1
|
Parker J, O’Brien C, Hawrelak J, Gersh FL. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: An Evolutionary Adaptation to Lifestyle and the Environment. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19031336. [PMID: 35162359 PMCID: PMC8835454 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19031336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Revised: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is increasingly recognized as a complex metabolic disorder that manifests in genetically susceptible women following a range of negative exposures to nutritional and environmental factors related to contemporary lifestyle. The hypothesis that PCOS phenotypes are derived from a mismatch between ancient genetic survival mechanisms and modern lifestyle practices is supported by a diversity of research findings. The proposed evolutionary model of the pathogenesis of PCOS incorporates evidence related to evolutionary theory, genetic studies, in utero developmental epigenetic programming, transgenerational inheritance, metabolic features including insulin resistance, obesity and the apparent paradox of lean phenotypes, reproductive effects and subfertility, the impact of the microbiome and dysbiosis, endocrine-disrupting chemical exposure, and the influence of lifestyle factors such as poor-quality diet and physical inactivity. Based on these premises, the diverse lines of research are synthesized into a composite evolutionary model of the pathogenesis of PCOS. It is hoped that this model will assist clinicians and patients to understand the importance of lifestyle interventions in the prevention and management of PCOS and provide a conceptual framework for future research. It is appreciated that this theory represents a synthesis of the current evidence and that it is expected to evolve and change over time.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jim Parker
- School of Medicine, University of Wollongong, Wollongong 2500, Australia
- Correspondence:
| | - Claire O’Brien
- Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Canberra, Bruce 2617, Australia;
| | - Jason Hawrelak
- College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart 7005, Australia;
| | - Felice L. Gersh
- College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85004, USA;
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Watanabe M, Risi R, Tafuri MA, Silvestri V, D'Andrea D, Raimondo D, Rea S, Di Vincenzo F, Profico A, Tuccinardi D, Sciuto R, Basciani S, Mariani S, Lubrano C, Cinti S, Ottini L, Manzi G, Gnessi L. Bone density and genomic analysis unfold cold adaptation mechanisms of ancient inhabitants of Tierra del Fuego. Sci Rep 2021; 11:23290. [PMID: 34857816 PMCID: PMC8639971 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-02783-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The Fuegians, ancient inhabitants of Tierra del Fuego, are an exemplary case of a cold-adapted population, since they were capable of living in extreme climatic conditions without any adequate clothing. However, the mechanisms of their extraordinary resistance to cold remain enigmatic. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) plays a crucial role in this kind of adaptation, besides having a protective role on the detrimental effect of low temperatures on bone structure. Skeletal remains of 12 adult Fuegians, collected in the second half of XIX century, were analyzed for bone mineral density and structure. We show that, despite the unfavorable climate, bone mineral density of Fuegians was close to that seen in modern humans living in temperate zones. Furthermore, we report significant differences between Fuegians and other cold-adapted populations in the frequency of the Homeobox protein Hox-C4 (HOXC4) rs190771160 variant, a gene involved in BAT differentiation, whose identified variant is predicted to upregulate HOXC4 expression. Greater BAT accumulation might therefore explain the Fuegians extreme cold-resistance and the protection against major cold-related damage. These results increase our understanding of how ecological challenges have been important drivers of human–environment interactions during Humankind history.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mikiko Watanabe
- Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
| | - Renata Risi
- Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Mary Anne Tafuri
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Daniel D'Andrea
- MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, UK
| | - Domenico Raimondo
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Sandra Rea
- Nuclear Medicine Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Fabio Di Vincenzo
- Natural History Museum-University of Florence, Florence, Italy.,Italian Institute of Human Paleontology (IsIPU), Anagni-Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Profico
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Dario Tuccinardi
- Unit of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome, 00128, Rome, Italy
| | - Rosa Sciuto
- Nuclear Medicine Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Sabrina Basciani
- Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Stefania Mariani
- Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Carla Lubrano
- Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Saverio Cinti
- Center of Obesity, Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy
| | - Laura Ottini
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Giorgio Manzi
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Lucio Gnessi
- Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Brzęk P. Sex differences in nonshivering thermogenesis in the wild. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2021; 536:111402. [PMID: 34302908 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2021.111402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Revised: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Nonshivering thermogenesis (NST) is a key mechanism that allows mammals to control their body temperature. Sex can frequently affect thermoregulatory requirements; therefore, males and females can be expected to differ significantly in their NST capacity. Several sex-related differences in NST have been described in laboratory animals and humans; however, these parameters are relatively rarely studied in animals living under natural conditions. Here, I briefly review factors that may be responsible for this disparity and point out two situations that should be particularly promising in searching for sex differences in NST under natural conditions: the lactation period and potential mitonuclear conflicts over NST control in species with genetic polymorphism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paweł Brzęk
- Faculty of Biology, University of Białystok, Ciołkowskiego 1J, 15-245, Białystok, Poland.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Salazar-Tortosa D, Fernández-Rhodes L. Obesity and climate adaptation. Evol Med Public Health 2019; 2019:104-105. [PMID: 31263561 PMCID: PMC6592263 DOI: 10.1093/emph/eoz016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2019] [Accepted: 05/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Diego Salazar-Tortosa
- Department of Ecology, University of Granada, Avenida de Fuentenueva s/n, Granada 18071, Spain
| | - Lindsay Fernández-Rhodes
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, 219 Biobehavioral Health Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| |
Collapse
|