division of Mammals, Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Noor Haliza Hasan
- Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - Jennifer A. Leonard
- Conservation & Evolutionary Genetics Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana-CSIC, Seville, Spain
- * E-mail: (AH); (JAL)
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14
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Menéndez J, Ruperto EF, Taraborelli PA, Sassi PL. Phenotypic plasticity in the energy metabolism of a small Andean rodent: Effect of short-term thermal acclimation and developmental conditions. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY. PART A, ECOLOGICAL AND INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 337:303-315. [PMID: 34914858 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Revised: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The study of phenotypic variation within species in response to different environments is a central issue in evolutionary and ecological physiology. Particularly, ambient temperature is one of the most important factors modulating interactions between animals and their environment. Phyllotis xanthopygus, a small Andean rodent, exhibits intraspecific differences along an altitudinal gradient in traits relevant to energy balance that persist after acclimation to common experimental temperatures. Therefore, we aim to explore geographic variations in energetic traits of P. xanthopygus and to assess the contribution of phenotypic plasticity to population differences. We compared metabolic rate and thermal conductance in response to different acclimation temperatures in animals collected at distinct altitudes (F0 generation) and in their offspring, born and raised under common-garden conditions (F1 generation). We found intraspecific differences in resting metabolic rate (RMR) of animals collected at different altitudes that were no longer evident in the F1 generation. Furthermore, although both generations showed the same pattern of RMR flexibility in response to acclimation temperature, its magnitude was lower for the F1 individuals. This suggests that developmental conditions affect the short-term acclimation capacity of this trait during adulthood. On the other hand, thermal conductance (C) showed irreversible plasticity, as animals raised in the laboratory at stable warm conditions had a relatively higher C than the animals from the field, showing no adjustments to thermal acclimation during adulthood in either group. In sum, our results support the hypothesis that the developmental environment shapes energetic traits, emphasizing the relevance of incorporating ontogeny in physiological studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josefina Menéndez
- Grupo de Investigaciones de la Biodiversidad, Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de Zonas Áridas, CCT-Mendoza, CONICET, Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Emmanuel F Ruperto
- Grupo de Investigaciones de la Biodiversidad, Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de Zonas Áridas, CCT-Mendoza, CONICET, Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Paula A Taraborelli
- EEA BARROW, Centro Regional Buenos Aires Sur, INTA and CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Paola L Sassi
- Grupo de Investigaciones de la Biodiversidad, Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de Zonas Áridas, CCT-Mendoza, CONICET, Mendoza, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina
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15
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Storz JF, Bautista NM. Altitude acclimatization, hemoglobin-oxygen affinity, and circulatory oxygen transport in hypoxia. Mol Aspects Med 2022; 84:101052. [PMID: 34879970 PMCID: PMC8821351 DOI: 10.1016/j.mam.2021.101052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Revised: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
In mammals and other air-breathing vertebrates that live at high altitude, adjustments in convective O2 transport via changes in blood hemoglobin (Hb) content and/or Hb-O2 affinity can potentially mitigate the effects of arterial hypoxemia. However, there are conflicting views about the optimal values of such traits in hypoxia, partly due to the intriguing observation that hypoxia-induced acclimatization responses in humans and other predominantly lowland mammals are frequently not aligned in the same direction as evolved phenotypic changes in high-altitude natives. Here we review relevant theoretical and empirical results and we highlight experimental studies of rodents and humans that provide insights into the combination of hematological changes that help attenuate the decline in aerobic performance in hypoxia. For a given severity of hypoxia, experimental results suggest that optimal values for hematological traits are conditional on the states of other interrelated phenotypes that govern different steps in the O2-transport pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay F Storz
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA.
| | - Naim M Bautista
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA
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16
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Qi Y, Zhang T, Wu Y, Yao Z, Qiu X, Pu P, Tang X, Fu J, Yang W. A Multilevel Assessment of Plasticity in Response to High-Altitude Environment for Agama Lizards. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.845072] [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
Upslope range shifting has been documented in diverse species in response to global warming. Plasticity, which refers to the ability of organisms to alter their phenotypes in changing environments, is crucial for the survival of those that newly migrated to a high-altitude environment. The scope and mechanisms of plasticity across biological levels, however, have rarely been examined. We used two agama lizards (genus Phrynocephalus) as model systems and a transplant experiment to comprehensively assess their plasticity on multiple organization levels. Two low-altitude (934 m) agama species, Phrynocephalus axillaris (oviparous) and P. forsythii (viviparous), were transplanted to a high-altitude site (3,400 m). After acclimation for 6 weeks in seminatural enclosures, plasticity was measured from bite force, tail display behavior, gene expression, and metabolome. Both lizards were capable of acclimating to the high-altitude environment without sacrificing their performance in bite force, but they also showed high plasticity in tail display behavior by either decreasing the intensity of a specific display component (P. forsythii) or by the trade-off between display components (P. axillaris). Genes and metabolites associated with lipids, especially fatty acid metabolism, exhibited significant differentiation in expression, compared to individuals from their native habitats. Improved fatty acid storage and metabolism appeared to be a common response among animals at high altitudes. Despite distinct reproductive modes that may differ in response to physiological pressure, the two lizards demonstrated high concordance in plasticity when they faced a novel environment at high altitudes. Taken together, lizards likely acclimate to high-altitude environments by reducing behavioral activity and increasing energy efficiency after range shifting. Our results provide new insights into our understanding of phenotypic plasticity and its importance in today’s changing climate.
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17
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Beckman EJ, Martins F, Suzuki TA, Bi K, Keeble S, Good JM, Chavez AS, Ballinger MA, Agwamba K, Nachman MW. The genomic basis of high-elevation adaptation in wild house mice (Mus musculus domesticus) from South America. Genetics 2022; 220:iyab226. [PMID: 34897431 PMCID: PMC9097263 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyab226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the genetic basis of environmental adaptation in natural populations is a central goal in evolutionary biology. The conditions at high elevation, particularly the low oxygen available in the ambient air, impose a significant and chronic environmental challenge to metabolically active animals with lowland ancestry. To understand the process of adaptation to these novel conditions and to assess the repeatability of evolution over short timescales, we examined the signature of selection from complete exome sequences of house mice (Mus musculus domesticus) sampled across two elevational transects in the Andes of South America. Using phylogenetic analysis, we show that house mice colonized high elevations independently in Ecuador and Bolivia. Overall, we found distinct responses to selection in each transect and largely nonoverlapping sets of candidate genes, consistent with the complex nature of traits that underlie adaptation to low oxygen availability (hypoxia) in other species. Nonetheless, we also identified a small subset of the genome that appears to be under parallel selection at the gene and SNP levels. In particular, three genes (Col22a1, Fgf14, and srGAP1) bore strong signatures of selection in both transects. Finally, we observed several patterns that were common to both transects, including an excess of derived alleles at high elevation, and a number of hypoxia-associated genes exhibiting a threshold effect, with a large allele frequency change only at the highest elevations. This threshold effect suggests that selection pressures may increase disproportionately at high elevations in mammals, consistent with observations of some high-elevation diseases in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth J Beckman
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Felipe Martins
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Taichi A Suzuki
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Department of Microbiome Science, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Ke Bi
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Sara Keeble
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Jeffrey M Good
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
- Wildlife Biology Program, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Andreas S Chavez
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology and the Translational Data Analytics Institute, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Mallory A Ballinger
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Kennedy Agwamba
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Michael W Nachman
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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18
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Ivy CM, Wearing OH, Natarajan C, Schweizer RM, Gutiérrez-Pinto N, Velotta JP, Campbell-Staton SC, Petersen EE, Fago A, Cheviron ZA, Storz JF, Scott GR. Genetic variation in haemoglobin is associated with evolved changes in breathing in high-altitude deer mice. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:273749. [PMID: 34913467 PMCID: PMC8917448 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Physiological systems often have emergent properties but the effects of genetic variation on physiology are often unknown, which presents a major challenge to understanding the mechanisms of phenotypic evolution. We investigated whether genetic variants in haemoglobin (Hb) that contribute to high-altitude adaptation in deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) are associated with evolved changes in the control of breathing. We created F2 inter-population hybrids of highland and lowland deer mice to test for phenotypic associations of α- and β-globin variants on a mixed genetic background. Hb genotype had expected effects on Hb-O2 affinity that were associated with differences in arterial O2 saturation in hypoxia. However, high-altitude genotypes were also associated with breathing phenotypes that should contribute to enhancing O2 uptake in hypoxia. Mice with highland α-globin exhibited a more effective breathing pattern, with highland homozygotes breathing deeper but less frequently across a range of inspired O2, and this difference was comparable to the evolved changes in breathing pattern in deer mouse populations native to high altitude. The ventilatory response to hypoxia was augmented in mice that were homozygous for highland β-globin. The association of globin variants with variation in breathing phenotypes could not be recapitulated by acute manipulation of Hb-O2 affinity, because treatment with efaproxiral (a synthetic drug that acutely reduces Hb-O2 affinity) had no effect on breathing in normoxia or hypoxia. Therefore, adaptive variation in Hb may have unexpected effects on physiology in addition to the canonical function of this protein in circulatory O2 transport.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine M. Ivy
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada, L8S 4K1,Author for correspondence ()
| | - Oliver H. Wearing
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada, L8S 4K1
| | | | - Rena M. Schweizer
- Divison of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | | | - Jonathan P. Velotta
- Divison of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Shane C. Campbell-Staton
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Elin E. Petersen
- Department of Biology, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Angela Fago
- Department of Biology, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Zachary A. Cheviron
- Divison of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Jay F. Storz
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
| | - Graham R. Scott
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada, L8S 4K1
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19
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Nabi G, Xing D, Sun Y, Zhang Q, Li M, Jiang C, Ahmad IM, Wingfield JC, Wu Y, Li D. Coping with extremes: High-altitude sparrows enhance metabolic and thermogenic capacities in the pectoralis muscle and suppress in the liver relative to their lowland counterparts. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2021; 313:113890. [PMID: 34453929 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2021.113890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2021] [Revised: 08/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Animals living at high altitudes are challenged by the extreme environmental conditions of cold temperature and hypobaric hypoxia. It is not well understood how high-altitude birds enhance the capacity of metabolic thermogenesis and allocate metabolic capacity in different organs to maximize survival in extreme conditions of a cold winter. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) is the largest and highest plateau globally, offering a natural laboratory for investigating coping mechanisms of organisms inhabiting extreme environments. To understand the adaptive strategies in the morphology and physiology of small songbirds on the QTP, we compared plasma triiodothyronine (T3), pectoralis muscle mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase (COX) and state IV capacities, the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator α (PGC-1α), adenine nucleotide translocase (ANT), uncoupling protein (UCP), and adenosine monophosphate-dependent kinase (AMPK) α1 mRNA in the pectoralis and liver of Eurasian tree sparrows (Passer montanus) from high-altitude (3,230 m), medium-altitude (1400 m), and low-altitude (80 m) regions. Our results showed that high-altitude sparrows had greater body masses, longer wings and tarsometatarsi, but comparable bill lengths relative to medium- and low-altitude individuals. High-altitude sparrows had higher plasma T3 levels and pectoralis muscle mitochondrial COX capacities than their lowland counterparts. They also upregulated the pectoralis muscle mRNA expression of UCP, PGC-1α, and ANT proteins relative to low-altitude sparrows. Unlike pectoralis, high-altitude sparrows significantly down-regulated hepatic AMPKα1 and ANT protein expression as compared with their lowland counterparts. Our results contribute to understanding the morphological, biochemical, and molecular adaptations in free-living birds to cope with the cold seasons in the extreme environment of the QTP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ghulam Nabi
- Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Hebei Province, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Danning Xing
- Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Hebei Province, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Yanfeng Sun
- Ocean College, Hebei Agricultural University, Qinhuangdao, China
| | - Qian Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Hebei Province, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Mo Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Hebei Province, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Chuan Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Hebei Province, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Ibrahim M Ahmad
- Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Hebei Province, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - John C Wingfield
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Yuefeng Wu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Hebei Province, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Dongming Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Hebei Province, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, China.
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20
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Increased Reliance on Carbohydrates for Aerobic Exercise in Highland Andean Leaf-Eared Mice, but Not in Highland Lima Leaf-Eared Mice. Metabolites 2021; 11:metabo11110750. [PMID: 34822408 PMCID: PMC8618444 DOI: 10.3390/metabo11110750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Revised: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Exercise is an important performance trait in mammals and variation in aerobic capacity and/or substrate allocation during submaximal exercise may be important for survival at high altitude. Comparisons between lowland and highland populations is a fruitful approach to understanding the mechanisms for altitude differences in exercise performance. However, it has only been applied in very few highland species. The leaf-eared mice (LEM, genus Phyllotis) of South America are a promising taxon to uncover the pervasiveness of hypoxia tolerance mechanisms. Here we use lowland and highland populations of Andean and Lima LEM (P. andium and P. limatus), acclimated to common laboratory conditions, to determine exercise-induced maximal oxygen consumption (V˙O2max), and submaximal exercise metabolism. Lowland and highland populations of both species showed no difference in V˙O2max running in either normoxia or hypoxia. When run at 75% of V˙O2max, highland Andean LEM had a greater reliance on carbohydrate oxidation to power exercise. In contrast, highland Lima LEM showed no difference in exercise fuel use compared to their lowland counterparts. The higher carbohydrate oxidation seen in highland Andean LEM was not explained by maximal activities of glycolytic enzymes in the gastrocnemius muscle, which were equivalent to lowlanders. This result is consistent with data on highland deer mouse populations and suggests changes in metabolic regulation may explain altitude differences in exercise performance.
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21
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Schweizer RM, Jones MR, Bradburd GS, Storz JF, Senner NR, Wolf C, Cheviron ZA. Broad Concordance in the Spatial Distribution of Adaptive and Neutral Genetic Variation across an Elevational Gradient in Deer Mice. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 38:4286-4300. [PMID: 34037784 PMCID: PMC8476156 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msab161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
When species are continuously distributed across environmental gradients, the relative strength of selection and gene flow shape spatial patterns of genetic variation, potentially leading to variable levels of differentiation across loci. Determining whether adaptive genetic variation tends to be structured differently than neutral variation along environmental gradients is an open and important question in evolutionary genetics. We performed exome-wide population genomic analysis on deer mice sampled along an elevational gradient of nearly 4,000 m of vertical relief. Using a combination of selection scans, genotype-environment associations, and geographic cline analyses, we found that a large proportion of the exome has experienced a history of altitude-related selection. Elevational clines for nearly 30% of these putatively adaptive loci were shifted significantly up- or downslope of clines for loci that did not bear similar signatures of selection. Many of these selection targets can be plausibly linked to known phenotypic differences between highland and lowland deer mice, although the vast majority of these candidates have not been reported in other studies of highland taxa. Together, these results suggest new hypotheses about the genetic basis of physiological adaptation to high altitude, and the spatial distribution of adaptive genetic variation along environmental gradients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rena M Schweizer
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
| | - Matthew R Jones
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
- Southwest Biological Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Gideon S Bradburd
- Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Program, Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Jay F Storz
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Nathan R Senner
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Cole Wolf
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
| | - Zachary A Cheviron
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
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22
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Chen Y, Hou G, Jing M, Teng H, Liu Q, Yang X, Wang Y, Qu J, Shi C, Lu L, Zhang J, Zhang Y. Genomic analysis unveils mechanisms of northward invasion and signatures of plateau adaptation in the Asian house rat. Mol Ecol 2021; 30:6596-6610. [PMID: 34564921 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Revised: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The Asian house rat (AHR), Rattus tanezumi, has recently invaded the northern half of China. The AHR is a highly adaptive rat species that has also successfully conquered the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) and replaced the brown rat (BR), R. norvegicus, at the edge of the QTP. Here, we assembled a draft genome of the AHR and explored the mechanisms of its northward invasion and the genetic basis underlying plateau adaptation in this species. Population genomic analyses revealed that the northwardly invasive AHRs consisted of two independent and genetically distinct populations which might result from multiple independent primary invasion events. One invasive population exhibited reduced genetic diversity and distinct population structure compared with its source population, while the other displayed preserved genetic polymorphisms and little genetic differentiation from its source population. Genes involved in G-protein coupled receptors and carbohydrate metabolism may contribute to the local adaptation of northern AHRs. In particular, RTN4 was identified as a key gene for AHRs in the QTP that favours adaptation to high-altitude hypoxia. Coincidently, the physiological performance and transcriptome profiles of hypoxia-exposed rats both showed better hypoxia adaptation in AHRs than in BRs that failed to colonize the heart of the QTP, which may have facilitated the replacement of the BR population by the invading AHRs at the edge of the QTP. This study provides profound insights into the multiple origins of the northwardly invasive AHR and the great tolerance to hypoxia in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Guanmei Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Meidong Jing
- School of Life Sciences, Nantong University, Nantong, China
| | - Huajing Teng
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Department of Radiation Oncology, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Quansheng Liu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xingen Yang
- Shanxi Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management in Agriculture, Institute of Plant Protection, Shanxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Taiyuan, China
| | - Yong Wang
- Dongting Lake Station for Wetland Ecosystem Research, Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, China
| | - Jiapeng Qu
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qinghai, China
| | - Chengmin Shi
- College of Plant Protection, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, China
| | - Liang Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Jianxu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yaohua Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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23
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Colella JP, Blumstein DM, MacManes MD. Disentangling environmental drivers of circadian metabolism in desert-adapted mice. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:jeb242529. [PMID: 34495305 PMCID: PMC8502254 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.242529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Metabolism is a complex phenotype shaped by natural environmental rhythms, as well as behavioral, morphological and physiological adaptations. Metabolism has been historically studied under constant environmental conditions, but new methods of continuous metabolic phenotyping now offer a window into organismal responses to dynamic environments, and enable identification of abiotic controls and the timing of physiological responses relative to environmental change. We used indirect calorimetry to characterize metabolic phenotypes of the desert-adapted cactus mouse (Peromyscus eremicus) in response to variable environmental conditions that mimic their native environment versus those recorded under constant warm and constant cool conditions, with a constant photoperiod and full access to resources. We found significant sexual dimorphism, with males being more prone to dehydration than females. Under circadian environmental variation, most metabolic shifts occurred prior to physical environmental change and the timing was disrupted under both constant treatments. The ratio of CO2 produced to O2 consumed (the respiratory quotient) reached greater than 1.0 only during the light phase under diurnally variable conditions, a pattern that strongly suggests that lipogenesis contributes to the production of energy and endogenous water. Our results are consistent with historical descriptions of circadian torpor in this species (torpid by day, active by night), but reject the hypothesis that torpor is initiated by food restriction or negative water balance.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Matthew D. MacManes
- University of New Hampshire, Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences, Durham, NH 03824, USA
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24
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Ivy CM, Prest H, West CM, Scott GR. Distinct Mechanisms Underlie Developmental Plasticity and Adult Acclimation of Thermogenic Capacity in High-Altitude Deer Mice. Front Physiol 2021; 12:718163. [PMID: 34456754 PMCID: PMC8385410 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.718163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Developmental plasticity can elicit phenotypic adjustments that help organisms cope with environmental change, but the relationship between developmental plasticity and plasticity in adult life (e.g., acclimation) remains unresolved. We sought to examine developmental plasticity and adult acclimation in response to hypoxia of aerobic capacity (V̇O2max) for thermogenesis in deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) native to high altitude. Deer mice were bred in captivity and exposed to normoxia or one of four hypoxia treatments (12 kPa O2) across life stages: adult hypoxia (6–8 weeks), post-natal hypoxia (birth to adulthood), life-long hypoxia (before conception to adulthood), and parental hypoxia (mice conceived and raised in normoxia, but parents previously exposed to hypoxia). Hypoxia during perinatal development increased V̇O2max by a much greater magnitude than adult hypoxia. The amplified effect of developmental hypoxia resulted from physiological plasticity that did not occur with adult hypoxia – namely, increases in lung ventilation and volume. Evolved characteristics of deer mice enabled developmental plasticity, because white-footed mice (P. leucopus; a congener restricted to low altitudes) could not raise pups in hypoxia. Parental hypoxia had no persistent effects on V̇O2max. Therefore, developmental plasticity can have much stronger phenotypic effects and can manifest from distinct physiological mechanisms from adult acclimation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine M Ivy
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Haley Prest
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Claire M West
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Graham R Scott
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
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25
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Gutierrez-Pinto N, Londoño GA, Chappell MA, Storz JF. A test of altitude-related variation in aerobic metabolism of Andean birds. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:1-6. [PMID: 34060605 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.237990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Endotherms at high altitude face the combined challenges of cold and hypoxia. Cold increases thermoregulatory costs, and hypoxia may limit both thermogenesis and aerobic exercise capacity. Consequently, in comparisons between closely related highland and lowland taxa, we might expect to observe consistent differences in basal metabolic rate (BMR), maximal metabolic rate (MMR) and aerobic scope. Broad-scale comparative studies of birds reveal no association between BMR and native elevation, and altitude effects on MMR have not been investigated. We tested for altitude-related variation in aerobic metabolism in 10 Andean passerines representing five pairs of closely related species with contrasting elevational ranges. Mass-corrected BMR and MMR were significantly higher in most highland species relative to their lowland counterparts, but there was no uniform elevational trend across all pairs of species. Our results suggest that there is no simple explanation regarding the ecological and physiological causes of elevational variation in aerobic metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gustavo A Londoño
- Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Icesi, Cali 760031, Colombia
| | - Mark A Chappell
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Jay F Storz
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
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26
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Colella JP, Tigano A, Dudchenko O, Omer AD, Khan R, Bochkov ID, Aiden EL, MacManes MD. Limited Evidence for Parallel Evolution Among Desert-Adapted Peromyscus Deer Mice. J Hered 2021; 112:286-302. [PMID: 33686424 PMCID: PMC8141686 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esab009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 02/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Warming climate and increasing desertification urge the identification of genes involved in heat and dehydration tolerance to better inform and target biodiversity conservation efforts. Comparisons among extant desert-adapted species can highlight parallel or convergent patterns of genome evolution through the identification of shared signatures of selection. We generate a chromosome-level genome assembly for the canyon mouse (Peromyscus crinitus) and test for a signature of parallel evolution by comparing signatures of selective sweeps across population-level genomic resequencing data from another congeneric desert specialist (Peromyscus eremicus) and a widely distributed habitat generalist (Peromyscus maniculatus), that may be locally adapted to arid conditions. We identify few shared candidate loci involved in desert adaptation and do not find support for a shared pattern of parallel evolution. Instead, we hypothesize divergent molecular mechanisms of desert adaptation among deer mice, potentially tied to species-specific historical demography, which may limit or enhance adaptation. We identify a number of candidate loci experiencing selective sweeps in the P. crinitus genome that are implicated in osmoregulation (Trypsin, Prostasin) and metabolic tuning (Kallikrein, eIF2-alpha kinase GCN2, APPL1/2), which may be important for accommodating hot and dry environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jocelyn P Colella
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH.,Hubbard Genome Center, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH.,Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
| | - Anna Tigano
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH.,Hubbard Genome Center, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
| | - Olga Dudchenko
- Center for Genome Architecture, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.,Center for Theoretical and Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, TX.,Department of Computer Science, Department of Computational and Applied Mathematics, Rice University, Houston, TX
| | - Arina D Omer
- Center for Genome Architecture, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Ruqayya Khan
- Center for Genome Architecture, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.,Department of Computer Science, Department of Computational and Applied Mathematics, Rice University, Houston, TX
| | - Ivan D Bochkov
- Center for Genome Architecture, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.,Department of Computer Science, Department of Computational and Applied Mathematics, Rice University, Houston, TX
| | - Erez L Aiden
- Center for Genome Architecture, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.,Center for Theoretical and Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, TX.,Department of Computer Science, Department of Computational and Applied Mathematics, Rice University, Houston, TX.,Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China.,School of Agriculture and Environment, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Matthew D MacManes
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH.,Hubbard Genome Center, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
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27
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Coulson SZ, Robertson CE, Mahalingam S, McClelland GB. Plasticity of non-shivering thermogenesis and brown adipose tissue in high-altitude deer mice. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:268387. [PMID: 34060604 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.242279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
High altitude environments challenge small mammals with persistent low ambient temperatures that require high rates of aerobic heat production in face of low O2 availability. An important component of thermogenic capacity in rodents is non-shivering thermogenesis (NST) mediated by uncoupled mitochondrial respiration in brown adipose tissue (BAT). NST is plastic, and capacity for heat production increases with cold acclimation. However, in lowland native rodents, hypoxia inhibits NST in BAT. We hypothesize that highland deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) overcome the hypoxic inhibition of NST through changes in BAT mitochondrial function. We tested this hypothesis using lab born and raised highland and lowland deer mice, and a lowland congeneric (Peromyscus leucopus), acclimated to either warm normoxia (25°C, 760 mmHg) or cold hypoxia (5°C, 430 mmHg). We determined the effects of acclimation and ancestry on whole-animal rates of NST, the mass of interscapular BAT (iBAT), and uncoupling protein (UCP)-1 protein expression. To identify changes in mitochondrial function, we conducted high-resolution respirometry on isolated iBAT mitochondria using substrates and inhibitors targeted to UCP-1. We found that rates of NST increased with cold hypoxia acclimation but only in highland deer mice. There was no effect of cold hypoxia acclimation on iBAT mass in any group, but highland deer mice showed increases in UCP-1 expression and UCP-1-stimulated mitochondrial respiration in response to these stressors. Our results suggest that highland deer mice have evolved to increase the capacity for NST in response to chronic cold hypoxia, driven in part by changes in iBAT mitochondrial function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soren Z Coulson
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Cayleih E Robertson
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Sajeni Mahalingam
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Grant B McClelland
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada
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28
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Climate Change Impacts on Himalayan Biodiversity: Evidence-Based Perception and Current Approaches to Evaluate Threats Under Climate Change. J Indian Inst Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s41745-021-00237-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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29
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Lyons SA, Tate KB, Welch KC, McClelland GB. Lipid oxidation during thermogenesis in high-altitude deer mice ( Peromyscus maniculatus). Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2021; 320:R735-R746. [PMID: 33729020 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00266.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
When at their maximum thermogenic capacity (cold-induced V̇o2max), small endotherms reach levels of aerobic metabolism as high, or even higher, than running V̇o2max. How these high rates of thermogenesis are supported by substrate oxidation is currently unclear. The appropriate utilization of metabolic fuels that could sustain thermogenesis over extended periods may be important for survival in cold environments, like high altitude. Previous studies show that high capacities for lipid use in high-altitude deer mice may have evolved in concert with greater thermogenic capacities. The purpose of this study was to determine how lipid utilization at both moderate and maximal thermogenic intensities may differ in high- and low-altitude deer mice, and strictly low-altitude white-footed mice. We also examined the phenotypic plasticity of lipid use after acclimation to cold hypoxia (CH), conditions simulating high altitude. We found that lipids were the primary fuel supporting both moderate and maximal rates of thermogenesis in both species of mice. Lipid oxidation increased threefold in mice from 30°C to 0°C, consistent with increases in oxidation of [13C]palmitic acid. CH acclimation led to an increase in [13C]palmitic acid oxidation at 30°C but did not affect total lipid oxidation. Lipid oxidation rates at cold-induced V̇o2max were two- to fourfold those at 0°C and increased further after CH acclimation, especially in high-altitude deer mice. These are the highest mass-specific lipid oxidation rates observed in any land mammal. Uncovering the mechanisms that allow for these high rates of oxidation will aid our understanding of the regulation of lipid metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sulayman A Lyons
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kevin B Tate
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kenneth C Welch
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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30
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Breton S, Ghiselli F, Milani L. Mitochondrial Short-Term Plastic Responses and Long-Term Evolutionary Dynamics in Animal Species. Genome Biol Evol 2021; 13:6248094. [PMID: 33892508 PMCID: PMC8290114 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evab084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
How do species respond or adapt to environmental changes? The answer to this depends partly on mitochondrial epigenetics and genetics, new players in promoting adaptation to both short- and long-term environmental changes. In this review, we explore how mitochondrial epigenetics and genetics mechanisms, such as mtDNA methylation, mtDNA-derived noncoding RNAs, micropeptides, mtDNA mutations, and adaptations, can contribute to animal plasticity and adaptation. We also briefly discuss the challenges in assessing mtDNA adaptive evolution. In sum, this review covers new advances in the field of mitochondrial genomics, many of which are still controversial, and discusses processes still somewhat obscure, and some of which are still quite speculative and require further robust experimentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Breton
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Fabrizio Ghiselli
- Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy
| | - Liliana Milani
- Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy
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31
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Velotta JP, Robertson CE, Schweizer RM, McClelland GB, Cheviron ZA. Adaptive Shifts in Gene Regulation Underlie a Developmental Delay in Thermogenesis in High-Altitude Deer Mice. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 37:2309-2321. [PMID: 32243546 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msaa086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Aerobic performance is tied to fitness as it influences an animal's ability to find food, escape predators, or survive extreme conditions. At high altitude, where low O2 availability and persistent cold prevail, maximum metabolic heat production (thermogenesis) is an aerobic performance trait that is closely linked to survival. Understanding how thermogenesis evolves to enhance survival at high altitude will yield insight into the links between physiology, performance, and fitness. Recent work in deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) has shown that adult mice native to high altitude have higher thermogenic capacities under hypoxia compared with lowland conspecifics, but that developing high-altitude pups delay the onset of thermogenesis. This finding suggests that natural selection on thermogenic capacity varies across life stages. To determine the mechanistic cause of this ontogenetic delay, we analyzed the transcriptomes of thermoeffector organs-brown adipose tissue and skeletal muscle-in developing deer mice native to low and high altitude. We demonstrate that the developmental delay in thermogenesis is associated with adaptive shifts in the expression of genes involved in nervous system development, fuel/O2 supply, and oxidative metabolism pathways. Our results demonstrate that selection has modified the developmental trajectory of the thermoregulatory system at high altitude and has done so by acting on the regulatory systems that control the maturation of thermoeffector tissues. We suggest that the cold and hypoxic conditions of high altitude force a resource allocation tradeoff, whereby limited energy is allocated to developmental processes such as growth, versus active thermogenesis, during early development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Rena M Schweizer
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT
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32
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Storz JF. High-Altitude Adaptation: Mechanistic Insights from Integrated Genomics and Physiology. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 38:2677-2691. [PMID: 33751123 PMCID: PMC8233491 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msab064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Population genomic analyses of high-altitude humans and other vertebrates have identified numerous candidate genes for hypoxia adaptation, and the physiological pathways implicated by such analyses suggest testable hypotheses about underlying mechanisms. Studies of highland natives that integrate genomic data with experimental measures of physiological performance capacities and subordinate traits are revealing associations between genotypes (e.g., hypoxia-inducible factor gene variants) and hypoxia-responsive phenotypes. The subsequent search for causal mechanisms is complicated by the fact that observed genotypic associations with hypoxia-induced phenotypes may reflect second-order consequences of selection-mediated changes in other (unmeasured) traits that are coupled with the focal trait via feedback regulation. Manipulative experiments to decipher circuits of feedback control and patterns of phenotypic integration can help identify causal relationships that underlie observed genotype–phenotype associations. Such experiments are critical for correct inferences about phenotypic targets of selection and mechanisms of adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay F Storz
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA
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33
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Storz JF, Scott GR. Phenotypic plasticity, genetic assimilation, and genetic compensation in hypoxia adaptation of high-altitude vertebrates. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2021; 253:110865. [PMID: 33301891 PMCID: PMC7867641 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2020.110865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Revised: 12/03/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Important questions about mechanisms of physiological adaptation concern the role of phenotypic plasticity and the extent to which acclimatization responses align with genetic responses to selection. Such questions can be addressed in experimental studies of high-altitude vertebrates by investigating how mechanisms of acclimatization to hypoxia in lowland natives may influence genetic adaptation to hypoxia in highland natives. Evidence from high-altitude mammals suggest that evolved changes in some physiological traits involved canalization of the ancestral acclimatization response to hypoxia (genetic assimilation), a mechanism that results in an evolved reduction in plasticity. In addition to cases where adaptive plasticity may have facilitated genetic adaptation, evidence also suggests that some physiological changes in high-altitude natives are the result of selection to mitigate maladaptive plastic responses to hypoxia (genetic compensation). Examples of genetic compensation involve the attenuation of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension in Tibetan humans and other mammals native to high altitude. Here we discuss examples of adaptive physiological phenotypes in high-altitude natives that may have evolved by means of genetic assimilation or genetic compensation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay F Storz
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA.
| | - Graham R Scott
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
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34
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Abstract
Population genomic studies of humans and other animals at high altitude have generated many hypotheses about the genes and pathways that may have contributed to hypoxia adaptation. Future advances require experimental tests of such hypotheses to identify causal mechanisms. Studies to date illustrate the challenge of moving from lists of candidate genes to the identification of phenotypic targets of selection, as it can be difficult to determine whether observed genotype-phenotype associations reflect causal effects or secondary consequences of changes in other traits that are linked via homeostatic regulation. Recent work on high-altitude models such as deer mice has revealed both plastic and evolved changes in respiratory, cardiovascular, and metabolic traits that contribute to aerobic performance capacity in hypoxia, and analyses of tissue-specific transcriptomes have identified changes in regulatory networks that mediate adaptive changes in physiological phenotype. Here we synthesize recent results and discuss lessons learned from studies of high-altitude adaptation that lie at the intersection of genomics and physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay F Storz
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588, USA;
| | - Zachary A Cheviron
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana 59812, USA;
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Solari KA, Hadly EA. Experimental study of hypoxia-induced changes in gene expression in an Asian pika, Ochotona dauurica. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0240435. [PMID: 33044983 PMCID: PMC7549823 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0240435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2019] [Accepted: 09/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Acclimation to environmental changes driven by alterations in gene expression will serve as an important response for some species facing rapid Anthropogenic climate change. Pikas, genus Ochotona, are particularly vulnerable to climate change and current trends suggest that only the highest, coldest elevations within their ranges may remain suitable habitat for these species. In this study we aimed to assess the role of changes in gene expression in potentially facilitating elevational movements in pikas by measuring gene expression in the only known captive pika population, Ochotona dauurica, in response to hypoxic conditions. Using a controlled experiment, we exposed four male pikas to oxygen concentrations characteristic of sea-level, 2,000 m, and 4,000 m for 5 days each. Using blood samples collected after each treatment, we used RNAseq to determine if candidate pathways were undergoing significant changes in gene expression at different levels of oxygen (~100%, ~77%, and ~61% of sea-level oxygen concentrations). Gene set enrichment analyses showed that gene sets associated with the oxidative phosphorylation pathway and electron transport chain were significantly enriched for up-regulated genes in the 4,000 m samples compared to samples from the same individuals at lower-elevation conditions. Up-regulation of these pathways is consistent with known mechanisms of oxygen compensation. Our results suggest that these pikas have the acclimation capacity to tolerate oxygen concentrations characteristic of any elevation within their species range and that gene expression can be changed in a matter of days to accommodate drastically different oxygen concentrations. Thus, rapid and radical elevational movements that may be required of some pika species to avoid warmer temperatures in the Anthropocene will likely not be limited by hypoxic stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine A. Solari
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
- Program for Conservation Genomics, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Elizabeth A. Hadly
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
- Program for Conservation Genomics, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
- Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
- Center for Innovation in Global Health, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
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Farhat E, Devereaux MEM, Pamenter ME, Weber JM. Naked mole-rats suppress energy metabolism and modulate membrane cholesterol in chronic hypoxia. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2020; 319:R148-R155. [PMID: 32663032 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00057.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Naked mole-rats (NMRs) are mammalian champions of hypoxia tolerance that enter metabolic suppression to survive in low oxygen environments. Common physiological mechanisms used by animals to suppress metabolic rate include downregulating energy metabolism (ATP supply) as well as ion pumps (primary cellular ATP consumers). A recent goldfish study demonstrated that remodeling of membrane lipids may mediate these responses, but it is unknown if NMR employs the same strategies; therefore, we aimed to test the hypotheses that these fossorial mammals 1) downregulate the activity of key enzymes of glycolysis, tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and β-oxidation, 2) inhibit sodium-potassium-ATPase, and 3) alter membrane lipids in response to chronic hypoxia. We found that NMRs exposed to 11% oxygen for 4 wk had a lower metabolic rate by 34%. This suppression occurs concurrently with tissue-specific 25-99% decreases in metabolic enzymes activities, a 77% decrease in brain sodium/potassium-ATPase activity, and widespread changes in membrane cholesterol abundance. By reducing glycolytic and β-oxidation fluxes, NMRs decrease the supply of acetyl-CoA to the TCA cycle. By contrast, there is a 94% upregulation of citrate synthase in the heart, possibly to support circulation and thus oxygen supply to other organs. Taken together, these responses may reflect a coordinated physiological response to hypoxia, but a clear functional link between changes in membrane composition and enzyme activities could not be established. Nevertheless, this is the first demonstration that hypometabolic NMRs alter the lipid composition of their membranes in response to chronic in vivo exposure to hypoxia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elie Farhat
- Biology Department, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Matthew E Pamenter
- Biology Department, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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Ho WC, Li D, Zhu Q, Zhang J. Phenotypic plasticity as a long-term memory easing readaptations to ancestral environments. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaba3388. [PMID: 32494748 PMCID: PMC7244318 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aba3388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 03/12/2020] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Phenotypic plasticity refers to environment-induced phenotypic changes without mutation and is present in all organisms. The role of phenotypic plasticity in organismal adaptations to novel environments has attracted much attention, but its role in readaptations to ancestral environments is understudied. To address this question, we use the reciprocal transplant approach to investigate the multitissue transcriptomes of chickens adapted to the Tibetan Plateau and adjacent lowland. While many genetic transcriptomic changes had occurred in the forward adaptation to the highland, plastic changes largely transform the transcriptomes to the preferred state when Tibetan chickens are brought back to the lowland. The same trend holds for egg hatchability, a key component of the chicken fitness. These findings, along with highly similar patterns in comparable experiments of guppies and Escherichia coli, demonstrate that organisms generally "remember" their ancestral environments via phenotypic plasticity and reveal a mechanism by which past experience affects future evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Chin Ho
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Diyan Li
- Institute of Animal Genetics and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Qing Zhu
- Institute of Animal Genetics and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Jianzhi Zhang
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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38
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39
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Ivy CM, Greaves MA, Sangster ED, Robertson CE, Natarajan C, Storz JF, McClelland GB, Scott GR. Ontogenesis of evolved changes in respiratory physiology in deer mice native to high altitude. J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb219360. [PMID: 32054682 PMCID: PMC7075075 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.219360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 02/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
High-altitude environments are cold and hypoxic, and many high-altitude natives have evolved changes in respiratory physiology that improve O2 uptake in hypoxia as adults. Altricial mammals undergo a dramatic metabolic transition from ectothermy to endothermy in early post-natal life, which may influence the ontogenetic development of respiratory traits at high altitude. We examined the developmental changes in respiratory and haematological traits in deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) native to high altitude, comparing the respiratory responses to progressive hypoxia between highland and lowland deer mice. Among adults, highlanders exhibited higher total ventilation and a more effective breathing pattern (relatively deeper tidal volumes), for mice that were caught and tested at their native altitudes and those lab-raised in normoxia. Lab-raised progeny of each population were also tested at post-natal day (P)7, 14, 21 and 30. Highlanders developed an enhanced hypoxic ventilatory response by P21, concurrent with the full maturation of the carotid bodies, and their more effective breathing pattern arose by P14; these ages correspond to critical benchmarks in the full development of homeothermy in highlanders. However, highlanders exhibited developmental delays in ventilatory sensitivity to hypoxia, hyperplasia of type I cells in the carotid body and increases in blood haemoglobin content compared with lowland mice. Nevertheless, highlanders maintained consistently higher arterial O2 saturation in hypoxia across development, in association with increases in blood-O2 affinity that were apparent from birth. We conclude that evolved changes in respiratory physiology in high-altitude deer mice become expressed in association with the post-natal development of endothermy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine M Ivy
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Mary A Greaves
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | | | | | | | - Jay F Storz
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
| | - Grant B McClelland
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Graham R Scott
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
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40
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Milani L, Ghiselli F. Faraway, so close. The comparative method and the potential of non-model animals in mitochondrial research. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 375:20190186. [PMID: 31787048 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Inference from model organisms has been the engine for many discoveries in life science, but indiscriminate generalization leads to oversimplifications and misconceptions. Model organisms and inductive reasoning are irreplaceable: there is no other way to tackle the complexity of living systems. At the same time, it is not advisable to infer general patterns from a restricted number of species, which are very far from being representative of the diversity of life. Not all models are equal. Some organisms are suitable to find similarities across species, other highly specialized organisms can be used to focus on differences. In this opinion piece, we discuss the dominance of the mechanistic/reductionist approach in life sciences and make a case for an enhanced application of the comparative approach to study processes in all their various forms across different organisms. We also enlist some rising animal models in mitochondrial research, to exemplify how non-model organisms can be chosen in a comparative framework. These taxa often do not possess implemented tools and dedicated methods/resources. However, because of specific features, they have the potential to address still unanswered biological questions. Finally, we discuss future perspectives and caveats of the comparative method in the age of 'big data'. This article is part of the theme issue 'Linking the mitochondrial genotype to phenotype: a complex endeavour'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liliana Milani
- Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Ghiselli
- Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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41
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Chavarria‐Pizarro T, Gomez JP, Ungvari‐Martin J, Bay R, Miyamoto MM, Kimball R. Strong phenotypic divergence in spite of low genetic structure in the endemic Mangrove Warbler subspecies ( Setophaga petechia xanthotera) of Costa Rica. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:13902-13918. [PMID: 31938490 PMCID: PMC6953683 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2019] [Accepted: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the enormous advances in genetics, links between phenotypes and genotypes have been made for only a few nonmodel organisms. However, such links can be essential to understand mechanisms of ecological speciation. The Costa Rican endemic Mangrove Warbler subspecies provides an excellent subject to study differentiation with gene flow, as it is distributed along a strong precipitation gradient on the Pacific coast with no strong geographic barriers to isolate populations. Mangrove Warbler populations could be subject to divergent selection driven by precipitation, which influences soil salinity levels, which in turn influences forest structure and food resources. We used single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and morphological traits to examine the balance between neutral genetic and phenotypic divergence to determine whether selection has acted on traits and genes with functions related to specific environmental variables. We present evidence showing: (a) associations between environmental variables and SNPs, identifying candidate genes related to bill morphology (BMP) and osmoregulation, (b) absence of population genetic structure in neutrally evolving markers, (c) divergence in bill size across the precipitation gradient, and (d) strong phenotypic differentiation (P ST) which largely exceeds neutral genetic differentiation (F ST) in bill size. Our results indicate an important role for salinity, forest structure, and resource availability in maintaining phenotypic divergence of Mangrove Warblers through natural selection. Our findings add to the growing body of literature identifying the processes involved in phenotypic differentiation along environmental gradients in the face of gene flow.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tania Chavarria‐Pizarro
- Department of BiologyUniversity of FloridaGainesvilleFLUSA
- Department of BiologyLudwig Maximilian University of MunichMunichGermany
| | - Juan Pablo Gomez
- Department of BiologyUniversity of FloridaGainesvilleFLUSA
- Departamento de Química y BiologíaUniversidad del NorteBarranquillaColombia
| | | | - Rachael Bay
- Department of Evolution and EcologyUniversity of CaliforniaDavisCAUSA
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42
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Schweizer RM, Velotta JP, Ivy CM, Jones MR, Muir SM, Bradburd GS, Storz JF, Scott GR, Cheviron ZA. Physiological and genomic evidence that selection on the transcription factor Epas1 has altered cardiovascular function in high-altitude deer mice. PLoS Genet 2019; 15:e1008420. [PMID: 31697676 PMCID: PMC6837288 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2019] [Accepted: 09/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Evolutionary adaptation to extreme environments often requires coordinated changes in multiple intersecting physiological pathways, but how such multi-trait adaptation occurs remains unresolved. Transcription factors, which regulate the expression of many genes and can simultaneously alter multiple phenotypes, may be common targets of selection if the benefits of induced changes outweigh the costs of negative pleiotropic effects. We combined complimentary population genetic analyses and physiological experiments in North American deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) to examine links between genetic variation in transcription factors that coordinate physiological responses to hypoxia (hypoxia-inducible factors, HIFs) and multiple physiological traits that potentially contribute to high-altitude adaptation. First, we sequenced the exomes of 100 mice sampled from different elevations and discovered that several SNPs in the gene Epas1, which encodes the oxygen sensitive subunit of HIF-2α, exhibited extreme allele frequency differences between highland and lowland populations. Broader geographic sampling confirmed that Epas1 genotype varied predictably with altitude throughout the western US. We then discovered that Epas1 genotype influences heart rate in hypoxia, and the transcriptomic responses to hypoxia (including HIF targets and genes involved in catecholamine signaling) in the heart and adrenal gland. Finally, we used a demographically-informed selection scan to show that Epas1 variants have experienced a history of spatially varying selection, suggesting that differences in cardiovascular function and gene regulation contribute to high-altitude adaptation. Our results suggest a mechanism by which Epas1 may aid long-term survival of high-altitude deer mice and provide general insights into the role that highly pleiotropic transcription factors may play in the process of environmental adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rena M. Schweizer
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Jonathan P. Velotta
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, United States of America
| | - Catherine M. Ivy
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Matthew R. Jones
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, United States of America
| | - Sarah M. Muir
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Gideon S. Bradburd
- Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior Graduate Group, Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Jay F. Storz
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Graham R. Scott
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Zachary A. Cheviron
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, United States of America
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43
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Robertson CE, McClelland GB. Developmental delay in shivering limits thermogenic capacity in juvenile high-altitude deer mice ( Peromyscus maniculatus). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 222:jeb.210963. [PMID: 31562187 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.210963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Accepted: 09/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Many endotherms native to cold and hypoxic high-altitude (HA) environments have evolved a highly vascularized and aerobic skeletal muscle. This specialized muscle phenotype contributes via shivering to an enhanced capacity for aerobic thermogenesis (cold-induced V̇ O2,max). However, it is unclear how selection at HA for shivering thermogenesis acts early in the development of small altricial mammals, which are born with immature skeletal muscles and without the capacity for homeothermic endothermy. We have previously shown that postnatal maturation of brown adipose tissue and non-shivering thermogenesis is delayed in HA native deer mouse pups (Peromyscus maniculatus). To assess whether HA adaptation has also altered the developmental program of skeletal muscle and shivering thermogenesis, we used laboratory-reared descendants of deer mice native to low altitude (LA, 430 m a.s.l.) and HA (4350 m a.s.l.) and a LA congeneric outgroup (P. leucopus). We found that LA juveniles were able to shiver robustly at 2 weeks after birth. However, HA juveniles were unlikely able to shiver at this point, resulting in a 30% lower capacity for thermoregulation compared with lowlanders. It was only at 27 days after birth that HA juveniles had established the aerobic muscle phenotype characteristic of HA adults and a superior cold-induced V̇ O2,max compared with LA mice of the same age. The capacity for shivering may be delayed in HA mice to allow energy to be allocated to other important processes such as growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cayleih E Robertson
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main St West, Hamilton, ON Canada L8S 4K1
| | - Grant B McClelland
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main St West, Hamilton, ON Canada L8S 4K1
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44
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Riddell EA, Roback EY, Wells CE, Zamudio KR, Sears MW. Thermal cues drive plasticity of desiccation resistance in montane salamanders with implications for climate change. Nat Commun 2019; 10:4091. [PMID: 31501425 PMCID: PMC6733842 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11990-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2018] [Accepted: 08/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Organisms rely upon external cues to avoid detrimental conditions during environmental change. Rapid water loss, or desiccation, is a universal threat for terrestrial plants and animals, especially under climate change, but the cues that facilitate plastic responses to avoid desiccation are unclear. We integrate acclimation experiments with gene expression analyses to identify the cues that regulate resistance to water loss at the physiological and regulatory level in a montane salamander (Plethodon metcalfi). Here we show that temperature is an important cue for developing a desiccation-resistant phenotype and might act as a reliable cue for organisms across the globe. Gene expression analyses consistently identify regulation of stem cell differentiation and embryonic development of vasculature. The temperature-sensitive blood vessel development suggests that salamanders regulate water loss through the regression and regeneration of capillary beds in the skin, indicating that tissue regeneration may be used for physiological purposes beyond replacing lost limbs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric A Riddell
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, 132 Long Hall, Clemson, SC, 29631, USA.
| | - Emma Y Roback
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, 132 Long Hall, Clemson, SC, 29631, USA.,Biology Department, Grinnell College, 1116 Eighth Ave, Grinnell, IA, 50112, USA
| | - Christina E Wells
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, 132 Long Hall, Clemson, SC, 29631, USA
| | - Kelly R Zamudio
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, E145 Corson Hall, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Michael W Sears
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, 132 Long Hall, Clemson, SC, 29631, USA
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Storz JF, Scott GR. Life Ascending: Mechanism and Process in Physiological Adaptation to High-Altitude Hypoxia. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS 2019; 50:503-526. [PMID: 33033467 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-110218-025014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
To cope with the reduced availability of O2 at high altitude, air-breathing vertebrates have evolved myriad adjustments in the cardiorespiratory system to match tissue O2 delivery with metabolic O2 demand. We explain how changes at interacting steps of the O2 transport pathway contribute to plastic and evolved changes in whole-animal aerobic performance under hypoxia. In vertebrates native to high altitude, enhancements of aerobic performance under hypoxia are attributable to a combination of environmentally induced and evolved changes in multiple steps of the pathway. Additionally, evidence suggests that many high-altitude natives have evolved mechanisms for attenuating maladaptive acclimatization responses to hypoxia, resulting in counter-gradient patterns of altitudinal variation for key physiological phenotypes. For traits that exhibit counteracting environmental and genetic effects, evolved changes in phenotype may be cryptic under field conditions and can only be revealed by rearing representatives of high-and low-altitude populations under standardized environmental conditions to control for plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay F Storz
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588, USA
| | - Graham R Scott
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada
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46
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Comparative analysis of peripheral blood reveals transcriptomic adaptations to extreme environments on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in the gray wolf (Canis lupus chanco). ORG DIVERS EVOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s13127-019-00405-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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47
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Storz JF, Cheviron ZA, McClelland GB, Scott GR. Evolution of physiological performance capacities and environmental adaptation: insights from high-elevation deer mice ( Peromyscus maniculatus). J Mammal 2019; 100:910-922. [PMID: 31138949 DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyy173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2018] [Accepted: 12/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Analysis of variation in whole-animal performance can shed light on causal connections between specific traits, integrated physiological capacities, and Darwinian fitness. Here, we review and synthesize information on naturally occurring variation in physiological performance capacities and how it relates to environmental adaptation in deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus). We discuss how evolved changes in aerobic exercise capacity and thermogenic capacity have contributed to adaptation to high elevations. Comparative work on deer mice at high and low elevations has revealed evolved differences in aerobic performance capacities in hypoxia. Highland deer mice have consistently higher aerobic performance capacities under hypoxia relative to lowland natives, consistent with the idea that it is beneficial to have a higher maximal metabolic rate (as measured by the maximal rate of O2 consumption, VO2max) in an environment characterized by lower air temperatures and lower O2 availability. Observed differences in aerobic performance capacities between highland and lowland deer mice stem from changes in numerous subordinate traits that alter the flux capacity of the O2-transport system, the oxidative capacity of tissue mitochondria, and the relationship between O2 consumption and ATP synthesis. Many such changes in physiological phenotype are associated with hypoxia-induced changes in gene expression. Research on natural variation in whole-animal performance forms a nexus between physiological ecology and evolutionary biology that requires insight into the natural history of the study species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay F Storz
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Zachary A Cheviron
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
| | | | - Graham R Scott
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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48
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Chen TH, Ma GC, Lin WH, Lee DJ, Wu SH, Liao BY, Chen M, Lin LK. Genome-Wide Microarray Analysis Suggests Transcriptomic Response May Not Play a Major Role in High- to Low-Altitude Acclimation in Harvest Mouse ( Micromys minutus). Animals (Basel) 2019; 9:ani9030092. [PMID: 30871279 PMCID: PMC6466072 DOI: 10.3390/ani9030092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2019] [Revised: 03/09/2019] [Accepted: 03/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Micromys minutus is a small rodent species that has a wide range of vertical distribution in Taiwan. By comparing the gene expression profile of the skeletal muscle tissues taken from individuals native to the high-altitude environment and those transferred to the low-altitude captive site, the Tnfrsf12a gene was demonstrated to have a differential expression pattern. Although this finding may be correlated with the altitude acclimation, the observation of only one gene transcript with significant alteration leads us to suggest that genetic response may not play a major role in altitude acclimation in M. minutus. Future comparative functional genomics studies involving other organ systems (in addition to skeletal muscles) and alarger sample size are warranted for better insight into the altitude acclimation of this small rodent species. Abstract The harvest mouse (Micromys minutus) is a small rodent species with a wide range of vertical distribution in Taiwan, extending from the sea level to 3100 m altitude. This species has recently suffered from habitat loss in high-altitude areas due to orchard cultivation, which may have resulted in mouse migration from high to low altitude. To investigate whether there is any physiological mechanism involved in altitude acclimation, rat cDNA microarray was used to compare transcriptomic patterns of the skeletal muscle tissues taken from individuals native to the high-altitude environment and those transferred to the low-altitude captive site. Of the 23,188 genes being analyzed, 47 (33 up-regulated and 14 down-regulated) were found to have differential expression (fold change > 4 or < −4, ANOVA p < 0.05). However, after multiple testing correction with a false discovery rate (FDR), only the result for Tnfrsf12a was found to be statistically significant (fold change = 13, FDR p < 0.05). The result was confirmed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (q-PCR). The expression of Tnfrsf12a possibly relates to the skeletal muscle biology and thus can be correlated with altitude acclimation. However, finding only one gene transcript with significant alteration suggests that transcriptomic response may not play a major role in high- to low-altitude acclimation in harvest mouse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tze-Ho Chen
- Department of Life Science, Tunghai University, Taichung 40704, Taiwan.
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua 50006, Taiwan.
| | - Gwo-Chin Ma
- Department of Genomic Medicine and Center for Medical Genetics, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua 50046, Taiwan.
- Department of Genomic Science and Technology, Changhua Christian Hospital Healthcare System,Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua 50046, Taiwan.
- Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taichung 40601, Taiwan.
| | - Wen-Hsiang Lin
- Department of Genomic Medicine and Center for Medical Genetics, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua 50046, Taiwan.
- Department of Genomic Science and Technology, Changhua Christian Hospital Healthcare System,Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua 50046, Taiwan.
| | - Dong-Jay Lee
- Department of Genomic Medicine and Center for Medical Genetics, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua 50046, Taiwan.
- Department of Genomic Science and Technology, Changhua Christian Hospital Healthcare System,Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua 50046, Taiwan.
| | - Sheng-Hai Wu
- Department of Life Sciences, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 40227, Taiwan.
| | - Ben-Yang Liao
- Division of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, Institute of Population Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, Zhunan, Miaoli County 35053, Taiwan.
| | - Ming Chen
- Department of Life Science, Tunghai University, Taichung 40704, Taiwan.
- Department of Genomic Medicine and Center for Medical Genetics, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua 50046, Taiwan.
- Department of Genomic Science and Technology, Changhua Christian Hospital Healthcare System,Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua 50046, Taiwan.
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10041, Taiwan.
- Department of Medical Genetics, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei 10041, Taiwan.
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology, Da-Yeh University, Changhua 51591, Taiwan.
| | - Liang-Kong Lin
- Department of Life Science, Tunghai University, Taichung 40704, Taiwan.
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Scott GR, Guo KH, Dawson NJ. The Mitochondrial Basis for Adaptive Variation in Aerobic Performance in High-Altitude Deer Mice. Integr Comp Biol 2019; 58:506-518. [PMID: 29873740 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icy056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Mitochondria play a central role in aerobic performance. Studies aimed at elucidating how evolved variation in mitochondrial physiology contributes to adaptive variation in aerobic performance can therefore provide a unique and powerful lens to understanding the evolution of complex physiological traits. Here, we review our ongoing work on the importance of changes in mitochondrial quantity and quality to adaptive variation in aerobic performance in high-altitude deer mice. Whole-organism aerobic capacity in hypoxia (VO2max) increases in response to hypoxia acclimation in this species, but high-altitude populations have evolved consistently greater VO2max than populations from low altitude. The evolved increase in VO2max in highlanders is associated with an evolved increase in the respiratory capacity of the gastrocnemius muscle. This appears to result from highlanders having more mitochondria in this tissue, attributed to a higher proportional abundance of oxidative fiber-types and a greater mitochondrial volume density within oxidative fibers. The latter is primarily caused by an over-abundance of subsarcolemmal mitochondria in high-altitude mice, which is likely advantageous for mitochondrial O2 supply because more mitochondria are situated adjacent to the cell membrane and close to capillaries. Evolved changes in gastrocnemius phenotype appear to be underpinned by population differences in the expression of genes involved in energy metabolism, muscle development, and vascular development. Hypoxia acclimation has relatively little effect on respiratory capacity of the gastrocnemius, but it increases respiratory capacity of the diaphragm. However, the mechanisms responsible for this increase differ between populations: lowlanders appear to adjust mitochondrial quantity and quality (i.e., increases in citrate synthase [CS] activity, and mitochondrial respiration relative to CS activity) and they exhibit higher rates of mitochondrial release of reactive oxygen species, whereas highlanders only increase mitochondrial quantity in response to hypoxia acclimation. In contrast to the variation in skeletal muscles, the respiratory capacity of cardiac muscle does not appear to be affected by hypoxia acclimation and varies little between populations. Therefore, evolved changes in mitochondrial quantity and quality make important tissue-specific contributions to adaptive variation in aerobic performance in high-altitude deer mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graham R Scott
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4K1
| | - Kevin H Guo
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4K1
| | - Neal J Dawson
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4K1
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Wilde LR, Wolf CJ, Porter SM, Stager M, Cheviron ZA, Senner NR. Botfly infections impair the aerobic performance and survival of montane populations of deer mice,
Peromyscus maniculatus rufinus. Funct Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Luke R. Wilde
- Division of Biological Sciences University of Montana Missoula Montana
| | - Cole J. Wolf
- Division of Biological Sciences University of Montana Missoula Montana
| | - Stephanie M. Porter
- College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Colorado State University Fort Collins Colorado
| | - Maria Stager
- Division of Biological Sciences University of Montana Missoula Montana
| | | | - Nathan R. Senner
- Division of Biological Sciences University of Montana Missoula Montana
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