Temperature-dependent benefits and costs of cytoplasmic male sterility in snail Physa acuta

Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) originates from a mito-nuclear conflict where mitochondrial genes induce male sterility and nuclear genes restore male fertility in hermaphrodites. The first observation of CMS in animals was reported recently in the freshwater snail Physa acuta where it is associated with two extremes divergent mitotypes D and K. The D individuals are male-steriles while male fertility is restored by nuclear genes in K and are found mixed with the most common male-fertile N mitotype in natural populations (i.e. gynodioecy). We compared male and female fitness, growth rate and metabolism between the three mitotypes at two temperatures as this factor influences CMS in gynodioecious plants via alteration of mitochondrial functioning. Temperature did not affect male sterility which depended only on the mitotype and the presence of restorers. Our results provided evidence that CMS is beneficial to female fitness in the absence of restorers while it is costly in their presence, and furthermore driven by body mass, fulfilling a key theoretical condition for the long-term maintenance of gynodioecy. Fitness benefits and costs mediated by differences in body mass are enhanced at cold temperature, suggesting that the system dynamics may vary according to thermal conditions in nature.

An evolving roadmap: using mitochondrial physiology to help guide conservation efforts

The crucial role of aerobic energy production in sustaining eukaryotic life positions mitochondrial processes as key determinants of an animal's ability to withstand unpredictable environments. The advent of new techniques facilitating the measurement of mitochondrial function offers an increasingly promising tool for conservation approaches. Herein, we synthesize the current knowledge on the links between mitochondrial bioenergetics, ecophysiology and local adaptation, expanding them to the wider conservation physiology field. We discuss recent findings linking cellular bioenergetics to whole-animal fitness, in the current context of climate change. We summarize topics, questions, methods, pitfalls and caveats to help provide a comprehensive roadmap for studying mitochondria from a conservation perspective. Our overall aim is to help guide conservation in natural populations, outlining the methods and techniques that could be most useful to assess mitochondrial function in the field.

Flies on the rise: acclimation effect on mitochondrial oxidation capacity at normal and high temperatures in Drosophila melanogaster

Increased average temperatures and extreme thermal events (such as heatwaves) brought forth by climate change impose important constraints on aerobic metabolism. Notably, mitochondrial metabolism, which is affected by both long- and short-term temperature changes, has been put forward as an important determinant for thermal tolerance of organisms. This study examined the influence of phenotypic plasticity on metabolic and physiological parameters in Drosophila melanogaster and the link between mitochondrial function and their upper thermal limits. We showed that D. melanogaster acclimated to 15°C have a 0.65°C lower critical thermal maximum (CTmax) compared with those acclimated to 24°C. Drosophila melanogaster acclimated to 15°C exhibited a higher proportion of shorter saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, concomitant with lower proportions of polyunsaturated fatty acids. No mitochondrial quantitative changes (fractional area and number) were detected between acclimation groups, but changes of mitochondrial oxidation capacities were observed. Specifically, in both 15°C- and 24°C-acclimated flies, complex I-induced respiration was increased when measured between 15 and 24°C, but drastically declined when measured at 40°C. When succinate and glycerol-3-phosphate were added, this decrease was however compensated for in flies acclimated to 24°C, suggesting an important impact of acclimation on mitochondrial function related to thermal tolerance. Our study reveals that the use of oxidative substrates at high temperatures is influenced by acclimation temperature and strongly related to upper thermal tolerance as a difference of 0.65°C in CTmax translates into significant mitochondrial changes.

Investigating the thermal sensitivity of key enzymes involved in the energetic metabolism of three insect species

The metabolic responses of insects to high temperatures have been linked to their mitochondrial substrate oxidation capacity. However, the mechanism behind this mitochondrial flexibility is not well understood. Here, we used three insect species with different thermal tolerances (the honey bee, Apis mellifera; the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster; and the potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata) to characterize the thermal sensitivity of different metabolic enzymes. Specifically, we measured activity of enzymes involved in glycolysis (hexokinase, HK; pyruvate kinase, PK; and lactate dehydrogenase, LDH), pyruvate oxidation and the tricarboxylic acid cycle (pyruvate dehydrogenase, PDH; citrate synthase, CS; malate dehydrogenase, MDH; and aspartate aminotransferase, AAT), and the electron transport system (Complex I, CI; Complex II, CII; mitochondrial glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, mG3PDH; proline dehydrogenase, ProDH; and Complex IV, CIV), as well as that of ATP synthase (CV) at 18, 24, 30, 36, 42 and 45°C. Our results show that at high temperature, all three species have significantly increased activity of enzymes linked to FADH2 oxidation, specifically CII and mG3PDH. In fruit flies and honey bees, this coincides with a significant decrease of PDH and CS activity, respectively, that would limit NADH production. This is in line with the switch from NADH-linked substrates to FADH2-linked substrates previously observed with mitochondrial oxygen consumption. Thus, we demonstrate that even though the three insect species have a different metabolic regulation, a similar response to high temperature involving CII and mG3PDH is observed, denoting the importance of these proteins for thermal tolerance in insects.

Energy consumption during insect flight and bioinspiration for MAV design: A review

The excellent biological characteristics of insects provide an important source of inspiration for designing micro air vehicles (MAVs). Insect flight is an incredibly complex and energy-intensive process. Unique insect flight muscles and contraction mechanisms enable flapping at high frequencies. Moreover, the metabolic rate during flight can reach hundreds of times the resting state. Understanding energy consumption during flight is crucial for designing efficient biomimetic aircraft. This paper summarizes the structures and contraction mechanisms of insect flight muscles, explores the underlying metabolic processes, and identifies methods for energy substrate identification and detection, and discusses inspiration for biomimetic MAV design. This paper reviews energy consumption during insect flight, promotes the understanding of insect bioenergetics, and applies this information to the design of MAVs.

Succinate oxidation rescues mitochondrial ATP synthesis at high temperature in Drosophila melanogaster

Decreased NADH-induced and increased reduced FADH2 -induced respiration rates at high temperatures are associated with thermal tolerance in Drosophila. Here, we determined whether this change was associated with adjustments of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production rate and coupling efficiency (ATP/O) in Drosophila melanogaster. We show that decreased pyruvate + malate oxidation at 35°C is associated with a collapse of ATP synthesis and a drop in ATP/O ratio. However, adding succinate triggered a full compensation of both oxygen consumption and ATP synthesis rates at this high temperature. Addition of glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P) led to a huge increase in respiration with no further advantage in terms of ATP production. We conclude that succinate is the only alternative substrate able to compensate both oxygen consumption and ATP production rates during oxidative phosphorylation at high temperature, which has important implications for thermal adaptation.

Evolutionary genetics of the mitochondrial genome: insights from Drosophila

Mitochondria are key to energy conversion in virtually all eukaryotes. Intriguingly, despite billions of years of evolution inside the eukaryote, mitochondria have retained their own small set of genes involved in the regulation of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and protein translation. Although there was a long-standing assumption that the genetic variation found within the mitochondria would be selectively neutral, research over the past 3 decades has challenged this assumption. This research has provided novel insight into the genetic and evolutionary forces that shape mitochondrial evolution and broader implications for evolutionary ecological processes. Many of the seminal studies in this field, from the inception of the research field to current studies, have been conducted using Drosophila flies, thus establishing the species as a model system for studies in mitochondrial evolutionary biology. In this review, we comprehensively review these studies, from those focusing on genetic processes shaping evolution within the mitochondrial genome, to those examining the evolutionary implications of interactions between genes spanning mitochondrial and nuclear genomes, and to those investigating the dynamics of mitochondrial heteroplasmy. We synthesize the contribution of these studies to shaping our understanding of the evolutionary and ecological implications of mitochondrial genetic variation.

Solving the conundrum of intra-specific variation in metabolic rate: A multidisciplinary conceptual and methodological toolkit: New technical developments are opening the door to an understanding of why metabolic rate varies among individual animals of a species: New technical developments are opening the door to an understanding of why metabolic rate varies among individual animals of a species

Researchers from diverse disciplines, including organismal and cellular physiology, sports science, human nutrition, evolution and ecology, have sought to understand the causes and consequences of the surprising variation in metabolic rate found among and within individual animals of the same species. Research in this area has been hampered by differences in approach, terminology and methodology, and the context in which measurements are made. Recent advances provide important opportunities to identify and address the key questions in the field. By bringing together researchers from different areas of biology and biomedicine, we describe and evaluate these developments and the insights they could yield, highlighting the need for more standardisation across disciplines. We conclude with a list of important questions that can now be addressed by developing a common conceptual and methodological toolkit for studies on metabolic variation in animals.

A small protein coded within the mitochondrial canonical gene nd4 regulates mitochondrial bioenergetics

BACKGROUND

Mitochondria have a central role in cellular functions, aging, and in certain diseases. They possess their own genome, a vestige of their bacterial ancestor. Over the course of evolution, most of the genes of the ancestor have been lost or transferred to the nucleus. In humans, the mtDNA is a very small circular molecule with a functional repertoire limited to only 37 genes. Its extremely compact nature with genes arranged one after the other and separated by short non-coding regions suggests that there is little room for evolutionary novelties. This is radically different from bacterial genomes, which are also circular but much larger, and in which we can find genes inside other genes. These sequences, different from the reference coding sequences, are called alternatives open reading frames or altORFs, and they are involved in key biological functions. However, whether altORFs exist in mitochondrial protein-coding genes or elsewhere in the human mitogenome has not been fully addressed.

RESULTS

We found a downstream alternative ATG initiation codon in the + 3 reading frame of the human mitochondrial nd4 gene. This newly characterized altORF encodes a 99-amino-acid-long polypeptide, MTALTND4, which is conserved in primates. Our custom antibody, but not the pre-immune serum, was able to immunoprecipitate MTALTND4 from HeLa cell lysates, confirming the existence of an endogenous MTALTND4 peptide. The protein is localized in mitochondria and cytoplasm and is also found in the plasma, and it impacts cell and mitochondrial physiology.

CONCLUSIONS

Many human mitochondrial translated ORFs might have so far gone unnoticed. By ignoring mtaltORFs, we have underestimated the coding potential of the mitogenome. Alternative mitochondrial peptides such as MTALTND4 may offer a new framework for the investigation of mitochondrial functions and diseases.

G × G × E effect on phenotype expression in a non-conventional model organism, the unicellular slime mould Physarum polycephalum

In metazoans, the expression of key phenotypic traits is sensitive to two- and three-way interactions between variation in mitochondrial DNA, nuclear DNA and the external environment. Whether gene-by-environment interactions affect phenotypes in single-celled eukaryotes is poorly studied, except in a few species of yeast and fungi. We developed a genetic panel of the unicellular slime mould, Physarum polycephalum containing strains differing in mitochondrial and nuclear DNA haplotypes. The panel also included two strains harbouring a selfishly replicating mitochondrial-fusion (mF) plasmid that could affect phenotype expression. We assayed movement and growth rate differences among the strains across two temperature regimes: 24° and 28°C. We found that the slime mould's growth rate, but not movement, is affected by G × G × E interactions. Predictably, mtDNA × nDNA interactions significantly affected both traits. The inter-trait correlation across the strains in each temperature regime was positive. Surprisingly, the mF plasmid had no negative effects on our chosen traits. Our study is the first to demonstrate genetic regulation of phenotype expression in a unicellular slime mould. The genetic effect on phenotypes manifests via epistatic interactions with the thermal environment, thus shedding new light on the role of G × G × E interactions in trait evolution in protists.

Experimental evidence for stronger impacts of larval but not adult rearing temperature on female fertility and lifespan in a seed beetle

Temperature impacts behaviour, physiology and life-history of many life forms. In many ectotherms, phenotypic plasticity within reproductive traits could act as a buffer allowing adaptation to continued global warming within biological limits. But there could be costs involved, potentially affecting adult reproductive performance and population growth. Empirical data on the expression of reproductive plasticity when different life stages are exposed is still lacking. Plasticity in key components of fitness (e.g., reproduction) can impose life-history trade-offs. Ectotherms are sensitive to temperature variation and the resulting thermal stress is known to impact reproduction. So far, research on reproductive plasticity to temperature variation in this species has focused on males. Here, I explore how rearing temperature impacted female reproduction and lifespan in the bruchid beetle Callosobruchus maculatus by exposing them to four constant temperatures (17 °C, 25 °C, 27 °C and 33 °C) during larval or adult stages. In these experiments, larval rearing cohorts (exposed to 17 °C, 25 °C, 27 °C and 33 °C, from egg to adulthood) were tested in a common garden setting at 27 °C and adult rearing cohorts, after having developed entirely at 27 °C, were exposed to four constant rearing temperatures (17 °C, 25 °C, 27 °C and 33 °C). I found stage-specific plasticity in all the traits measured here: fecundity, egg morphological dimensions (length and width), lifespan and egg hatching success (female fertility). Under different larval rearing conditions, fecundity and fertility was drastically reduced (by 51% and 42%) at 17 °C compared to controls (27 °C). Female lifespan was longest at 17 °C across both larval and adult rearing: by 36% and 55% compared to controls. Collectively, these results indicate that larval rearing temperature had greater reproductive impacts. Integrating both larval and adult rearing effects, I present evidence that female fertility is more sensitive during larval development compared to adult rearing temperature in this system.

Overwintering in North American domesticated honeybees (Apis mellifera) causes mitochondrial reprogramming while enhancing cellular immunity

Many factors negatively impact domesticated honeybee (Apis mellifera) health causing a global decrease in their population year after year with major losses occurring during winter, and the cause remains thus far unknown. Here, we monitored for 12 months North American colonies of honeybees enduring important temperature variations throughout the year, to assess the metabolism and immune system of honeybees of summer and winter individuals. Our results show that in flight muscle, mitochondrial respiration via complex I during winter is drastically reduced compared to summer. However, the capacity for succinate and glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P) oxidation by mitochondria is increased during winter, resulting in higher mitochondrial oxygen consumption when complex I substrates, succinate and G3P were assessed altogether. Pyruvate kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, aspartate aminotransferase, citrate synthase and malate dehydrogenase tend to have reduced activity levels in winter unlike hexokinase, NADH dehydrogenase and pyruvate dehydrogenase. Transcript abundance of highly important immunity proteins like Vitellogenin and Defensin-1 were also increased in winter bees, and a stronger phagocytic response as well as a better hemocyte viability was observed during winter. Thus, a reorganization of substrate utilization favoring succinate and G3P while negatively affecting complex I of the ETS is occurring during winter. We suggest that this might be due to complex I transitioning to a dormant conformation through post-translational modification. Winter bees also have an increased response for antibacterial elimination in honeybees. Overall, this study highlights previously unknown cellular mechanisms between summer and winter honeybees that further our knowledge about this important species.

Flexible Thermal Sensitivity of Mitochondrial Oxygen Consumption and Substrate Oxidation in Flying Insect Species

Mitochondria have been suggested to be paramount for temperature adaptation in insects. Considering the large range of environments colonized by this taxon, we hypothesized that species surviving large temperature changes would be those with the most flexible mitochondria. We thus investigated the responses of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) to temperature in three flying insects: the honeybee (Apis mellifera carnica), the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) and the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata). Specifically, we measured oxygen consumption in permeabilized flight muscles of these species at 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42 and 45°C, sequentially using complex I substrates, proline, succinate, and glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P). Complex I respiration rates (CI-OXPHOS) were very sensitive to temperature in honeybees and fruit flies with high oxygen consumption at mid-range temperatures but a sharp decline at high temperatures. Proline oxidation triggers a major increase in respiration only in potato beetles, following the same pattern as CI-OXPHOS for honeybees and fruit flies. Moreover, both succinate and G3P oxidation allowed an important increase in respiration at high temperatures in honeybees and fruit flies (and to a lesser extent in potato beetles). However, when reaching 45°C, this G3P-induced respiration rate dropped dramatically in fruit flies. These results demonstrate that mitochondrial functions are more resilient to high temperatures in honeybees compared to fruit flies. They also indicate an important but species-specific mitochondrial flexibility for substrate oxidation to sustain high oxygen consumption levels at high temperatures and suggest previously unknown adaptive mechanisms of flying insects’ mitochondria to temperature.

Glutamate metabolism directs energetic trade-offs to shape host-pathogen susceptibility in Drosophila

Individual hosts within populations often show inter-individual variation in their susceptibility to bacterial pathogen-related diseases. Utilizing Drosophila, we highlight that phenotypic variation in host-pathogen susceptibility within populations is driven by energetic trade-offs, facilitated by infection-mediated changes in glutamate metabolism. Furthermore, host-pathogen susceptibility is conditioned by life history, which adjusts immunometabolic sensing in muscles to direct vitamin-dependent reallocation of host energy substrates from the adipose tissue (i.e., a muscle-adipose tissue axis). Life history conditions inter-individual variation in the activation strength of intra-muscular NF-κB signaling. Limited intra-muscular NF-κB signaling activity allows for enhanced infection-mediated mitochondrial biogenesis and function, which stimulates glutamate dehydrogenase-dependent synthesis of glutamate. Muscle-derived glutamate acts as a systemic metabolite to promote lipid mobilization through modulating vitamin B enzymatic cofactor transport and function in the adipose tissue. This energy substrate reallocation improves pathogen clearance and boosts host survival. Finally, life history events that adjust energetic trade-offs can shape inter-individual variation in host-pathogen susceptibility after infection.

Thermal Responses Differ across Levels of Biological Organization

Temperature is one of the most important environmental factors driving the genome-to-phenome relationship. Metabolic rates and related biological processes are predicted to increase with temperature due to the biophysical laws of chemical reactions. However, selection can also act on these processes across scales of biological organization, from individual enzymes to whole organisms. Although some studies have examined thermal responses across multiple scales, there is no general consensus on how these responses vary depending on the level of organization, or whether rates actually follow predicted theoretical patterns such as Arrhenius-like exponential responses or thermal performance curves (TPCs) that show peak responses. Here, we performed a meta-analysis on studies of ectotherms where biological rates were measured across the same set of temperatures, but at multiple levels of biological organization: enzyme activities, mitochondrial respiration, and/or whole-animal metabolic rates. Our final dataset consisted of 235 pairwise comparisons between levels of organization from 13 publications. Thermal responses differed drastically across levels of biological organization, sometimes showing completely opposite patterns. We developed a new effect size metric, "organizational disagreement" (OD) to quantify the difference in responses among levels of biological organization. Overall, rates at higher levels of biological organization (e.g., whole animal metabolic rates) increased more quickly with temperature than rates at lower levels, contrary to our predictions. Responses may differ across levels due to differing consequences of biochemical laws with increasing organization or due to selection for different responses. However, taxa and tissues examined generally did not affect OD. Theoretical TPCs, where rates increase to a peak value and then drop, were only rarely observed (12%), possibly because a broad range of test temperatures was rarely investigated. Exponential increases following Arrhenius predictions were more common (29%). This result suggests a classic assumption about thermal responses in biological rates is rarely observed in empirical datasets, although our results should be interpreted cautiously due to the lack of complete thermal profiles. We advocate for authors to explicitly address OD in their interpretations and to measure thermal responses across a wider, more incremental range of temperatures. These results further emphasize the complexity of connecting the genome to the phenome when environmental plasticity is incorporated: the impact of the environment on the phenotype can depend on the scale of organization considered.

Systemic and mitochondrial effects of metabolic inflexibility induced by high fat diet in Drosophila melanogaster

Metabolic inflexibility is a condition that occurs following a nutritional stress which causes blunted fuel switching at the mitochondrial level in response to hormonal and cellular signalling. Linked to obesity and obesity related disorders, chronic exposure to a high-fat diet (HFD) in animal models has been extensively used to induce metabolic inflexibility and investigate the development of various metabolic diseases. However, many questions concerning the systemic and mitochondrial responses to metabolic inflexibility remain. In this study, we investigated the global and mitochondrial variations following a 10-day exposure to a HFD in adult Drosophila melanogaster. Our results show that following 10-day exposure to the HFD, mitochondrial respiration rates measured in isolated mitochondria at the level of complex I were decreased. This was associated with increased contributions of non-classical providers of electrons to the electron transport system (ETS) such as the proline dehydrogenase (ProDH) and the mitochondrial glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (mtG3PDH) alleviating complex I dysfunctions, as well as with increased ROS production per molecule of oxygen consumed. Our results also show an accumulation of metabolites from multiple different metabolic pathways in whole adult Drosophila and a drastic shift in the lipid profile which translated into decreased proportion of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids combined with an increased proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Thus, our results demonstrate the various responses to the HFD treatment in adult Drosophila melanogaster that are hallmarks of the development of metabolic inflexibility and reinforce this organism as a suitable model for the study of metabolic disorders.

Mitochondrial physiology and responses to elevated hydrogen sulphide in two isogenic lineages of an amphibious mangrove fish

Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) is toxic and can act as a selective pressure on aquatic organisms, facilitating a wide range of adaptations for life in sulphidic environments. Mangrove rivulus (Kryptolebias marmoratus) inhabit mangrove swamps and have developed high tolerance to environmental H2S. They are hermaphroditic and can self-fertilize, producing distinct isogenic lineages with different sensitivity to H2S. Here, we tested the hypothesis that observed differences in responses to H2S are the result of differences in mitochondrial functions. For this purpose, we performed two experimental series, testing (1) the overall mitochondrial oxidizing capacities and (2) the kinetics of apparent H2S mitochondrial oxidation and inhibition in two distinct lineages of mangrove rivulus, originally collected from Belize and Honduras. We used permeabilized livers from both lineages, measured mitochondrial oxidation, and monitored changes during gradual increases of sulphide. Ultimately, we determined that each lineage has a distinct strategy for coping with elevated H2S, indicating divergences in mitochondrial function and metabolism. The Honduras lineage has higher anaerobic capacity substantiated by higher lactate dehydrogenase activity and higher apparent H2S oxidation rates, likely enabling them to tolerate H2S by escaping aquatic H2S in a terrestrial environment. However, Belize fish have increased cytochrome c oxidase and citrate synthase activities as well as increased succinate contribution to mitochondrial respiration, allowing them to tolerate higher levels of aquatic H2S without inhibition of mitochondrial oxygen consumption. Our study reveals distinct physiological strategies in genetic lineages of a single species, indicating possible genetic and/or functional adaptations to sulphidic environments at the mitochondrial level.

Dramatic changes in mitochondrial substrate use at critically high temperatures: a comparative study using Drosophila

Ectotherm thermal tolerance is critical to species distribution, but at present the physiological underpinnings of heat tolerance remain poorly understood. Mitochondrial function is perturbed at critically high temperatures in some ectotherms, including insects, suggesting that heat tolerance of these animals is linked to failure of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and/or ATP production. To test this hypothesis, we measured mitochondrial oxygen consumption rate in six Drosophila species with different heat tolerance using high-resolution respirometry. Using a substrate-uncoupler-inhibitor titration protocol, we examined specific steps of the electron transport system to study how temperatures below, bracketing and above organismal heat limits affect mitochondrial function and substrate oxidation. At benign temperatures (19 and 30°C), complex I-supported respiration (CI-OXPHOS) was the most significant contributor to maximal OXPHOS. At higher temperatures (34, 38, 42 and 46°C), CI-OXPHOS decreased considerably, ultimately to very low levels at 42 and 46°C. The enzymatic catalytic capacity of complex I was intact across all temperatures and accordingly the decreased CI-OXPHOS is unlikely to be caused directly by hyperthermic denaturation/inactivation of complex I. Despite the reduction in CI-OXPHOS, maximal OXPHOS capacity was maintained in all species, through oxidation of alternative substrates - proline, succinate and, particularly, glycerol-3-phosphate - suggesting important mitochondrial flexibility at temperatures exceeding the organismal heat limit. Interestingly, this failure of CI-OXPHOS and compensatory oxidation of alternative substrates occurred at temperatures that correlated with species heat tolerance, such that heat-tolerant species could defend 'normal' mitochondrial function at higher temperatures than sensitive species. Future studies should investigate why CI-OXPHOS is perturbed and how this potentially affects ATP production rates.

Mitochondria and the thermal limits of ectotherms

Temperature is a critical abiotic factor shaping the distribution and abundance of species, but the mechanisms that underpin organismal thermal limits remain poorly understood. One possible mechanism underlying these limits is the failure of mitochondrial processes, as mitochondria play a crucial role in animals as the primary site of ATP production. Conventional measures of mitochondrial performance suggest that these organelles can function at temperatures much higher than those that limit whole-organism function, suggesting that they are unlikely to set organismal thermal limits. However, this conclusion is challenged by recent data connecting sequence variation in mitochondrial genes to whole-organism thermal tolerance. Here, we review the current state of knowledge of mitochondrial responses to thermal extremes and ask whether they are consistent with a role for mitochondrial function in shaping whole-organism thermal limits. The available data are fragmentary, but it is possible to draw some conclusions. There is little evidence that failure of maximal mitochondrial oxidative capacity as assessed in vitro sets thermal limits, but there is some evidence to suggest that temperature effects on ATP synthetic capacity may be important. Several studies suggest that loss of mitochondrial coupling is associated with the thermal limits for organismal growth, although this needs to be rigorously tested. Most studies have utilized isolated mitochondrial preparations to assess the effects of temperature on these organelles, and there remain many untapped opportunities to address these questions using preparations that retain more of their biological context to better connect these subcellular processes with whole-organism thermal limits.

Adjustments of cardiac mitochondrial phenotype in a warmer thermal habitat is associated with oxidative stress in European perch, Perca fluviatilis

Mitochondria are playing key roles in setting the thermal limits of fish, but how these organelles participate in selection mechanisms during extreme thermal events associated with climate warming in natural populations is unclear. Here, we investigated the thermal effects on mitochondrial metabolism, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial gene expression in cardiac tissues of European perch (Perca fluviatilis) collected from an artificially heated ecosystem, the "Biotest enclosure", and an adjacent reference area in the Baltic sea with normal temperatures (~ 23 °C and ~ 16 °C, respectively, at the time of capture in summer). Fish were sampled one month after a heat wave that caused the Biotest temperatures to peak at ~ 31.5 °C, causing significant mortality. When assayed at 23 °C, Biotest perch maintained high mitochondrial capacities, while reference perch displayed depressed mitochondrial functions relative to measurements at 16 °C. Moreover, mitochondrial gene expression of nd4 (mitochondrial subunit of complex I) was higher in Biotest fish, likely explaining the increased respiration rates observed in this population. Nonetheless, cardiac tissue from Biotest perch displayed higher levels of oxidative damage, which may have resulted from their chronically warm habitat, as well as the extreme temperatures encountered during the preceding summer heat wave. We conclude that eurythermal fish such as perch are able to adjust and maintain mitochondrial capacities of highly aerobic organs such as the heart when exposed to a warming environment as predicted with climate change. However, this might come at the expense of exacerbated oxidative stress, potentially threatening performance in nature.

Metabolic Characterization and Consequences of Mitochondrial Pyruvate Carrier Deficiency in Drosophila melanogaster

In insect, pyruvate is generally the predominant oxidative substrate for mitochondria. This metabolite is transported inside mitochondria via the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier (MPC), but whether and how this transporter controls mitochondrial oxidative capacities in insects is still relatively unknown. Here, we characterize the importance of pyruvate transport as a metabolic control point for mitochondrial substrate oxidation in two genotypes of an insect model, Drosophila melanogaster, differently expressing MPC1, an essential protein for the MPC function. We evaluated the kinetics of pyruvate oxidation, mitochondrial oxygen consumption, metabolic profile, activities of metabolic enzymes, and climbing abilities of wild-type (WT) flies and flies harboring a deficiency in MPC1 (MPC1^def). We hypothesized that MPC1 deficiency would cause a metabolic reprogramming that would favor the oxidation of alternative substrates. Our results show that the MPC1^def flies display significantly reduced climbing capacity, pyruvate-induced oxygen consumption, and enzymatic activities of pyruvate kinase, alanine aminotransferase, and citrate synthase. Moreover, increased proline oxidation capacity was detected in MPC1^def flies, which was associated with generally lower levels of several metabolites, and particularly those involved in amino acid catabolism such as ornithine, citrulline, and arginosuccinate. This study therefore reveals the flexibility of mitochondrial substrate oxidation allowing Drosophila to maintain cellular homeostasis.

Female mice seek refuge from castrated males, but not intact or vasectomized males, mitigating a socially-induced glucocorticoid response

Sexual conflict may be manifested during social interactions, shaping the costs of reproduction in sexually reproducing species. This conflict, and the physical necessity of intromission, can intensify the already costly nature of reproduction for female mammals. To identify and partition the costs that males inflict on females during mating and reproduction, we paired female mice with either other females or castrated, vasectomised, or intact (sham-vasectomised) males, thus manipulating exposure to social mating behavior and costs arising from fertilization. We also provided females with refuges where males could not enter, to test whether females show avoidance or attraction to males of different gonadal status expected to exhibit different levels of social behavior. We found that females paired with vasectomised and castrated males spent the most time in their refuge. Females housed with castrated males also had increased glucocorticoid levels, an effect that was mitigated when females could retreat from these males to a refuge. This suggests that females actively refuge from castrated males, and that housing with such males is sufficient to generate an increased glucocorticoid response. Our results show that females choose to refuge from males depending on the partner's gonadal status, choices that are linked to social induced stress responses but not exposure to male mating behaviour.

From Africa to Antarctica: Exploring the Metabolism of Fish Heart Mitochondria Across a Wide Thermal Range

The thermal sensitivity of ectotherms is largely dictated by the impact of temperature on cellular bioenergetics, particularly on mitochondrial functions. As the thermal sensitivity of bioenergetic pathways depends on the structural and kinetic properties of its component enzymes, optimization of their collective function to different thermal niches is expected to have occurred through selection. In the present study, we sought to characterize mitochondrial phenotypic adjustments to thermal niches in eight ray-finned fish species occupying a wide range of thermal habitats by comparing the activities of key mitochondrial enzymes in their hearts. We measured the activity of four enzymes that control substrate entrance into the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle: pyruvate kinase (PK), pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDHc), carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT), and hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (HOAD). We also assayed enzymes of the electron transport system (ETS): complexes I, II, I + III, and IV. Enzymes were assayed at five temperatures (5, 10, 15, 20, and 25°C). Our results showed that the activity of CPT, a gatekeeper of the fatty acid pathway, was higher in the cold-water fish than in the warmer-adapted fish relative to the ETS (complexes I and III) when measured close to the species optimal temperatures. The activity of HOAD showed a similar pattern relative to CI + III and thermal environment. By contrast, PDHc and PK did not show the similar patterns with respect to CI + III and temperature. Cold-adapted species had high CIV activities compared to those of upstream complexes (I, II, I + III) whereas the converse was true for warm-adapted species. Our findings reveal a significant variability of heart mitochondrial organization among species that can be linked to temperature adaptation. Cold-adapted fish do not appear to compensate for PDHc activity but likely adjust fatty acids oxidation through higher activities of CPT and HOAD relative to complexes I + III.

Adaptive thermal plasticity enhances sperm and egg performance in a model insect

Rising and more variable global temperatures pose a challenge for biodiversity, with reproduction and fertility being especially sensitive to heat. Here, we assessed the potential for thermal adaptation in sperm and egg function using Tribolium flour beetles, a warm-temperate-tropical insect model. Following temperature increases through adult development, we found opposing gamete responses, with males producing shorter sperm and females laying larger eggs. Importantly, this gamete phenotypic plasticity was adaptive: thermal translocation experiments showed that both sperm and eggs produced in warmer conditions had superior reproductive performance in warmer environments, and vice versa for cooler production conditions and reproductive environments. In warmer environments, gamete plasticity enabled males to double their reproductive success, and females could increase offspring production by one-third. Our results reveal exciting potential for sensitive but vital traits within reproduction to handle increasing and more variable thermal regimes in the natural environment.

Adjustments in the control of mitochondrial respiratory capacity to tolerate temperature fluctuations

As the world's climate changes, life faces an evolving thermal environment. Mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) is critical to ensure sufficient cellular energy production, and it is strongly influenced by temperature. The thermally induced changes to the regulation of specific steps within the OXPHOS process are poorly understood. In our study, we used the eurythermal species of planarian Dugesia tigrina to study the thermal sensitivity of the OXPHOS process at 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30°C. We conducted cold acclimation experiments where we measured the adjustment of specific steps in OXPHOS at two assay temperatures (10 and 20°C) following 4 weeks of acclimation under normal (22°C) or low (5°C) temperature conditions. At the low temperature, the contribution of the NADH pathway to the maximal OXPHOS capacity, in a combined pathway (NADH and succinate), was reduced. There was partial compensation by an increased contribution of the succinate pathway. As the temperature decreased, OXPHOS became more limited by the capacity of the phosphorylation system. Acclimation to the low temperature resulted in positive adjustments of the NADH pathway capacity due, at least in part, to an increase in complex I activity. The acclimation also resulted in a better match between OXPHOS and phosphorylation system capacities. Both of these adjustments following acclimation were specific to the low assay temperature. We conclude that there is substantial plasticity in the mitochondrial OXPHOS process following thermal acclimation in D. tigrina, and this probably contributes to the wide thermal range of the species.

Dynamic mitochondrial responses to a high-fat diet in Drosophila melanogaster

Mitochondria can utilize different fuels according to physiological and nutritional conditions to promote cellular homeostasis. However, during nutrient overload metabolic inflexibility can occur, resulting in mitochondrial dysfunctions. High-fat diets (HFDs) are usually used to mimic this metabolic inflexibility in different animal models. However, how mitochondria respond to the duration of a HFD exposure is still under debate. In this study, we investigated the dynamic of the mitochondrial and physiological functions in Drosophila melanogaster at several time points following an exposure to a HFD. Our results showed that after two days on the HFD, mitochondrial respiration as well as ATP content of thorax muscles are increased, likely due to the utilization of carbohydrates. However, after four days on the HFD, impairment of mitochondrial respiration at the level of complex I, as well as decreased ATP content were observed. This was associated with an increased contribution of complex II and, most notably of the mitochondrial glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (mG3PDH) to mitochondrial respiration. We suggest that this increased mG3PDH capacity reflects the occurrence of metabolic inflexibility, leading to a loss of homeostasis and alteration of the cellular redox status, which results in senescence characterized by decreased climbing ability and premature death.

Age Dependent Dysfunction of Mitochondrial and ROS Metabolism Induced by Mitonuclear Mismatch

Mitochondrial and nuclear genomes have to coevolve to ensure the proper functioning of the different mitochondrial complexes that are assembled from peptides encoded by both genomes. Mismatch between these genomes is believed to be strongly selected against due to the consequent impairments of mitochondrial functions and induction of oxidative stress. Here, we used a Drosophila model harboring an incompatibility between a mitochondrial tRNA^tyr and its nuclear-encoded mitochondrial tyrosine synthetase to assess the cellular mechanisms affected by this incompatibility and to test the relative contribution of mitonuclear interactions and aging on the expression of impaired phenotypes. Our results show that the mitochondrial tRNA mutation caused a decrease in mitochondrial oxygen consumption in the incompatible nuclear background but no effect with the compatible nuclear background. Mitochondrial DNA copy number increased in the incompatible genotype but that increase failed to rescue mitochondrial functions. The flies harboring mismatch between nuclear and mitochondrial genomes had almost three times the relative mtDNA copy number and fifty percent higher rate of hydrogen peroxide production compared to other genome combinations at 25 days of age. We also found that aging exacerbated the mitochondrial dysfunctions. Our results reveal the tight interactions linking mitonuclear mismatch to mitochondrial dysfunction, mitochondrial DNA regulation, ROS production and aging.

Mitotype Interacts With Diet to Influence Longevity, Fitness, and Mitochondrial Functions in Adult Female Drosophila

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and the dietary macronutrient ratio are known to influence a wide range of phenotypic traits including longevity, fitness and energy production. Commonly mtDNA mutations are posited to be selectively neutral or reduce fitness and, to date, no selectively advantageous mtDNA mutations have been experimentally demonstrated in adult female Drosophila. Here we propose that a ND V161L mutation interacted with diets differing in their macronutrient ratios to influence organismal physiology and mitochondrial traits, but further studies are required to definitively show no linked mtDNA mutations are functionally significant. We utilized two mtDNA types (mitotypes) fed either a 1:2 Protein: Carbohydrate (P:C) or 1:16 P:C diet. When fed the former diet, Dahomey females harboring the V161L mitotype lived longer than those with the Alstonville mitotype and had higher climbing, basal reactive oxygen species (ROS) and elevated glutathione S-transferase E1 expression. The short lived Alstonville females ate more, had higher walking speed and elevated mitochondrial functions as suggested by respiratory control ratio (RCR), mtDNA copy number and expression of mitochondrial transcription termination factor 3. In contrast, Dahomey females fed 1:16 P:C were shorter lived, had higher fecundity, walking speed and mitochondrial functions. They had reduced climbing. This result suggests that mtDNA cannot be assumed to be a strictly neutral evolutionary marker when the dietary macronutrient ratio of a species varies over time and space and supports the hypothesis that mtDNA diversity may reflect the amount of time since the last selective sweep rather than strictly demographic processes.

Remodeling pathway control of mitochondrial respiratory capacity by temperature in mouse heart: electron flow through the Q-junction in permeabilized fibers

Fuel substrate supply and oxidative phosphorylation are key determinants of muscle performance. Numerous studies of mammalian mitochondria are carried out (i) with substrate supply that limits electron flow, and (ii) far below physiological temperature. To analyze potentially implicated biases, we studied mitochondrial respiratory control in permeabilized mouse myocardial fibers using high-resolution respirometry. The capacity of oxidative phosphorylation at 37 °C was nearly two-fold higher when fueled by physiological substrate combinations reconstituting tricarboxylic acid cycle function, compared with electron flow measured separately through NADH to Complex I or succinate to Complex II. The relative contribution of the NADH pathway to physiological respiratory capacity increased with a decrease in temperature from 37 to 25 °C. The apparent excess capacity of cytochrome c oxidase above physiological pathway capacity increased sharply under hypothermia due to limitation by NADH-linked dehydrogenases. This mechanism of mitochondrial respiratory control in the hypothermic mammalian heart is comparable to the pattern in ectotherm species, pointing towards NADH-linked mt-matrix dehydrogenases and the phosphorylation system rather than electron transfer complexes as the primary drivers of thermal sensitivity at low temperature. Delineating the link between stress and remodeling of oxidative phosphorylation is important for understanding metabolic perturbations in disease evolution and cardiac protection.

Cold acclimation allows Drosophila flies to maintain mitochondrial functioning under cold stress

Environmental stress generally disturbs cellular homeostasis. Researchers have hypothesized that chilling injury is linked to a shortage of ATP. However, previous studies conducted on insects exposed to nonfreezing low temperatures presented conflicting results. In this study, we investigated the mitochondrial bioenergetics of Drosophila melanogaster flies exposed to chronic cold stress (4 °C). We assessed mitochondrial oxygen consumption while monitoring the rate of ATP synthesis at various times (0, 1, 2, and 3 days) during prolonged cold stress and at two assay temperatures (25 and 4 °C). We compared organelle responses between cold-susceptible and cold-acclimated phenotypes. Continuous exposure to low temperature provoked temporal declines in the rates of mitochondrial respiration and ATP synthesis. Respiratory control ratios (RCRs) suggested that mitochondria were not critically uncoupled. Nevertheless, after 3 days of continuous cold stress, a sharp decline in the mitochondrial ATP synthesis rate was observed in control flies when they were assayed at low temperature. This change was associated with reduced survival capacity in control flies. In contrast, cold-acclimated flies exhibited high survival and maintained higher rates of mitochondrial ATP synthesis and coupling (i.e., higher RCRs). Adaptive changes due to cold acclimation observed in the whole organism were thus manifested in isolated mitochondria. Our observations suggest that cold tolerance is linked to the ability to maintain bioenergetics capacity under cold stress.

Gene by environmental interactions affecting oxidative phosphorylation and thermal sensitivity

The oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) pathway is responsible for most aerobic ATP production and is the only metabolic pathway with proteins encoded by both nuclear and mitochondrial genomes. In studies examining mitonuclear interactions among distant populations within a species or across species, the interactions between these two genomes can affect metabolism, growth, and fitness, depending on the environment. However, there is little data on whether these interactions impact natural populations within a single species. In an admixed Fundulus heteroclitus population with northern and southern mitochondrial haplotypes, there are significant differences in allele frequencies associated with mitochondrial haplotype. In this study, we investigate how mitochondrial haplotype and any associated nuclear differences affect six OxPhos parameters within a population. The data demonstrate significant OxPhos functional differences between the two mitochondrial genotypes. These differences are most apparent when individuals are acclimated to high temperatures with the southern mitochondrial genotype having a large acute response and the northern mitochondrial genotype having little, if any acute response. Furthermore, acute temperature effects and the relative contribution of Complex I and II depend on acclimation temperature: when individuals are acclimated to 12°C, the relative contribution of Complex I increases with higher acute temperatures, whereas at 28°C acclimation, the relative contribution of Complex I is unaffected by acute temperature change. These data demonstrate a complex gene by environmental interaction affecting the OxPhos pathway.

Effects of copper, hypoxia and acute temperature shifts on mitochondrial oxidation in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) acclimated to warm temperature

Temperature fluctuations, hypoxia and metals pollution frequently occur simultaneously or sequentially in aquatic systems and their interactions may confound interpretation of their biological impacts. With a focus on energy homeostasis, the present study examined how warm acclimation influences the responses and interactions of acute temperature shift, hypoxia and copper (Cu) exposure in fish. Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were acclimated to cold (11°C; control) and warm (20°C) temperature for 3 weeks followed by exposure to environmentally realistic levels of Cu and hypoxia for 24h. Subsequently, mitochondrial electron transport system (ETS) respiratory activity supported by complexes I-IV (CI-IV), plasma metabolites and condition indices were measured. Warm acclimation reduced fish condition, induced aerobic metabolism and altered the responses of fish to acute temperature shift, hypoxia and Cu. Whereas warm acclimation decelerated the ETS and increased the sensitivity of maximal oxidation rates of the proximal (CI and II) complexes to acute temperature shift, it reduced the thermal sensitivity of state 4 (proton leak). Effects of Cu with and without hypoxia were variable depending on the acclimation status and functional index. Notably, Cu stimulated respiratory activity in the proximal ETS segments, while hypoxia was mostly inhibitory and minimized the stimulatory effect of Cu. The effects of Cu and hypoxia were modified by temperature and showed reciprocal antagonistic interaction on the ETS and plasma metabolites, with modest additive actions limited to CII and IV state 4. Overall, our results indicate that warm acclimation came at a cost of reduced ETS efficiency and increased sensitivity to added stressors.

Acclimation and acute temperature effects on population differences in oxidative phosphorylation

Temperature changes affect metabolism on acute, acclamatory, and evolutionary time scales. To better understand temperature's affect on metabolism at these different time scales, we quantified cardiac oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) in three Fundulus taxa acclimated to 12 and 28°C and measured at three acute temperatures (12, 20, and 28°C). The Fundulus taxa (northern Maine and southern Georgia F. heteroclitus, and a sister taxa, F. grandis) were used to identify evolved changes in OxPhos. Cardiac OxPhos metabolism was quantified by measuring six traits: state 3 (ADP and substrate-dependent mitochondrial respiration); E state (uncoupled mitochondrial activity); complex I, II, and IV activities; and LEAK ratio. Acute temperature affected all OxPhos traits. Acclimation only significantly affected state 3 and LEAK ratio. Populations were significantly different for state 3. In addition to direct effects, there were significant interactions between acclimation and population for complex I and between population and acute temperature for state 3. Further analyses suggest that acclimation alters the acute temperature response for state 3, E state, and complexes I and II: at the low acclimation temperature, the acute response was dampened at low assay temperatures, and at the high acclimation temperature, the acute response was dampened at high assay temperatures. Closer examination of the data also suggests that differences in state 3 respiration and complex I activity between populations were greatest between fish acclimated to low temperatures when assayed at high temperatures, suggesting that differences between the populations become more apparent at the edges of their thermal range.

Experimental evidence that litter size imposes an oxidative challenge to offspring

The post-natal environment in which young develop can substantially impact development, adult phenotype and fitness. In wild mice, competition among litter-mates affects development rate and adult behaviour. We manipulated post-natal litter size in a cross-fostering design to investigate the effects of enlarged and reduced litter sizes on sexual signalling, oxidative stress and the links between them. Oxidative stress causes somatic damage that can limit reproductive success and lifespan, and is predicted to mediate investment in life-history traits, including sexual signals. We predicted that litter enlargement would cause an increase in potential oxidative stress, inhibit growth and reduce sexual signalling in male mice. Males reared in enlarged litters were smaller at weaning and, despite rapid growth immediately after weaning, remained smaller at 10 weeks of age than those reared in smaller litters. Females from enlarged litters were consistently smaller throughout post-weaning development and showed no increase in growth rate compared with females from reduced litters. In enlarged litters, protein thiol concentration was lower at weaning in the liver and kidneys, with this trend continuing at 10 weeks of age in the kidneys only. Aconitase enzyme activity was also lower in mice from enlarged litters at weaning and 10 weeks of age in the kidneys. Male mice from enlarged litters scent marked more frequently and had larger preputial glands than those from reduced litters, indicating greater sexual signalling investment irrespective of this increased oxidative challenge. The results of this study are the first to reveal oxidative costs of developmental stress in small mammals.

Saponin-permeabilization is not a viable alternative to isolated mitochondria for assessing oxidative metabolism in hibernation

Saponin permeabilization of tissue slices is increasingly popular for characterizing mitochondrial function largely because it is fast, easy, requires little tissue and leaves much of the cell intact. This technique is well described for mammalian muscle and brain, but not for liver. We sought to evaluate how saponin permeabilization reflects aspects of liver energy metabolism typically assessed in isolated mitochondria. We studied the ground squirrel (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus Mitchell), a hibernating mammal that shows profound and acute whole-animal metabolic suppression in the transition from winter euthermia to torpor. This reversible metabolic suppression is also reflected in the metabolism of isolated liver mitochondria. In this study we compared euthermic and torpid animals using saponin permeabilized tissue and mitochondria isolated from the same livers. As previously demonstrated, isolated mitochondria have state 3 respiration rates, fueled by succinate, that are suppressed by 60-70% during torpor. This result holds whether respiration is standardized to mitochondrial protein, cytochrome a content or citrate synthase activity. In contrast, saponin-permeabilized liver tissue, show no such suppression in torpor. Neither citrate synthase activity nor VDAC content differ between torpor and euthermia, indicating that mitochondrial content remains constant in both permeabilized tissue and isolated mitochondria. In contrast succinate dehydrogenase activity is suppressed during torpor in isolated mitochondria, but not in permeabilized tissue. Mechanisms underlying metabolic suppression in torpor may have been reversed by the permeabilization process. As a result we cannot recommend saponin permeabilization for assessing liver mitochondrial function under conditions where acute changes in metabolism are known to occur.

Effects of oxygen concentration and pressure on Drosophila melanogaster: oxidative stress, mitochondrial activity, and survivorship

Organisms are known to be equipped with an adaptive plasticity as the phenotype of traits in response to the imposed environmental challenges as they grow and develop. In this study, the effects of extreme changes in oxygen availability and atmospheric pressure on physiological phenotypes of Drosophila melanogaster were investigated to explore adaptation mechanisms. The changes in citrate synthase activity (CSA), lifespan, and behavioral function in different atmospheric conditions were evaluated. In the CAS test, hyperoxia significantly increased CSA; both hypoxia and hyperbaric conditions caused a significant decrease in CSA. In the survivorship test, all changed atmospheric conditions caused a significant reduction in lifespan. The lifespan reduced more after hypoxia exposure than after hyperbaria exposure. In behavioral function test, when mechanical agitation was conducted, bang-sensitive flies showed a stereotypical sequence of initial muscle spasm, paralysis, and recovery. The percentage of individuals that displayed paralysis or seizure was measured on the following day and after 2 weeks from each exposure. The majority of flies showed seizure behavior 15 days after exposure, especially after 3 h of exposure. The percentage of individuals that did not undergo paralysis or seizure and was able to move in the vial, was also tested. The number of flies that moved and raised the higher level of the vial decreased after exposure. Animal's speed decreased significantly 15 days after exposure to extreme environmental conditions. In summary, the alteration of oxygen availability and atmospheric pressure may lead to significant changes in mitochondria mass, lifespan, and behavioral function in D. melanogaster.

Mitochondrial physiology in the major arbovirus vector Aedes aegypti: substrate preferences and sexual differences define respiratory capacity and superoxide production

Adult females of Aedes aegypti are facultative blood sucking insects and vectors of Dengue and yellow fever viruses. Insect dispersal plays a central role in disease transmission and the extremely high energy demand posed by flight is accomplished by a very efficient oxidative phosphorylation process, which take place within flight muscle mitochondria. These organelles play a central role in energy metabolism, interconnecting nutrient oxidation to ATP synthesis, but also represent an important site of cellular superoxide production. Given the importance of mitochondria to cell physiology, and the potential contributions of this organelle for A. aegypti biology and vectorial capacity, here, we conducted a systematic assessment of mitochondrial physiology in flight muscle of young adult A. aegypti fed exclusively with sugar. This was carried out by determining the activities of mitochondrial enzymes, the substrate preferences to sustain respiration, the mitochondrial bioenergetic efficiency and capacity, in both mitochondria-enriched preparations and mechanically permeabilized flight muscle in both sexes. We also determined the substrates preferences to promote mitochondrial superoxide generation and the main sites where it is produced within this organelle. We observed that respiration in A. aegypti mitochondria was essentially driven by complex I and glycerol 3 phosphate dehydrogenase substrates, which promoted distinct mitochondrial bioenergetic capacities, but with preserved efficiencies. Respiration mediated by proline oxidation in female mitochondria was strikingly higher than in males. Mitochondrial superoxide production was essentially mediated through proline and glycerol 3 phosphate oxidation, which took place at sites other than complex I. Finally, differences in mitochondrial superoxide production among sexes were only observed in male oxidizing glycerol 3 phosphate, exhibiting higher rates than in female. Together, these data represent a significant step towards the understanding of fundamental mitochondrial processes in A. aegypti, with potential implications for its physiology and vectorial capacity.

Invariance and plasticity in the Drosophila melanogaster metabolomic network in response to temperature

Background

Metabolomic responses to extreme thermal stress have recently been investigated in Drosophila melanogaster. However, a network level understanding of metabolomic responses to longer and less drastic temperature changes, which more closely reflect variation in natural ambient temperatures experienced during development and adulthood, is currently lacking. Here we use high-resolution, non-targeted metabolomics to dissect metabolomic changes in D. melanogaster elicited by moderately cool (18°C) or warm (27°C) developmental and adult temperature exposures.

Results

We find that temperature at which larvae are reared has a dramatic effect on metabolomic network structure measured in adults. Using network analysis, we are able to identify modules that are highly differentially expressed in response to changing developmental temperature, as well as modules whose correlation structure is strongly preserved across temperature.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that the effect of temperature on the metabolome provides an easily studied and powerful model for understanding the forces that influence invariance and plasticity in biological networks.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12918-014-0139-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Comparison of whole mitochondrial genome sequences from two clades of the invasive ascidian, Didemnum vexillum

The mitochondria are the main source of cellular energy production and have an important role in development, fertility, and thermal limitations. Adaptive mitochondrial DNA mutations have the potential to be of great importance in determining aspects of the life history of an organism. Phylogenetic analyses of the globally invasive marine ascidian Didemnum vexillum using the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase 1 (COX1) coding region, revealed two distinct clades. Representatives of one clade (denoted by 'B') are geographically restricted to D. vexillum's native region (north-west Pacific Ocean, including Japan), whereas members of the other clade (denoted by 'A') have been introduced and become invasive in temperate coastal areas around the world. Persistence of clade B's restricted distribution may reflect it being inherently less invasive than clade A. To investigate this we sought to determine if the two clades differ significantly in other mitochondrial genes of functional significance, specifically, alterations in amino acids encoded in mitochondrial enzyme subunits. Differences in functional mitochondrial genes could indicate an increased ability for clade A colonies to tolerate a wider range of environmental temperature. Full mitochondrial genomic sequences from D. vexillum clades A and B were obtained and they predict significant sequence differences in genes encoding for enzymes involved in oxidative phosphorylation. Diversity levels were relatively high and showed divergence across almost all genes, with p-distance values between the two clades indicating recent divergence. Both clades showed an excess of rare variants, which is consistent with balancing selection or a recent population expansion. Results presented here will inform future research focusing on examining the functional properties of the corresponding mitochondrial respiration enzymes, of A and B clade enzymes. By comparing closely related taxa that have differing distributions it is possible to identify genes and phenotypes suited to particular environments. The examination of mitochondrial genotypes, and associated enzyme functioning, across populations may aid in our understanding of thermal tolerance and environmental adaptation.

Holding our breath in our modern world: will mitochondria keep the pace with climate changes?

Changes in environmental temperature can pose considerable challenges to animals and shifts in thermal habitat have been shown to be a major force driving species’ adaptation. These adaptations have been the focus of major research efforts to determine the physiological or metabolic constraints related to temperature and to reveal the phenotypic characters that can or should adjust. Considering the current consensus on climate change, the focus of research will likely shift to questioning whether ectothermic organisms will be able to survive future modifications of their thermal niches. Organisms can adjust to temperature changes through physiological plasticity (e.g., acclimation), genetic adaptation, or via dispersal to more suitable thermal habitats. Thus, it is important to understand what genetic and phenotypic attributes—at the individual, population, and species levels—could improve survival success. These issues are particularly important for ectotherms, which are in thermal equilibrium with the surrounding environment. To start addressing these queries, we should consider what physiological or metabolic functions are responsible for the impact of temperature on organisms. Some recent developments indicate that mitochondria are key metabolic structures determining the thermal range that an organism can tolerate. The catalytic capacity of mitochondria is highly sensitive to thermal variation and therefore should partly dictate the temperature dependence of biological functions. Mitochondria contain a complex network of different enzymatic reaction pathways that interact synergistically. The precise regulation of both adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production depends on the integration of different enzymes and pathways. Here, we examine the temperature dependence of different parts of mitochondrial pathways and evaluate the evolutionary challenges that need to be overcome to ensure mitochondrial adaptations to new thermal environments.

Differences in the aerobic capacity of flight muscles between butterfly populations and species with dissimilar flight abilities

Habitat loss and climate change are rapidly converting natural habitats and thereby increasing the significance of dispersal capacity for vulnerable species. Flight is necessary for dispersal in many insects, and differences in dispersal capacity may reflect dissimilarities in flight muscle aerobic capacity. In a large metapopulation of the Glanville fritillary butterfly in the Åland Islands in Finland, adults disperse frequently between small local populations. Individuals found in newly established populations have higher flight metabolic rates and field-measured dispersal distances than butterflies in old populations. To assess possible differences in flight muscle aerobic capacity among Glanville fritillary populations, enzyme activities and tissue concentrations of the mitochondrial protein Cytochrome-c Oxidase (CytOx) were measured and compared with four other species of Nymphalid butterflies. Flight muscle structure and mitochondrial density were also examined in the Glanville fritillary and a long-distance migrant, the red admiral. Glanville fritillaries from new populations had significantly higher aerobic capacities than individuals from old populations. Comparing the different species, strong-flying butterfly species had higher flight muscle CytOx content and enzymatic activity than short-distance fliers, and mitochondria were larger and more numerous in the flight muscle of the red admiral than the Glanville fritillary. These results suggest that superior dispersal capacity of butterflies in new populations of the Glanville fritillary is due in part to greater aerobic capacity, though this species has a low aerobic capacity in general when compared with known strong fliers. Low aerobic capacity may limit dispersal ability of the Glanville fritillary.

Physiological adaptations to reproduction. II. Mitochondrial adjustments in livers of lactating mice

Reproduction imposes significant costs and is characterized by an increased energy demand. As a consequence, individuals adjust their cellular structure and function in response to this physiological constraint. Because mitochondria are central to energy production, changes in their functional properties are likely to occur during reproduction. Such changes could cause adjustments in reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and consequently in oxidative stress levels. In this study, we investigated several mechanisms involved in energy production, including mitochondrial respiration at different steps of the electron transport system (ETS) and related the results to citrate synthase activity in the liver of non-reproductive and reproductive (two and eight pups) female house mice at peak lactation. Whereas we did not find differences between females having different litter sizes, liver mitochondria of reproductive females showed lower ETS activity and an increase in mitochondrial density when compared with the non-reproductive females. Although it is possible that these changes were due to combined processes involved in reproduction and not to the relative investment in lactation, we propose that the mitochondrial adjustment in liver might help to spare substrates and therefore energy for milk production in the mammary gland. Moreover, our results suggest that these changes lead to an increase in ROS production that subsequently upregulates antioxidant defence activity and decreases oxidative stress.

Physiological adaptations to reproduction. I. Experimentally increasing litter size enhances aspects of antioxidant defence but does not cause oxidative damage in mice

Life history theory suggests that investment in reproduction can trade off against growth, longevity and both reproduction and performance later in life. One possible reason for this trade-off is that reproduction directly causes somatic damage. Oxidative stress, an overproduction of reactive oxygen species in relation to cellular defences, can correlate with reproductive investment and has been implicated as a pathway leading to senescence. This has led to the suggestion that this aspect of physiology could be an important mechanism underlying the trade-off between reproduction and lifespan. We manipulated female reproductive investment to test whether oxidative stress increases with reproduction in mice. Each female's pups were cross-fostered to produce litters of either two or eight, representing low and high levels of reproductive investment for wild mice. No differences were observed between reproductive groups at peak lactation for several markers of oxidative stress in the heart and gastrocnemius muscle. Surprisingly, oxidative damage to proteins was lower in the livers of females with a litter size of eight than in females with two pups or non-reproductive control females. While protein oxidation decreased, activity levels of the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase increased in the liver, suggesting this may be one pathway used to protect against oxidative stress. Our results highlight the need for caution when interpreting correlative relationships and suggest that oxidative stress does not increase with enhanced reproductive effort during lactation.