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Gilbert E, Žagar A, López-Darias M, Megía-Palma R, Lister KA, Jones MD, Carretero MA, Serén N, Beltran-Alvarez P, Valero KCW. Environmental factors influence cross-talk between a heat shock protein and an oxidative stress protein modification in the lizard Gallotia galloti. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0300111. [PMID: 38470891 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Better understanding how organisms respond to their abiotic environment, especially at the biochemical level, is critical in predicting population trajectories under climate change. In this study, we measured constitutive stress biomarkers and protein post-translational modifications associated with oxidative stress in Gallotia galloti, an insular lizard species inhabiting highly heterogeneous environments on Tenerife. Tenerife is a small volcanic island in a relatively isolated archipelago off the West coast of Africa. We found that expression of GRP94, a molecular chaperone protein, and levels of protein carbonylation, a marker of cellular stress, change across different environments, depending on solar radiation-related variables and topology. Here, we report in a wild animal population, cross-talk between the baseline levels of the heat shock protein-like GRP94 and oxidative damage (protein carbonylation), which are influenced by a range of available temperatures, quantified through modelled operative temperature. This suggests a dynamic trade-off between cellular homeostasis and oxidative damage in lizards adapted to this thermally and topologically heterogeneous environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward Gilbert
- School of Natural Sciences, The University of Hull, Hull, United Kingdom
- Energy and Environment Institute, The University of Hull, Hull, United Kingdom
| | - Anamarija Žagar
- National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- CIBIO Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, InBIO, Universidade do Porto Campus de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Marta López-Darias
- Instituto de Productos Naturales y Agrobiología (IPNA-CSIC), La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
| | - Rodrigo Megía-Palma
- CIBIO Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, InBIO, Universidade do Porto Campus de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal
- Universidad de Alcalá (UAH), Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Karen A Lister
- Biomedical Institute for Multimorbidity, Centre for Biomedicine, Hull York Medical School, The University of Hull, Hull, United Kingdom
| | - Max Dolton Jones
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America
| | - Miguel A Carretero
- CIBIO Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, InBIO, Universidade do Porto Campus de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Nina Serén
- CIBIO Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, InBIO, Universidade do Porto Campus de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Pedro Beltran-Alvarez
- Biomedical Institute for Multimorbidity, Centre for Biomedicine, Hull York Medical School, The University of Hull, Hull, United Kingdom
| | - Katharina C Wollenberg Valero
- School of Natural Sciences, The University of Hull, Hull, United Kingdom
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Belfield Campus, Dublin, Ireland
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Field EK, Terry J, Hartzheim AM, Krajcir K, Mullin SJ, Neuman-Lee LA. Investigating relationships among stress, reproduction, and immunity in three species of watersnake. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2023; 343:114350. [PMID: 37524232 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2023.114350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
Energy is a finite resource required for all physiological processes and must be allocated efficiently among essential activities to ensure fitness and survival. During the active season, adult organisms are expected to prioritize investment in reproduction over other energetically expensive processes, such as responding to immunological challenges. Furthermore, when encountering a stressor, the balance between reproduction and immunity might be disrupted in order to fuel the stress response. Because of the distinct differences in life histories across species, watersnakes provide a unique group of study in which to examine these tradeoffs. Over a two-year period, we captured three watersnake species throughout Northeast Arkansas. Animals were subjected to restraint stress and blood samples were collected throughout the acute stress response. Blood samples were used to assess innate immunity and steroid hormone concentrations. We found the peak in corticosterone concentration is season-specific, potentially because energetic reserves fluctuate with reproductive activities. We also found body condition was positively related to acute stress and negatively related to immunity. Watersnakes evidently prioritize reproduction over immunity, especially during the energetically intensive process of vitellogenesis. Energetic tradeoffs between reproduction, immunity, and the stress response are complex, and this study contributes to our understanding of energetic shifts in free-living organisms in the context of stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily K Field
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR, United States; Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, Jackson MS, United States.
| | - Jennifer Terry
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR, United States
| | - Alyssa M Hartzheim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR, United States; North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Kevin Krajcir
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR, United States; Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Little Rock, AR, United States
| | - Stephen J Mullin
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR, United States.
| | - Lorin A Neuman-Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR, United States.
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Tevs DR, Mukhalian JA, Simpson E, Cox CL, Schrey AW, McBrayer LD. DNA Methylation and Counterdirectional Pigmentation Change following Immune Challenge in a Small Ectotherm. Physiol Biochem Zool 2023; 96:418-429. [PMID: 38237192 DOI: 10.1086/727692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
AbstractBy allowing for increased absorption or reflectance of solar radiation, changes in pigmentation may assist ectotherms in responding to immune challenges by enabling a more precise regulation of behavioral fever or hypothermia. Variation in epigenetic characteristics may also assist in regulating immune-induced pigmentation changes and managing the body's energetic reserves following infection. Here, we explore how dorsal pigmentation, metabolic rate, and DNA methylation in the Florida scrub lizard (Sceloporus woodi) respond to two levels of immune challenge across two habitat types. We found changes in pigmentation that are suggestive of efforts to assist in behavioral fever and hypothermia depending on the intensity of immune challenge. We also found correlations between DNA methylation in liver tissue and pigmentation change along the dorsum, indicating that color transitions may be part of a multifaceted immune response across tissue types. The relationship between immune response and metabolic rate supports the idea that energetic reserves may be conserved for the costs associated with behavioral fever when immune challenge is low and the immune functions when immune challenge is high. While immune response appeared to be unaffected by habitat type, we found differences in metabolic activity between habitats, suggesting differences in the energetic costs associated with each. To our knowledge, these results present the first potential evidence of pigmentation change in ectotherms in association with immune response. The relationship between immune response, DNA methylation, and pigmentation change also highlights the importance of epigenetic mechanisms in organism physiology.
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Macdonald KJ, Driscoll DA, Macdonald KJ, Hradsky B, Doherty TS. Meta-analysis reveals impacts of disturbance on reptile and amphibian body condition. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2023; 29:4949-4965. [PMID: 37401520 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
Ecosystem disturbance is increasing in extent, severity and frequency across the globe. To date, research has largely focussed on the impacts of disturbance on animal population size, extinction risk and species richness. However, individual responses, such as changes in body condition, can act as more sensitive metrics and may provide early warning signs of reduced fitness and population declines. We conducted the first global systematic review and meta-analysis investigating the impacts of ecosystem disturbance on reptile and amphibian body condition. We collated 384 effect sizes representing 137 species from 133 studies. We tested how disturbance type, species traits, biome and taxon moderate the impacts of disturbance on body condition. We found an overall negative effect of disturbance on herpetofauna body condition (Hedges' g = -0.37, 95% CI: -0.57, -0.18). Disturbance type was an influential predictor of body condition response and all disturbance types had a negative mean effect. Drought, invasive species and agriculture had the largest effects. The impact of disturbance varied in strength and direction across biomes, with the largest negative effects found within Mediterranean and temperate biomes. In contrast, taxon, body size, habitat specialisation and conservation status were not influential predictors of disturbance effects. Our findings reveal the widespread effects of disturbance on herpetofauna body condition and highlight the potential role of individual-level response metrics in enhancing wildlife monitoring. The use of individual response metrics alongside population and community metrics would deepen our understanding of disturbance impacts by revealing both early impacts and chronic effects within affected populations. This could enable early and more informed conservation management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina J Macdonald
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, Australia
| | - Don A Driscoll
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kimberley J Macdonald
- Biodiversity Protection and Information Branch, Biodiversity Division, Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Bronwyn Hradsky
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Tim S Doherty
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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Zimmerman LM. Adaptive Immunity in Reptiles: Conventional Components but Unconventional Strategies. Integr Comp Biol 2022; 62:1572-1583. [PMID: 35482599 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icac022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent studies have established that the innate immune system of reptiles is broad and robust, but the question remains: What role does the reptilian adaptive immune system play? Conventionally, adaptive immunity is described as involving T and B lymphocytes that display variable receptors, is highly specific, improves over the course of the response, and produces a memory response. While reptiles do have B and T lymphocytes that utilize variable receptors, their adaptive response is relatively non-specific, generates a prolonged antibody response, and does not produce a typical memory response. This alternative adaptive strategy may allow reptiles to produce a broad adaptive response that complements a strong innate system. Further studies into reptile adaptive immunity cannot only clarify outstanding questions on the reptilian immune system but can shed light on a number of important immunological concepts, including the evolution of the immune system and adaptive immune responses that take place outside of germinal centers.
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Tylan C, Engler HI, Villar G, Langkilde T. Consumption of fire ants, an invasive predator and prey of native lizards, may enhance immune functions needed to combat envenomation. Biol Invasions 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-022-02939-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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