Glucose oxidation and nonoxidative glucose disposal during prolonged fasts of the northern elephant seal pup (Mirounga angustirostris)

Hepatic ketogenesis is not required for starvation adaptation in mice

OBJECTIVE

In response to bacterial inflammation, anorexia of acute illness is protective and is associated with the induction of fasting metabolic programs such as ketogenesis. Forced feeding during the anorectic period induced by bacterial inflammation is associated with suppressed ketogenesis and increased mortality. As ketogenesis is considered essential in fasting adaptation, we sought to determine the role of ketogenesis in illness-induced anorexia.

METHODS

A mouse model of inducible hepatic specific deletion of the rate limiting enzyme for ketogenesis (HMG-CoA synthase 2, Hmgcs2) was used to investigate the role of ketogenesis in endotoxemia, a model of bacterial inflammation, and in prolonged starvation.

RESULTS

Mice deficient of hepatic Hmgcs2 failed to develop ketosis during endotoxemia and during prolonged fasting. Surprisingly, hepatic HMGCS2 deficiency and the lack of ketosis did not affect survival, glycemia, or body temperature in response to endotoxemia. Mice with hepatic ketogenic deficiency also did not exhibit any defects in starvation adaptation and were able to maintain blood glucose, body temperature, and lean mass compared to littermate wild-type controls. Mice with hepatic HMGCS2 deficiency exhibited higher levels of plasma acetate levels in response to fasting.

CONCLUSIONS

Circulating hepatic-derived ketones do not provide protection against endotoxemia, suggesting that alternative mechanisms drive the increased mortality from forced feeding during illness-induced anorexia. Hepatic ketones are also dispensable for surviving prolonged starvation in the absence of inflammation. Our study challenges the notion that hepatic ketogenesis is required to maintain blood glucose and preserve lean mass during starvation, raising the possibility of extrahepatic ketogenesis and use of alternative fuels as potential means of metabolic compensation.

Adrenal response to ACTH challenge alters thyroid and immune function and varies with body reserves in molting adult female northern elephant seals

Intrinsic stressors associated with life-history stages may alter the responsiveness of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and responses to extrinsic stressors. We administered adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) to 24 free-ranging adult female northern elephant seals (NESs) at two life-history stages: early and late in their molting period and measured a suite of endocrine, immune, and metabolite responses. Our objective was to evaluate the impact of extended, high-energy fasting on adrenal responsiveness. Animals were blood sampled every 30 min for 120 min post-ACTH injection, then blood was sampled 24 h later. In response to ACTH injection, cortisol levels increased 8- to 10-fold and remained highly elevated compared with baseline at 24 h. Aldosterone levels increased 6- to 9-fold before returning to baseline at 24 h. The magnitude of cortisol and aldosterone release were strongly associated, and both were greater after extended fasting. We observed an inverse relationship between fat mass and the magnitude of cortisol and aldosterone responses, suggesting that body reserves influenced adrenal responsiveness. Sustained elevation in cortisol was associated with alterations in thyroid hormones; both tT3 and tT4 concentrations were suppressed at 24 h, while rT3 increased. Immune cytokine IL-1β was also suppressed after 24 h of cortisol elevation, and numerous acute and sustained impacts on substrate metabolism were evident. Our data suggest that female NESs are more sensitive to stress after the molt fast and that acute stress events can have important impacts on metabolism and immune function. These findings highlight the importance of considering life-history context when assessing the impacts of anthropogenic stressors on wildlife.

Dietary restriction and ageing: Recent evolutionary perspectives

Dietary restriction (DR) represents one of the most robust interventions for extending lifespan. It is not known how DR increases lifespan. The prevailing evolutionary hypothesis suggests the DR response redirects metabolic resources towards somatic maintenance at the expense of investment in reproduction. Consequently, DR acts as a proximate mechanism which promotes a pro-longevity phenotype. This idea is known as resource reallocation. However, growing findings suggest this paradigm could be incomplete. It has been argued that during DR it is not always possible to identify a trade-off between reproduction and lifespan. It is also suggested the relationship between reproduction and somatic maintenance can be uncoupled by the removal or inclusion of specific nutrients. These findings have created an imperative to re-explore the nexus between DR and evolutionary theory. In this review I will address this evolutionary conundrum. My overarching objectives are fourfold: (1) to outline some of the evidence for and against resource reallocation; (2) to examine recent findings which have necessitated a theoretical re-evaluation of the link between life history theory and DR; (3) to present alternatives to the resource reallocation model; (4) to present emerging variables which potentially influence how DR effects evolutionary trade-offs.

Changes in apolipoprotein abundance dominate proteome responses to prolonged fasting in elephant seals

Unlike many animals that reduce activity during fasting, northern elephant seals (NES) undergo prolonged fasting during energy-intensive life-history stages such as reproduction and molting, fueling fasting energy needs by mobilizing fat stores accrued during foraging. NES display several unique metabolic features such as high fasting metabolic rates, elevated blood lipid and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels, efficient protein sparing and resistance to oxidative stress during fasting. However, the cellular mechanisms that regulate these adaptations are still not fully understood. To examine how metabolic coordination is achieved during prolonged fasting, we profiled changes in blubber, skeletal muscle and plasma proteomes of adult female NES over a 5 week fast associated with molting. We found that while blubber and muscle proteomes were remarkably stable over fasting, over 50 proteins changed in abundance in plasma, including those associated with lipid storage, mobilization, oxidation and transport. Apolipoproteins dominated the blubber, plasma and muscle proteome responses to fasting. APOA4, APOE and APOC3, which are associated with lipogenesis and triglyceride accumulation, decreased, while APOA1, APOA2 and APOM, which are associated with lipid mobilization and HDL function, increased over fasting. Our findings suggest that changes in apolipoprotein composition may underlie the maintenance of high HDL levels and, together with adipokines and hepatokines that facilitate lipid catabolism, may mediate the metabolic transitions between feeding and fasting in NES. Many of these proteins have not been previously studied in this species and provide intriguing hypotheses about metabolic regulation during prolonged fasting in mammals.

Elephant seal muscle cells adapt to sustained glucocorticoid exposure by shifting their metabolic phenotype

Elephant seals experience natural periods of prolonged food deprivation while breeding, molting, and undergoing postnatal development. Prolonged food deprivation in elephant seals increases circulating glucocorticoids without inducing muscle atrophy, but the cellular mechanisms that allow elephant seals to cope with such conditions remain elusive. We generated a cellular model and conducted transcriptomic, metabolic, and morphological analyses to study how seal cells adapt to sustained glucocorticoid exposure. Seal muscle progenitor cells differentiate into contractile myotubes with a distinctive morphology, gene expression profile, and metabolic phenotype. Exposure to dexamethasone at three ascending concentrations for 48 h modulated the expression of six clusters of genes related to structural constituents of muscle and pathways associated with energy metabolism and cell survival. Knockdown of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and downstream expression analyses corroborated that GR mediates the observed effects. Dexamethasone also decreased cellular respiration, shifted the metabolic phenotype toward glycolysis, and induced mitochondrial fission and dissociation of mitochondria-endoplasmic reticulum (ER) interactions without decreasing cell viability. Knockdown of DNA damage-inducible transcript 4 (DDIT4), a GR target involved in the dissociation of mitochondria-ER membranes, recovered respiration and modulated antioxidant gene expression in myotubes treated with dexamethasone. These results show that adaptation to sustained glucocorticoid exposure in elephant seal myotubes involves a metabolic shift toward glycolysis, which is supported by alterations in mitochondrial morphology and a reduction in mitochondria-ER interactions, resulting in decreased respiration without compromising cell survival.

Oxylipin Responses to Fasting and Insulin Infusion in a Large Mammalian Model of Fasting-Induced Insulin Resistance, the Northern Elephant Seal

The prolonged, post-weaning fast of northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) pups is characterized by a reliance on lipid metabolism and reversible, fasting-induced insulin resistance providing a unique model to examine the effects of insulin on lipid metabolism. We have previously shown that acute insulin infusion induced a shift in fatty acid metabolism dependent on fasting duration. This study complements the previous study by examining the effects of fasting duration and insulin infusion on circulating levels of oxylipins, bioactive metabolites derived from the oxygenation of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Northern elephant seal pups were studied at two post-weaning periods (n = 5/period): early fasting (1-2 weeks post-weaning; 127 ± 1 kg) and late fasting (6-7 weeks post-weaning; 93 ± 4 kg). Different cohorts of pups were weighed, sedated, and infused with 65 mU/kg of insulin. Plasma was collected prior to infusion (T0), and at 10, 30, 60, and 120 min post-infusion. A profile of ~80 oxylipins were analyzed by UPLC-ESI-MS/MS. Nine oxylipins changed between early and late fasting and eight were altered in response to insulin infusion. Fasting decreased PGF2a and increased 14,15-DiHETrE, 20-HETE, and 4-HDoHE (p<0.03) in T0 samples, while insulin infusion resulted in an inverse change in area under the curve (AUC) levels in these same metabolites (p<0.05). In addition, 12-HpETE and 12-HETE decreased with fasting and insulin infusion, respectively (p<0.04). The oxylipins altered during fasting and in response to insulin infusion may contribute to the manifestation of insulin resistance and participate in the metabolic regulation of associated cellular processes.

Metabolic response of dolphins to short-term fasting reveals physiological changes that differ from the traditional fasting model

Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) typically feed on prey that are high in lipid and protein content and nearly devoid of carbohydrate, a dietary feature shared with other marine mammals. However, unlike fasted-adapted marine mammals that predictably incorporate fasting into their life history, dolphins feed intermittently throughout the day and are not believed to be fasting-adapted. To assess whether the physiological response to fasting in the dolphin shares features with or distinguishes them from those of fasting-adapted marine mammals, the plasma metabolomes of eight bottlenose dolphins were compared between post-absorptive and 24-h fasted states. Increases in most identified free fatty acids and lipid metabolites and reductions in most amino acids and their metabolites were consistent with the upregulation of lipolysis and lipid oxidation and the downregulation of protein catabolism and synthesis. Consistent with a previously hypothesized diabetic-like fasting state, fasting was associated with elevated glucose and patterns of certain metabolites (e.g. citrate, cis-aconitate, myristoleic acid) indicative of lipid synthesis and glucose cycling to protect endogenous glucose from oxidative disposal. Pathway analysis predicted an upregulation of cytokines, decreased cell growth and increased apoptosis including apoptosis of insulin-secreting β-cells. Metabolomic conditional mutual information networks were estimated for the post-absorptive and fasted states and 'topological modules' were estimated for each using the eigenvector approach to modularity network division. A dynamic network marker indicative of a physiological shift toward a negative energy state was subsequently identified that has the potential conservation application of assessing energy state balance in at-risk wild dolphins.

Exogenous GLP-1 stimulates TCA cycle and suppresses gluconeogenesis and ketogenesis in late-fasted northern elephant seals pups

The postweaning fast of northern elephant seal pups is characterized by a lipid-dependent metabolism and associated with a decrease in plasma glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), insulin, and glucose and increased gluconeogenesis (GNG) and ketogenesis. We have also demonstrated that exogenous GLP-1 infusion increased plasma insulin despite simultaneous increases in cortisol and glucagon, which collectively present contradictory regulatory stimuli of GNG, ketogenesis, and glycolysis. To assess the effects of GLP-1 on metabolism using primary carbon metabolite profiles in late-fasted seal pups, we dose-dependently infused late-fasted seals with low (LDG; 10 pM/kg; n = 3) or high (HDG; 100 pM/kg; n = 4) GLP-1 immediately following a glucose bolus (0.5 g/kg), using glucose without GLP-1 as control (n = 5). Infusions were performed in similarly aged animals 6-8 wk into their postweaning fast. The plasma metabolome was measured from samples collected at five time points just prior to and during the infusions, and network maps constructed to robustly evaluate the effects of GLP-1 on primary carbon metabolism. HDG increased key tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle metabolites, and decreased phosphoenolpyruvate and acetoacetate (P < 0.05) suggesting that elevated levels of GLP-1 promote glycolysis and suppress GNG and ketogenesis, which collectively increase glucose clearance. These GLP-1-mediated effects on cellular metabolism help to explain why plasma GLP-1 concentrations decrease naturally in fasting pups as an evolved mechanism to help conserve glucose during the late-fasting period.

Changes in Northern Elephant Seal Skeletal Muscle Following Thirty Days of Fasting and Reduced Activity

Northern elephant seals (NES, Mirounga angustirostris) undergo an annual molt during which they spend ∼40 days fasting on land with reduced activity and lose approximately one-quarter of their body mass. Reduced activity and muscle load in stereotypic terrestrial mammalian models results in decreased muscle mass and capacity for force production and aerobic metabolism. However, the majority of lost mass in fasting female NES is from fat while muscle mass is largely preserved. Although muscle mass is preserved, potential changes to the metabolic and contractile capacity are unknown. To assess potential changes in NES skeletal muscle during molt, we collected muscle biopsies from 6 adult female NES before the molt and after ∼30 days at the end of the molt. Skeletal muscle was assessed for respiratory capacity using high resolution respirometry, and RNA was extracted to assess changes in gene expression. Despite a month of reduced activity, fasting, and weight loss, skeletal muscle respiratory capacity was preserved with no change in OXPHOS respiratory capacity. Molt was associated with 162 upregulated genes including those favoring lipid metabolism. We identified 172 downregulated genes including those coding for ribosomal proteins and genes associated with skeletal muscle force transduction and glucose metabolism. Following ∼30 days of molt, NES skeletal muscle metabolic capacity is preserved although mechanotransduction may be compromised. In the absence of exercise stimulus, fasting-induced shifts in muscle metabolism may stimulate pathways associated with preserving the mass and metabolic capacity of slow oxidative muscle.

Functional Studies with Primary Cells Provide a System for Genome-to-Phenome Investigations in Marine Mammals

Marine mammals exhibit some of the most dramatic physiological adaptations in their clade and offer unparalleled insights into the mechanisms driving convergent evolution on relatively short time scales. Some of these adaptations, such as extreme tolerance to hypoxia and prolonged food deprivation, are uncommon among most terrestrial mammals and challenge established metabolic principles of supply and demand balance. Non-targeted omics studies are starting to uncover the genetic foundations of such adaptations, but tools for testing functional significance in these animals are currently lacking. Cellular modeling with primary cells represents a powerful approach for elucidating the molecular etiology of physiological adaptation, a critical step in accelerating genome-to-phenome studies in organisms in which transgenesis is impossible (e.g., large-bodied, long-lived, fully aquatic, federally protected species). Gene perturbation studies in primary cells can directly evaluate whether specific mutations, gene loss, or duplication confer functional advantages such as hypoxia or stress tolerance in marine mammals. Here, we summarize how genetic and pharmacological manipulation approaches in primary cells have advanced mechanistic investigations in other non-traditional mammalian species, and highlight the need for such investigations in marine mammals. We also provide key considerations for isolating, culturing, and conducting experiments with marine mammal cells under conditions that mimic in vivo states. We propose that primary cell culture is a critical tool for conducting functional mechanistic studies (e.g., gene knockdown, over-expression, or editing) that can provide the missing link between genome- and organismal-level understanding of physiological adaptations in marine mammals.

Thyroid Hormone Regulation and Insulin Resistance: Insights From Animals Naturally Adapted to Fasting

The contribution of thyroidal status in insulin signaling and glucose homeostasis has been implicated as a potential pathophysiological factor in humans, but the specific mechanisms remain largely elusive. Fasting induces changes in both thyroid hormone secretion and insulin signaling. Here, we explore how mammals that undergo natural, prolonged bouts of fasting provide unique insight into evolved physiological adaptations that allow them to tolerate such conditions despite intermittent states of reversible insulin resistance. Such insights from nature may provide clues to better understand the basis of thyroidal involvement in insulin dysregulation in humans.

Insulin induces a shift in lipid and primary carbon metabolites in a model of fasting-induced insulin resistance

INTRODUCTION

Prolonged fasting in northern elephant seals (NES) is characterized by a reliance on lipid metabolism, conservation of protein, and reduced plasma insulin. During early fasting, glucose infusion previously reduced plasma free fatty acids (FFA); however, during late-fasting, it induced an atypical elevation in FFA despite comparable increases in insulin during both periods suggestive of a dynamic shift in tissue responsiveness to glucose-stimulated insulin secretion.

OBJECTIVE

To better assess the contribution of insulin to this fasting-associated shift in substrate metabolism.

METHODS

We compared the responses of plasma metabolites (amino acids (AA), FFA, endocannabinoids (EC), and primary carbon metabolites (PCM)) to an insulin infusion (65 mU/kg) in early- and late-fasted NES pups (n = 5/group). Plasma samples were collected prior to infusion (T0) and at 10, 30, 60, and 120 min post-infusion, and underwent untargeted and targeted metabolomics analyses utilizing a variety of GC-MS and LC-MS technologies.

RESULTS

In early fasting, the majority (72%) of metabolite trajectories return to baseline levels within 2 h, but not in late fasting indicative of an increase in tissue sensitivity to insulin. In late-fasting, increases in FFA and ketone pools, coupled with decreases in AA and PCM, indicate a shift toward lipolysis, beta-oxidation, ketone metabolism, and decreased protein catabolism. Conversely, insulin increased PCM AUC in late fasting suggesting that gluconeogenic pathways are activated. Insulin also decreased FFA AUC between early and late fasting suggesting that insulin suppresses triglyceride hydrolysis.

CONCLUSION

Naturally adapted tolerance to prolonged fasting in these mammals is likely accomplished by suppressing insulin levels and activity, providing novel insight on the evolution of insulin during a condition of temporary, reversible insulin resistance.

Thyroid hormone-stimulated increases in PGC-1α and UCP2 promote life history-specific endocrine changes and maintain a lipid-based metabolism

Thyroid hormones (THs) regulate metabolism, but are typically suppressed during times of stressful physiological conditions, including fasting. Interestingly, prolonged fasting in northern elephant seal pups is associated with reliance on a lipid-based metabolism and increased levels of circulating THs that are partially attributed to active secretion as opposed to reduced clearance. This apparent paradox is coupled with complementary increases in cellular TH-mediated activity, suggesting that in mammals naturally adapted to prolonged fasting, THs are necessary to support metabolism. However, the functional relevance of this physiological paradox has remained largely unexplored, especially as it relates to the regulation of lipids. To address the hypothesis that TSH-mediated increase in THs contributes to lipid metabolism, we infused early and late-fasted pups with TSH and measured several key genes in adipose and muscle, and plasma hormones associated with regulation of lipid metabolism. TSH infusion increased the mRNA expressions of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) more than 6.5-fold at 60 min in muscle, and expression of uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) more than 27-fold during the early fast at 60 min, in adipose. Additionally, during the late fast period, the protein content of adipose CD36 increased 1.1-fold, and plasma nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentrations increased 25% at 120 min, with NEFA levels returning to baseline after 24 h. We show that the TSH-induced increases in THs in fasting pups are functional and likely contribute to the maintenance of a lipid-based metabolism.

Summing the strokes: energy economy in northern elephant seals during large-scale foraging migrations

BACKGROUND

The energy requirements of free-ranging marine mammals are challenging to measure due to cryptic and far-ranging feeding habits, but are important to quantify given the potential impacts of high-level predators on ecosystems. Given their large body size and carnivorous lifestyle, we would predict that northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) have elevated field metabolic rates (FMRs) that require high prey intake rates, especially during pregnancy. Disturbance associated with climate change or human activity is predicted to further elevate energy requirements due to an increase in locomotor costs required to accommodate a reduction in prey or time available to forage. In this study, we determined the FMRs, total energy requirements, and energy budgets of adult, female northern elephant seals. We also examined the impact of increased locomotor costs on foraging success in this species.

RESULTS

Body size, time spent at sea and reproductive status strongly influenced FMR. During the short foraging migration, FMR averaged 90.1 (SE = 1.7) kJ kg(-1)d(-1) - only 36 % greater than predicted basal metabolic rate. During the long migration, when seals were pregnant, FMRs averaged 69.4 (±3.0) kJ kg(-1)d(-1) - values approaching those predicted to be necessary to support basal metabolism in mammals of this size. Low FMRs in pregnant seals were driven by hypometabolism coupled with a positive feedback loop between improving body condition and reduced flipper stroking frequency. In contrast, three additional seals carrying large, non-streamlined instrumentation saw a four-fold increase in energy partitioned toward locomotion, resulting in elevated FMRs and only half the mass gain of normally-swimming study animals.

CONCLUSIONS

These results highlight the importance of keeping locomotion costs low for successful foraging in this species. In preparation for lactation and two fasting periods with high demands on energy reserves, migrating elephant seals utilize an economical foraging strategy whereby energy savings from reduced locomotion costs are shuttled towards somatic growth and fetal gestation. Remarkably, the energy requirements of this species, particularly during pregnancy, are 70-80 % lower than expected for mammalian carnivores, approaching or even falling below values predicted to be necessary to support basal metabolism in mammals of this size.

Plasma FGF21 concentrations, adipose fibroblast growth factor receptor-1 and β-klotho expression decrease with fasting in northern elephant seals

Fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-21 is secreted from the liver, pancreas, and adipose in response to prolonged fasting/starvation to facilitate lipid and glucose metabolism. Northern elephant seals naturally fast for several months, maintaining a relatively elevated metabolic rate to satisfy their energetic requirements. Thus, to better understand the impact of prolonged food deprivation on FGF21-associated changes, we analyzed the expression of FGF21, FGF receptor-1 (FGFR1), β-klotho (KLB; a co-activator of FGFR) in adipose, and plasma FGF21, glucose and 3-hydroxybutyrate in fasted elephant seal pups. Expression of FGFR1 and KLB mRNA decreased 98% and 43%, respectively, with fasting duration. While the 80% decrease in mean adipose FGF21 mRNA expression with fasting did not reach statistical significance, it paralleled the 39% decrease in plasma FGF21 concentrations suggesting that FGF21 is suppressed with fasting in elephant seals. Data demonstrate an atypical response of FGF21 to prolonged fasting in a mammal suggesting that FGF21-mediated mechanisms have evolved differentially in elephant seals. Furthermore, the typical fasting-induced, FGF21-mediated actions such as the inhibition of lipolysis in adipose may not be required in elephant seals as part of a naturally adapted mechanism to support their unique metabolic demands during prolonged fasting.

Metabolic responses to adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) vary with life-history stage in adult male northern elephant seals

Strong individual and life-history variation in serum glucocorticoids has been documented in many wildlife species. Less is known about variation in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis responsiveness and its impact on metabolism. We challenged 18 free-ranging adult male northern elephant seals (NES) with an intramuscular injection of slow-release adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) over 3 sample periods: early in the breeding season, after 70+ days of the breeding fast, and during peak molt. Subjects were blood sampled every 30 min for 2h post-injection. Breeding animals were recaptured and sampled at 48 h. In response to the ACTH injection, cortisol increased 4-6-fold in all groups, and remained elevated at 48 h in early breeding subjects. ACTH was a strong secretagogue for aldosterone, causing a 3-8-fold increase in concentration. Cortisol and aldosterone responses did not vary between groups but were correlated within individuals. The ACTH challenge produced elevations in plasma glucose during late breeding and molting, suppressed testosterone and thyroid hormone at 48 h in early breeding, and increased plasma non-esterified fatty acids and ketoacids during molting. These data suggest that sensitivity of the HPA axis is maintained but the metabolic impacts of cortisol and feedback inhibition of the axis vary with life history stage. Strong impacts on testosterone and thyroid hormone suggest the importance of maintaining low cortisol levels during the breeding fast. These data suggest that metabolic adaptations to extended fasting in NES include alterations in tissue responses to hormones that mitigate deleterious impacts of acute or moderately sustained stress responses.

Adiposity and fat metabolism in lactating and fasting northern elephant seals

Several taxa of animals fast completely from food and water during energy-intensive periods such as lactation, breeding, and development. In elephant seals, these behaviors are sustained by high adiposity, high rates of fat mobilization, and reduced oxidation of carbohydrates and proteins. Adiposity and the regulation of lipolysis directly affect lactation energetics, milk composition, and mating success. Long-term fasting induces changes in regulation of lipolysis and lipid metabolism that influence fatty acid (FA) availability and the onset of insulin resistance. Hypoinsulinemia and elevated circulating FAs are also associated with several unique features of carbohydrate metabolism, including elevated plasma glucose, gluconeogenesis, and Cori cycle activity as well as high rates of pyruvate and tricarboxylic acid cycling. Glucose-lactate pools and triacylglycerol-FA cycles may be linked via glyceroneogenesis and this may be an important pathway influencing both fat and carbohydrate metabolism. Together, these features allow a sustained, high intensity, fat-based metabolism without substantial accumulation of ketoacids.

Metabolic response to a glucagon challenge varies with adiposity and life-history stage in fasting northern elephant seals

Metabolic adaptations for extended fasting in wildlife prioritize beta-oxidation of lipids and reduced glucose utilization to support energy metabolism. The pancreatic hormone glucagon plays key roles in regulating glycemia and lipid metabolism during fasting in model species but its function in wildlife species adapted for extended fasting is not well understood. Northern elephant seals (NES) undergo natural fasts of 1-3months while under constraints of high nutrient demands including lactation and development. We performed a glucagon challenge on lactating, molting and developing NES, early and late in their natural fasts, to examine the impact of this important regulatory hormone on metabolism. Glucagon caused increases in plasma glucose, insulin, fatty acids, ketones and urea, but the magnitude of these effects varied widely with adiposity and life-history stage. The strong impact of adiposity on glucose and insulin responses suggest a potential role for adipose derived factors in regulating hepatic metabolism and pancreatic sensitivity. Elevations in plasma glucose in response to glucagon were strongly associated with increases in protein catabolism, suggesting negative impacts of elevated glucagon on protein sparing. Glucagon promoted rapid ketone accumulation suggesting that low ketoacid levels in NES reflect low rates of production. These results demonstrate strong metabolic impacts of glucagon and support the idea that glucagon levels are downregulated in the context of metabolic adaptation to extended fasting. These results suggest that the regulation of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in NES changes with adiposity, fasting duration and under various constraints of nutrient demands.

Prolonged food deprivation increases mRNA expression of deiodinase 1 and 2, and thyroid hormone receptor β-1 in a fasting-adapted mammal

Food deprivation in mammals is typically associated with reduced thyroid hormone (TH) concentrations and deiodinase content and activity to suppress metabolism. However, in prolonged-fasted, metabolically active elephant seal pups, TH levels are maintained, if not elevated. The functional relevance of this apparent paradox is unknown and demonstrates variability in the regulation of TH levels, metabolism and function in food-deprived mammals. To address our hypothesis that cellular TH-mediated activity is upregulated with fasting duration, we quantified the mRNA expression and protein content of adipose and muscle deiodinase type I (DI1) and type II (DI2), and TH receptor beta-1 (THrβ-1) after 1, 3 and 7 weeks of fasting in northern elephant seal pups (N=5-7 per week). Fasting did not decrease the concentrations of plasma thyroid stimulating hormone, total triiodothyronine (tT3), free T3, total thyroxine (tT4) or free T4, suggesting that the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis is not suppressed, but rather maintained during fasting. Mean mRNA expression of adipose DI1 and DI2 increased threefold and fourfold, respectively, and 20- and 30-fold, respectively, in muscle. With the exception of adipose DI1, protein expression of adipose DI2 and muscle DI1 and DI2 increased twofold to fourfold. Fasting also increased adipose (fivefold) and muscle (fourfold) THrβ-1 mRNA expression, suggesting that the mechanisms mediating cellular TH activity are upregulated with prolonged fasting. The data demonstrate a unique, atypical mechanism of TH activity and regulation in mammals adapted to prolonged food deprivation in which the potential responsiveness of peripheral tissues and cellular TH activity are increased, which may contribute to their lipid-based metabolism.

A non-traditional model of the metabolic syndrome: the adaptive significance of insulin resistance in fasting-adapted seals

Insulin resistance in modern society is perceived as a pathological consequence of excess energy consumption and reduced physical activity. Its presence in relation to the development of cardiovascular risk factors has been termed the metabolic syndrome, which produces increased mortality and morbidity and which is rapidly increasing in human populations. Ironically, insulin resistance likely evolved to assist animals during food shortages by increasing the availability of endogenous lipid for catabolism while protecting protein from use in gluconeogenesis and eventual oxidation. Some species that incorporate fasting as a predictable component of their life history demonstrate physiological traits similar to the metabolic syndrome during prolonged fasts. One such species is the northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris), which fasts from food and water for periods of up to 4 months. During this time, ∼90% of the seals metabolic demands are met through fat oxidation and circulating non-esterified fatty acids are high (0.7-3.2 mM). All life history stages of elephant seal studied to date demonstrate insulin resistance and fasting hyperglycemia as well as variations in hormones and adipocytokines that reflect the metabolic syndrome to some degree. Elephant seals demonstrate some intriguing adaptations with the potential for medical advancement; for example, ketosis is negligible despite significant and prolonged fatty acid oxidation and investigation of this feature might provide insight into the treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis. The parallels to the metabolic syndrome are likely reflected to varying degrees in other marine mammals, most of which evolved on diets high in lipid and protein content but essentially devoid of carbohydrate. Utilization of these natural models of insulin resistance may further our understanding of the pathophysiology of the metabolic syndrome in humans and better assist the development of preventative measures and therapies.

Liver glucose-6-phosphatase proteins in suckling and weaned grey seal pups: structural similarities to other mammals and relationship to nutrition, insulin signalling and metabolite levels

Phocid seals have been proposed as models for diabetes because they exhibit limited insulin response to glucose, high blood glucose and increasing insulin resistance when fasting. Liver glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) catalyses the final step in glucose production and is central to glucose regulation in other animals. G6Pase comprises a translocase (SLC37A4) and a catalytic subunit (G6PC). G6PC and SLC37A4 expression and activity are normally regulated by nutritional state and glucostatic hormones, particularly insulin, and are elevated in diabetes. We tested the hypotheses that (1) grey seal G6PC and SLC37A4 cDNA and predicted protein sequences differ from other species' at functional sites, (2) relative G6Pase protein abundances are lower during feeding than fasting and (3) relative G6Pase protein abundances are related to insulin, insulin receptor phosphorylation and key metabolite levels. We show that G6PC and partial SLC37A4 cDNA sequences encode proteins sharing 82-95 % identity with other mammals. Seal G6PC contained no differences in sites responsible for activity, stability or subcellular location. Several substitutions in seal SLC37A4 were predicted to be tolerated with low probability, which could affect glucose production. Suckling pups had higher relative abundance of both subunits than healthy, postweaned fasting pups. Furthermore, relative G6PC abundance was negatively related to glucose levels. These findings contrast markedly with the response of relative hepatic G6Pase abundance to feeding, fasting, insulin, insulin sensitivity and key metabolites in other animals, and highlight the need to understand the regulation of enzymes involved in glucose control in phocids if these animals are to be informative models of diabetes.

Prolonged fasting activates hypoxia inducible factors-1α, -2α and -3α in a tissue-specific manner in northern elephant seal pups

Hypoxia inducible factors (HIFs) are important regulators of energy homeostasis and cellular adaptation to low oxygen conditions. Northern elephant seals are naturally adapted to prolonged periods (1-2 months) of food deprivation (fasting) which result in metabolic changes that may activate HIF-1. However, the effects of prolonged fasting on HIFs are not well defined. We obtained the full-length cDNAs of HIF-1α and HIF-2α, and partial cDNA of HIF-3α in northern elephant seal pups. We also measured mRNA and nuclear protein content of HIF-1α, -2α, -3α in muscle and adipose during prolonged fasting (1, 3, 5 & 7 weeks), along with mRNA expression of HIF-mediated genes, LDH and VEGF. HIF-1α, -2α and -3α are 2595, 2852 and 1842 bp and encode proteins of 823, 864 and 586 amino acid residues with conserved domains needed for their function (bHLH and PAS) and regulation (ODD and TAD). HIF-1α and -2α mRNA expression increased 3- to 5-fold after 7 weeks of fasting in adipose and muscle, whereas HIF-3α increased 5-fold after 7 weeks of fasting in adipose. HIF-2α protein expression was detected in nuclear fractions from adipose and muscle, increasing approximately 2-fold, respectively with fasting. Expression of VEGF increased 3-fold after 7 weeks in adipose and muscle, whereas LDH mRNA expression increased 12-fold after 7 weeks in adipose. While the 3 HIFα genes are expressed in muscle and adipose, only HIF-2α protein was detectable in the nucleus suggesting that HIF-2α may contribute more significantly in the up-regulation of genes involved in the metabolic adaptation during fasting in the elephant seal.

Prolonged fasting activates Nrf2 in post-weaned elephant seals

Elephant seals naturally experience prolonged periods of absolute food and water deprivation (fasting). In humans, rats and mice, prolonged food deprivation activates the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and increases oxidative damage. In elephant seals, prolonged fasting activates RAS without increasing oxidative damage likely due to an increase in antioxidant defenses. The mechanism leading to the upregulation of antioxidant defenses during prolonged fasting remains elusive. Therefore, we investigated whether prolonged fasting activates the redox-sensitive transcription factor Nrf2, which controls the expression of antioxidant genes, and if such activation is potentially mediated by systemic increases in RAS. Blood and skeletal muscle samples were collected from seals fasting for 1, 3, 5 and 7 weeks. Nrf2 activity and nuclear content increased by 76% and 167% at week 7. Plasma angiotensin II (Ang II) and transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) were 5000% and 250% higher at week 7 than at week 1. Phosphorylation of Smad2, an effector of Ang II and TGF signaling, increased by 120% at week 7 and by 84% in response to intravenously infused Ang II. NADPH oxidase 4 (Nox4) mRNA expression, which is controlled by smad proteins, increased 430% at week 7, while Nox4 protein expression, which can activate Nrf2, was 170% higher at week 7 than at week 1. These results demonstrate that prolonged fasting activates Nrf2 in elephant seals and that RAS stimulation can potentially result in increased Nox4 through Smad phosphorylation. The results also suggest that Nox4 is essential to sustain the hormetic adaptive response to oxidative stress in fasting seals.