Temperature-dependent protein synthesis capacities in Antarctic and temperate (North Sea) fish (Zoarcidae)

Evolutionary Adaptation of Protein Turnover in White Muscle of Stenothermal Antarctic Fish: Elevated Cold Compensation at Reduced Thermal Responsiveness

Protein turnover is highly energy consuming and overall relates to an organism's growth performance varying largely between species, e.g., due to pre-adaptation to environmental characteristics such as temperature. Here, we determined protein synthesis rates and capacity of protein degradation in white muscle of the cold stenothermal Antarctic eelpout (Pachycara brachycephalum) and its closely related temperate counterpart, the eurythermal common eelpout (Zoarces viviparus). Both species were exposed to acute warming (P. brachycephalum, 0 °C + 2 °C day-1; Z. viviparus, 4 °C + 3 °C day-1). The in vivo protein synthesis rate (Ks) was monitored after injection of 13C-phenylalanine, and protein degradation capacity was quantified by measuring the activity of cathepsin D in vitro. Untargeted metabolic profiling by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was used to identify the metabolic processes involved. Independent of temperature, the protein synthesis rate was higher in P. brachycephalum (Ks = 0.38-0.614 % day-1) than in Z. viviparus (Ks= 0.148-0.379% day-1). Whereas protein synthesis remained unaffected by temperature in the Antarctic species, protein synthesis in Z. viviparus increased to near the thermal optimum (16 °C) and tended to fall at higher temperatures. Most strikingly, capacities for protein degradation were about ten times higher in the Antarctic compared to the temperate species. These differences are mirrored in the metabolic profiles, with significantly higher levels of complex and essential amino acids in the free cytosolic pool of the Antarctic congener. Together, the results clearly indicate a highly cold-compensated protein turnover in the Antarctic eelpout compared to its temperate confamilial. Constant versus variable environments are mirrored in rigid versus plastic functional responses of the protein synthesis machinery.

Protein Synthesis Determined from Non-Radioactive Phenylalanine Incorporated by Antarctic Fish

Direct measurements of temperature-dependent weight gains are experimentally challenging and time-consuming in long-lived/slow-growing organisms such as Antarctic fish. Here, we reassess methodology to quantify the in vivo protein synthesis rate from amino acids, as a key component of growth. We tested whether it is possible to avoid hazardous radioactive materials and whether the analytical pathway chosen is robust against analytical errors. In the eelpout, Pachycara brachycephalum, 13C9H1115N1O2 phenylalanine was injected intraperitoneally and muscle tissue was sampled before injection and at 1.5 h time intervals up to 6 h thereafter. The incorporation of 13C15N-labeled-phenylalanine into muscle was monitored by quantification of bound and free phenylalanine through liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. We found an increase in the pool of labeled, free phenylalanine in the cytosolic fraction that leveled off after 4.5 h. The labeled phenylalanine bound in the proteins increased linearly over time. The resulting protein synthesis rate (Ks) for P. brachycephalum was as low as 0.049 ± 0.021% day−1. This value and its variability were in good agreement with literature data obtained from studies using radioactive labels, indicating that this methodology is well suited for characterizing growth in polar fish under in situ conditions in remote areas or on research vessels.

A molecular perspective on the invasibility of the southern ocean benthos: The impact of hypoxia and temperature on gene expression in South American and Antarctic Aequiyoldia bivalves

When an organism makes a long-distance transition to a new habitat, the associated environmental change is often marked and requires physiological plasticity of larvae, juveniles, or other migrant stages. Exposing shallow-water marine bivalves (Aequiyoldia cf. eightsii) from southern South America (SSA) and the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) to changes in temperature and oxygen availability, we investigated changes in gene expression in a simulated colonization experiment of the shores of a new continent after crossing of the Drake Passage, and in a warming scenario in the WAP. Bivalves from SSA were cooled from 7°C (in situ) to 4°C and 2°C (future warmed WAP conditions), WAP bivalves were warmed from 1.5°C (current summer in situ) to 4°C (warmed WAP), gene expression patterns in response to thermal stress by itself and in combination with hypoxia were measured after 10 days. Our results confirm that molecular plasticity may play a vital role for local adaptation. Hypoxia had a greater effect on the transcriptome than temperature alone. The effect was further amplified when hypoxia and temperature acted as combined stressors. The WAP bivalves showed a remarkable ability to cope with short-term exposure to hypoxia by switching to a metabolic rate depression strategy and activating the alternative oxidation pathway, whilst the SSA population showed no comparable response. In SSA, the high prevalence of apoptosis-related differentially expressed genes especially under combined higher temperatures and hypoxia indicated that the SSA Aequiyoldia are operating near their physiological limits already. While the effect of temperature per se may not represent the single most effective barrier to Antarctic colonization by South American bivalves, the current distribution patterns as well as their resilience to future conditions can be better understood by looking at the synergistic effects of temperature in conjunction with short-term exposure to hypoxia.

Life in the freezer: protein metabolism in Antarctic fish

Whole-animal, in vivo protein metabolism rates have been reported in temperate and tropical, but not Antarctic fish. Growth in Antarctic species is generally slower than lower latitude species. Protein metabolism data for Antarctic invertebrates show low rates of protein synthesis and unusually high rates of protein degradation. Additionally, in Antarctic fish, increasing evidence suggests a lower frequency of successful folding of nascent proteins and reduced protein stability. This study reports the first whole-animal protein metabolism data for an Antarctic fish. Groups of Antarctic, Harpagifer antarcticus, and temperate, Lipophrys pholis, fish were acclimatized to a range of overlapping water temperatures and food consumption, whole-animal growth and protein metabolism measured. The rates of protein synthesis and growth in Antarctic, but not temperate fish, were relatively insensitive to temperature and were significantly lower in H. antarcticus at 3°C than in L. pholis. Protein degradation was independent of temperature in H. antarcticus and not significantly different to L. pholis at 3°C, while protein synthesis retention efficiency was significantly higher in L. pholis than H. antarcticus at 3°C. These results suggest Antarctic fish degrade a significantly larger proportion of synthesized protein than temperate fish, with fundamental energetic implications for growth at low temperatures.

Thermal sensitivity of cell metabolism of different Antarctic fish species mirrors organism temperature tolerance

Despite cold adaptation, Antarctic fish show lower growth than expected from the van’t Hoff’s Q10 rule. Protein synthesis is one of the main energy-consuming processes, which is downregulated under energy deficiency. Considering the effect of temperature on growth performance, we tested if temperature-dependent cellular energy allocation to protein synthesis correlates with temperature-dependent whole-animal growth and thus thermal tolerance. Cell respiration and energy expenditure for protein synthesis were determined in hepatocytes of the circumpolar-distributed Antarctic eelpout Pachycara brachycephalum after warm acclimation (0 °C vs 5 °C) and, of two notothenioids the sub-Antarctic Lepidonotothen squamifrons and the high-Antarctic icefish Chionodraco hamatus. We used intermittent-flow respirometry to analyse cellular response to acute warming from 5 to 10 °C (P. brachycephalum) and from 1 to 5 °C (L. squamifrons, C. hamatus). Warming-induced rise in respiration was similar between 0- and 5 °C-acclimated P. brachycephalum and between L. squamifrons and C. hamatus. Irrespective of acclimation, warming decreased energy expenditure for protein synthesis in P. brachycephalum, which corresponds to reduced whole-animal growth at temperatures > 5 °C. Warming doubled energy expenditure for protein synthesis in L. squamifrons but had no effect on C. hamatus indicating that L. squamifrons might benefit from warmer waters. The species-specific temperature effect on energy expenditure for protein synthesis is discussed to mirror thermal sensitivity of whole-animal growth performance, thereby paralleling the degree of cold adaptation. Clearly more data are necessary including measurements at narrower temperature steps particularly for C. hamatus and an increased species’ number per ecotype to reinforce presented link between cellular and whole-animal thermal sensitivity.

Conformational Flexibility Drives Cold Adaptation in Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis TAC125 Globins

Significance: Temperature is one of the most important drivers in shaping protein adaptations. Many biochemical and physiological processes are influenced by temperature. Proteins and enzymes from organisms living at low temperature are less stable in comparison to high-temperature adapted proteins. The lower stability is generally due to greater conformational flexibility. Recent Advances: Adaptive changes in the structure of cold-adapted proteins may occur at subunit interfaces, distant from the active site, thus producing energy changes associated with conformational transitions transmitted to the active site by allosteric modulation, valid also for monomeric proteins in which tertiary structural changes may play an essential role. Critical Issues: Despite efforts, the current experimental and computational methods still fail to produce general principles on protein evolution, since many changes are protein and species dependent. Environmental constraints or other biological cellular signals may override the ancestral information included in the structure of the protein, thus introducing inaccuracy in estimates and predictions on the evolutionary adaptations of proteins in response to cold adaptation. Future Directions: In this review, we describe the studies and approaches used to investigate stability and flexibility in the cold-adapted globins of the Antarctic marine bacterium Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis TAC125. In fact, future research directions will be prescient on more detailed investigation of cold-adapted proteins and the role of fluctuations between different conformational states.

Molecular mechanisms of temperature acclimation and adaptation in marine diatoms

Diatoms are important contributors to marine primary production and the ocean carbon cycle, yet the molecular mechanisms that regulate their acclimation and adaptation to temperature are poorly understood. Here we use a transcriptomic approach to investigate the molecular mechanisms associated with temperature acclimation and adaptation in closely related colder- and warmer-adapted diatom species. We find evidence that evolutionary changes in baseline gene expression, which we termed transcriptional investment or divestment, is a key mechanism used by diatoms to adapt to different growth temperatures. Invested and divested pathways indicate that the maintenance of protein processing machinery and membrane structure, important short-term physiological mechanisms used to respond to temperature changes, are key elements associated with adaptation to different growth temperatures. Our results also indicate that evolutionary changes in the transcriptional regulation of acetyl-CoA associated pathways, including lipid and branched chain amino acid metabolism, are used by diatoms to balance photosynthetic light capture and metabolism with changes in growth temperature. Transcriptional investment and divestment can provide a framework to identify mechanisms of acclimation and adaption to temperature.

Effects of temperature on survival, moulting, and expression of neuropeptide and mTOR signalling genes in juvenile Dungeness crab (Metacarcinus magister)

Mechanistic target of rapamymcin (mTOR) is a highly conserved protein kinase that controls cellular protein synthesis and energy homeostasis. We hypothesize that mTOR integrates intrinsic signals (moulting hormones) and extrinsic signals (thermal stress) to regulate moulting and growth in decapod crustaceans. The effects of temperature on survival, moulting and mRNA levels of mTOR signalling genes (Mm-Rheb, Mm-mTOR, Mm-AMPKα, Mm-S6K and Mm-AKT) and neuropeptides (Mm-CHH and Mm-MIH) were quantified in juvenile Metacarcinus magister Crabs at different moult stages (12, 19 or 26 days postmoult) were transferred from ambient temperature (∼15°C) to temperatures between 5 and 30°C for up to 14 days. Survival was 97-100% from 5 to 20°C, but none survived at 25 or 30°C. Moult stage progression accelerated from 5 to 15°C, but did not accelerate further at 20°C. In eyestalk ganglia, Mm-Rheb, Mm-AMPKα and Mm-AKT mRNA levels decreased with increasing temperatures. Mm-MIH and Mm-CHH mRNA levels were lowest in the eyestalk ganglia of mid-premoult animals at 20°C. In the Y-organ, Mm-Rheb mRNA levels decreased with increasing temperature and increased during premoult, and were positively correlated with haemolymph ecdysteroid titre. In the heart, moult stage had no effect on mTOR signalling gene mRNA levels; only Mm-Rheb, Mm-S6K and Mm-mTOR mRNA levels were higher in intermoult animals at 10°C. These data suggest that temperature compensation of neuropeptide and mTOR signalling gene expression in the eyestalk ganglia and Y-organ contributes to regulate moulting in the 10 to 20°C range. The limited warm compensation in the heart may contribute to mortality at temperatures above 20°C.

Impacts of Climate Variability and Change on (Marine) Animals: Physiological Underpinnings and Evolutionary Consequences

Understanding thermal ranges and limits of organisms becomes important in light of climate change and observed effects on ecosystems as reported by the IPCC (2014). Evolutionary adaptation to temperature is presently unable to keep animals and other organisms in place; if they can these rather follow the moving isotherms. These effects of climate change on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems have brought into focus the mechanisms by which temperature and its oscillations shape the biogeography and survival of species. For animals, the integrative concept of oxygen and capacity limited thermal tolerance (OCLTT) has successfully characterized the sublethal limits to performance and the consequences of such limits for ecosystems. Recent models illustrate how routine energy demand defines the realized niche. Steady state temperature-dependent performance profiles thus trace the thermal window and indicate a key role for aerobic metabolism, and the resulting budget of available energy (power), in defining performance under routine conditions, from growth to exercise and reproduction. Differences in the performance and productivity of marine species across latitudes relate to changes in mitochondrial density, capacity, and other features of cellular design. Comparative studies indicate how and why such mechanisms underpinning OCLTT may have developed on evolutionary timescales in different climatic zones and contributed to shaping the functional characteristics and species richness of the respective fauna. A cause-and-effect understanding emerges from considering the relationships between fluctuations in body temperature, cellular design, and performance. Such principles may also have been involved in shaping the functional characteristics of survivors in mass extinction events during earth's history; furthermore, they may provide access to understanding the evolution of endothermy in mammals and birds. Accordingly, an understanding is emerging how climate changes and variability throughout earth's history have influenced animal evolution and co-defined their success or failure from a bio-energetic point of view. Deepening such understanding may further reduce uncertainty about projected impacts of anthropogenic climate variability and change on the distribution, productivity and last not least, survival of aquatic and terrestrial species.

The effect of temperature adaptation on the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway in notothenioid fishes

There is an accumulating body of evidence suggesting that the sub-zero Antarctic marine environment places physiological constraints on protein homeostasis. Levels of ubiquitin (Ub)-conjugated proteins, 20S proteasome activity and mRNA expression of many proteins involved in both the ubiquitin (Ub) tagging of damaged proteins as well as the different complexes of the 26S proteasome were measured to examine whether there is thermal compensation of the Ub-proteasome pathway in Antarctic fishes to better understand the efficiency of the protein degradation machinery in polar species. Both Antarctic (Trematomus bernacchii, Pagothenia borchgrevinki) and non-Antarctic (Notothenia angustata, Bovichtus variegatus) notothenioids were included in this study to investigate the mechanisms of cold adaptation of this pathway in polar species. Overall, there were significant differences in the levels of Ub-conjugated proteins between the Antarctic notothenioids and B. variegatus, with N. angustata possessing levels very similar to the Antarctic fishes. Proteasome activity in the gills of Antarctic fishes demonstrated a high degree of temperature compensation such that activity levels were similar to activities measured in their temperate relatives at ecologically relevant temperatures. A similar level of thermal compensation of proteasome activity was not present in the liver of two Antarctic fishes. Higher gill proteasome activity is likely due in part to higher cellular levels of proteins involved in the Ub-proteasome pathway, as evidenced by high mRNA expression of relevant genes. Reduced activity of the Ub-proteasome pathway does not appear to be the mechanism responsible for elevated levels of denatured proteins in Antarctic fishes, at least in the gills.

Energetic costs of protein synthesis do not differ between red- and white-blooded Antarctic notothenioid fishes

Antarctic icefishes (Family Channichthyidae) within the suborder Notothenioidei lack the oxygen-binding protein hemoglobin (Hb), and six of the 16 species of icefishes lack myoglobin (Mb) in heart ventricle. As iron-centered proteins, Hb and Mb can promote the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that damage biological macromolecules. Consistent with this, our previous studies have shown that icefishes have lower levels of oxidized proteins and lipids in oxidative muscle compared to red-blooded notothenioids. Because oxidized proteins are usually degraded by the 20S proteasome and must be resynthesized, we hypothesized that rates of protein synthesis would be lower in icefishes compared to red-blooded notothenioids, thereby reducing the energetic costs of protein synthesis and conferring a benefit to the loss of Hb and Mb. Rates of protein synthesis were quantified in hearts, and the fraction of oxygen consumption devoted to protein synthesis was measured in isolated hepatocytes and cardiomyocytes of notothenioids differing in the expression of Hb and cardiac Mb. Neither rates of protein synthesis nor the energetic costs of protein synthesis differed among species, suggesting that red-blooded species do not degrade and replace oxidatively modified proteins at a higher rate compared to icefishes but rather, persist with higher levels of oxidized proteins.

RNA function and phosphorus use by photosynthetic organisms

Phosphorus (P) in RNA accounts for half or more of the total non-storage P in oxygenic photolithotrophs grown in either P-replete or P-limiting growth conditions. Since many natural environments are P-limited for photosynthetic primary productivity, and peak phosphorus fertilizer production is inevitable, the paper analyses what economies in P allocation to RNA could, in principle, increase P-use efficiency of growth (rate of dry matter production per unit organism P). The possibilities of decreasing P allocation to RNA without decreasing growth rate include (1) more widespread down-regulation of RNA production in P-limited organisms, (2) optimal allocation of P to RNA, both spatially among cell compartments and organs, and temporally depending on the stage of growth, and (3) a constant rate of protein synthesis through the diel cycle. Acting on these suggestions would, however, be technically demanding.

Influence of natural thermal gradients on whole animal rates of protein synthesis in marine gammarid amphipods

Although temperature is known to have an important effect on protein synthesis rates and growth in aquatic ectotherms held in the laboratory, little is known about the effects of thermal gradients on natural populations in the field. To address this issue we determined whole-animal fractional rates of protein synthesis (ks ) in four dominant species of gammarid amphipods with different distributions along the coasts of Western Europe from arctic to temperate latitudes. Up to three populations of each species were collected in the summer and ks measured within 48 h. Summer ks values were relatively high in the temperate species, Gammarus locusta, from Portugal (48°N) and Wales (53°N) and were maintained across latitudes by the conservation of translational efficiency. In sharp contrast, summer ks remained remarkably low in the boreal/temperate species G. duebeni from Wales, Scotland (58°N) and Tromsø (70°N), probably as a temporary energy saving strategy to ensure survival in rapidly fluctuating environments of the high intertidal. Values for ks increased in acclimated G. duebeni from Scotland and Tromsø showing a lack of compensation with latitude. In the subarctic/boreal species, G. oceanicus, summer ks remained unchanged in Scotland and Tromsø but fell significantly in Svalbard (79°N) at 5°C, despite a slight increase in RNA content. At 79°N, mean ks was 4.5 times higher in the circumpolar species G. setosus than in G. oceanicus due to a doubling in RNA content. The relationship between whole-animal protein synthesis rates and natural thermal gradients is complex, varies between species and appears to be associated with local temperatures and their variability, as well as changes in other environmental factors.

Muscle remodeling and the exercise physiology of fish

Fish muscle responds to aerobic exercise training and cold acclimation with a more aerobic muscle phenotype than mammalian muscle but through both conserved and distinct molecular events. Differences from mammals in exercise metabolism and diversity in protein isoforms suggest that the regulation of muscle fuel use is more complex in fish. This review considers fish as powerful models for exercise and muscle physiology.

Transcriptomic and genomic evolution under constant cold in Antarctic notothenioid fish

The antifreeze glycoprotein-fortified Antarctic notothenioid fishes comprise the predominant fish suborder in the isolated frigid Southern Ocean. Their ecological success undoubtedly entailed evolutionary acquisition of a full suite of cold-stable functions besides antifreeze protection. Prior studies of adaptive changes in these teleost fishes generally examined a single genotype or phenotype. We report here the genome-wide investigations of transcriptional and genomic changes associated with Antarctic notothenioid cold adaptation. We sequenced and characterized 33,560 ESTs from four tissues of the Antarctic notothenioid Dissostichus mawsoni and derived 3,114 nonredundant protein gene families and their expression profiles. Through comparative analyses of same-tissue transcriptome profiles of D. mawsoni and temperate/tropical teleost fishes, we identified 177 notothenioid protein families that were expressed many fold over the latter, indicating cold-related up-regulation. These up-regulated gene families operate in protein biosynthesis, protein folding and degradation, lipid metabolism, antioxidation, antiapoptosis, innate immunity, choriongenesis, and others, all of recognizable functional importance in mitigating stresses in freezing temperatures during notothenioid life histories. We further examined the genomic and evolutionary bases for this expressional up-regulation by comparative genomic hybridization of DNA from four pairs of Antarctic and basal non-Antarctic notothenioids to 10,700 D. mawsoni cDNA probes and discovered significant to astounding (3- to >300-fold, P < 0.05) Antarctic-specific duplications of 118 protein-coding genes, many of which correspond to the up-regulated gene families. Results of our integrative tripartite study strongly suggest that evolution under constant cold has resulted in dramatic genomic expansions of specific protein gene families, augmenting gene expression and gene functions contributing to physiological fitness of Antarctic notothenioids in freezing polar conditions.

Thermal limits and adaptation in marine Antarctic ectotherms: an integrative view

A cause and effect understanding of thermal limitation and adaptation at various levels of biological organization is crucial in the elaboration of how the Antarctic climate has shaped the functional properties of extant Antarctic fauna. At the same time, this understanding requires an integrative view of how the various levels of biological organization may be intertwined. At all levels analysed, the functional specialization to permanently low temperatures implies reduced tolerance of high temperatures, as a trade-off. Maintenance of membrane fluidity, enzyme kinetic properties (Km and k(cat)) and protein structural flexibility in the cold supports metabolic flux and regulation as well as cellular functioning overall. Gene expression patterns and, even more so, loss of genetic information, especially for myoglobin (Mb) and haemoglobin (Hb) in notothenioid fishes, reflect the specialization of Antarctic organisms to a narrow range of low temperatures. The loss of Mb and Hb in icefish, together with enhanced lipid membrane densities (e.g. higher concentrations of mitochondria), becomes explicable by the exploitation of high oxygen solubility at low metabolic rates in the cold, where an enhanced fraction of oxygen supply occurs through diffusive oxygen flux. Conversely, limited oxygen supply to tissues upon warming is an early cause of functional limitation. Low standard metabolic rates may be linked to extreme stenothermy. The evolutionary forces causing low metabolic rates as a uniform character of life in Antarctic ectothermal animals may be linked to the requirement for high energetic efficiency as required to support higher organismic functioning in the cold. This requirement may result from partial compensation for the thermal limitation of growth, while other functions like hatching, development, reproduction and ageing are largely delayed. As a perspective, the integrative approach suggests that the patterns of oxygen- and capacity-limited thermal tolerance are linked, on one hand, with the capacity and design of molecules and membranes, and, on the other hand, with life-history consequences and lifestyles typically seen in the permanent cold. Future research needs to address the detailed aspects of these interrelationships.

Molecular characterisation and expression of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) myoglobin from two populations held at two different acclimation temperatures

Much previous research has demonstrated the plasticity of myoglobin concentrations in both cardiac and skeletal myocytes in response to hypoxia and training. No study has yet looked at the effect of thermal acclimation on myoglobin in fish. Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) from two different populations, i.e. the North Sea and the North East Arctic, were acclimated to 10 and 4 degrees C. Both the myoglobin mRNA and myoglobin protein in cod hearts increased significantly by up to 3.7 and 2.3 fold respectively as a result of acclimation to 4 degrees C. These increments were largest in the Arctic population, which in earlier studies have been shown to possess cold compensated metabolic demands at low temperatures. These metabolic demands associated with higher mitochondrial capacities may have driven the increase in cardiac myoglobin concentrations, in order to support diffusive oxygen supply. At the same time the increase in myoglobin levels may serve further functions during cold acclimation, for example, protection of the cell against reactive oxygen species, and scavenging nitric oxide, thereby contributing to the regulation of mitochondrial volume density.

Growth in the slow lane: protein metabolism in the Antarctic limpet Nacella concinna (Strebel 1908)

Growth rates in Antarctic ectotherms are generally considered to be low in comparison to temperate and tropical species. Food consumption plays a major role in determining animal growth rates, but once food is ingested soft tissue growth rates are largely determined by the protein synthesis retention efficiency (PSRE), a measure of the efficiency with which proteins are synthesised and retained as protein growth. The effect of water temperatures on the PSRE of polar organisms has not previously been investigated, and it is possible that reduced PSRE at polar water temperatures may at least partially explain low growth rates in Antarctic organisms. We also currently lack any information on the potential effects of predicted increases in seawater temperatures on protein metabolism in Antarctic ectotherms. We have measured seasonal protein synthesis, degradation and growth rates in free-ranging Antarctic limpets (Nacella concinna), together with protein synthesis rates at temperatures ranging between -1.5 degrees C and 6.0 degrees C. PSRE were not significantly different in summer (15.69+/-4.41%) or winter (20.59+/-4.45%), but values were considerably lower than those previously reported in temperate and tropical species. A meta-analysis of published ectotherm PSRE suggested there was a positive relationship with temperature (y=449.9-114.9x, r(2)=28.8%, P<0.05). In turn, this suggests that temperature may be an important factor in determining ectotherm growth efficiency via an influence on PSRE. Maximal fractional and absolute protein synthesis rates occurred at approximately 1 degrees C in N. concinna, the approximate summer water temperature at the study site, and protein synthesis rates decreased above this temperature. In the absence of adaptation, predicted increases in Antarctic water temperatures would result in reduced, rather than increased, rates of protein synthesis and, in turn, possibly growth.

Is cold the new hot? Elevated ubiquitin-conjugated protein levels in tissues of Antarctic fish as evidence for cold-denaturation of proteins in vivo

Levels of ubiquitin (Ub)-conjugated proteins, as an index of misfolded or damaged proteins, were measured in notothenioid fishes, with both Antarctic (Trematomus bernacchii, T. pennellii, Pagothenia borchgrevinki) and non-Antarctic (Notothenia angustata, Bovichtus variegatus) distributions, as well as non-notothenioid fish from the Antarctic (Lycodichthys dearborni, Family Zoarcidae) and New Zealand (Bellapiscis medius, Family Tripterygiidae), in an effort to better understand the effect that inhabiting a sub-zero environment has on maintaining the integrity of the cellular protein pool. Overall, levels of Ub-conjugated proteins in cold-adapted Antarctic fishes were significantly higher than New Zealand fishes in gill, liver, heart and spleen tissues suggesting that life at sub-zero temperatures impacts protein homeostasis. The highest tissue levels of ubiquitinated proteins were found in the spleen of all fish. Ub conjugate levels in the New Zealand N. angustata, more closely resembled levels measured in other Antarctic fishes than levels measured in other New Zealand species, likely reflecting their recent shared ancestry with Antarctic notothenioids.

Tissue-specific changes in protein synthesis associated with seasonal metabolic depression and recovery in the north temperate labrid, Tautogolabrus adspersus

The tissue-specific changes in protein synthesis were tracked in relation to the seasonal metabolic depression in cunner ( Tautogolabrus adsperus). In vivo protein synthesis rate and total RNA content were determined in liver, white muscle, brain, heart, and gill during periods of normal activity before metabolic depression, entrance into and during winter dormancy, and during the recovery period. The decrease in water temperature from 8°C to 4°C was accompanied by a 55% depression of protein synthesis in liver, brain, and heart and a 66% depression in gill. Protein synthesis in white muscle fell below detectable levels at this temperature. The depression of protein synthesis is an active process (Q10 = 6–21 between 8°C and 4°C) that occurs in advance of the behavioral and physiological depression at the whole animal level. Protein synthesis was maintained at these depressed levels in white muscle, brain, heart, and gill until water temperature returned to 4°C in the spring. Liver underwent a hyperactivation in the synthesis of proteins at 0°C, which may be linked to antifreeze production. During the recovery period, a hyperactivation of protein synthesis occurred in white muscle, which is suggestive of compensatory growth, as well as in heart and liver, which is considered to be linked to increased activity and feeding. Seasonal changes in total RNA content demonstrate the depression of protein synthesis with decreasing temperature to be closely associated with translational capacity, but the stimulation of protein synthesis during recovery appears to be associated with increased translational efficiency.

Protein metabolism in marine animals: the underlying mechanism of growth

Growth is a fundamental process within all marine organisms. In soft tissues, growth is primarily achieved by the synthesis and retention of proteins as protein growth. The protein pool (all the protein within the organism) is highly dynamic, with proteins constantly entering the pool via protein synthesis or being removed from the pool via protein degradation. Any net change in the size of the protein pool, positive or negative, is termed protein growth. The three inter-related processes of protein synthesis, degradation and growth are together termed protein metabolism. Measurement of protein metabolism is vital in helping us understand how biotic and abiotic factors affect growth and growth efficiency in marine animals. Recently, the developing fields of transcriptomics and proteomics have started to offer us a means of greatly increasing our knowledge of the underlying molecular control of protein metabolism. Transcriptomics may also allow us to detect subtle changes in gene expression associated with protein synthesis and degradation, which cannot be detected using classical methods. A large literature exists on protein metabolism in animals; however, this chapter concentrates on what we know of marine ectotherms; data from non-marine ectotherms and endotherms are only discussed when the data are of particular relevance. We first consider the techniques available to measure protein metabolism, their problems and what validation is required. Protein metabolism in marine organisms is highly sensitive to a wide variety of factors, including temperature, pollution, seasonality, nutrition, developmental stage, genetics, sexual maturation and moulting. We examine how these abiotic and biotic factors affect protein metabolism at the level of whole-animal (adult and larval), tissue and cellular protein metabolism. Available gene expression data, which help us understand the underlying control of protein metabolism, are also discussed. As protein metabolism appears to comprise a significant proportion of overall metabolic costs in marine organisms, accurate estimates of the energetic cost per unit of synthesised protein are important. Measured costs of protein metabolism are reviewed, and the very high variability in reported costs highlighted. Two major determinants of protein synthesis rates are the tissue concentration of RNA, often expressed as the RNA to protein ratio, and the RNA activity (k(RNA)). The effects of temperature, nutrition and developmental stage on RNA concentration and activity are considered. This chapter highlights our complete lack of knowledge of protein metabolism in many groups of marine organisms, and the fact we currently have only limited data for animals held under a narrow range of experimental conditions. The potential assistance that genomic methods may provide in increasing our understanding of protein metabolism is described.

Temperature- and exercise-induced gene expression and metabolic enzyme changes in skeletal muscle of adult zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Both exercise training and cold acclimatization induce muscle remodelling in vertebrates, producing a more aerobic phenotype. In ectothermic species exercise training and cold-acclimatization represent distinct stimuli. It is currently unclear if these stimuli act through a common mechanism or if different mechanisms lead to a common phenotype. The goal of this study was to survey responses that represent potential mechanisms responsible for contraction- and temperature-induced muscle remodelling, using an ectothermic vertebrate. Separate groups of adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) were either swim trained or cold acclimatized for 4 weeks. We found that the mitochondrial marker enzyme citrate synthase (CS) was increased by 1.5x in cold and by 1.3x with exercise (P<0.05). Cytochrome c oxidase (COx) was increased by 1.2x following exercise training (P<0.05) and 1.2x (P=0.07) with cold acclimatization. However, only cold acclimatization increased beta-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (HOAD) compared to exercise-trained (by 1.3x) and pyruvate kinase (PK) relative to control zebrafish. We assessed the whole-animal performance outcomes of these treatments. Maximum absolute sustained swimming speed (Ucrit) was increased in the exercise trained group but not in the cold acclimatized group. Real-time PCR analysis indicated that increases in CS are primarily transcriptionally regulated with exercise but not with cold treatments. Both treatments showed increases in nuclear respiratory factor (NRF)-1 mRNA which was increased by 2.3x in cold-acclimatized and 4x in exercise-trained zebrafish above controls. In contrast, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-alpha mRNA levels were decreased in both experimental groups while PPAR-beta1 declined in exercise training only. Moreover, PPAR-gamma coactivator (PGC)-1alpha mRNA was not changed by either treatment. In zebrafish, both temperature and exercise produce a more aerobic phenotype, but there are stimulus-dependent responses (i.e. HOAD and PK activities). While similar changes in NRF-1 mRNA suggest that common responses might underlie aerobic muscle remodelling there are distinct changes (i.e. CS and PPAR-beta1 mRNA) that contribute to specific temperature- and exercise-induced phenotypes.