Muscle fine structure may maintain the function of oxidative fibres in haemoglobinless Antarctic fishes

Quantitative Proteomics and Network Analysis of Differentially Expressed Proteins in Proteomes of Icefish Muscle Mitochondria Compared with Closely Related Red-Blooded Species

Simple Summary

Antarctic icefish are unusual in that they are the only vertebrates that survive without the protein haemoglobin. One way to try and understand the biological processes that support this anomaly is to record how proteins are regulated in these animals and to compare what we find to closely related Antarctic fish that do still retain haemoglobin. The part of the cell that most clearly utilises oxygen, which is normally transported by haemoglobin, is the mitochondrion. Therefore, we chose to catalogue all the proteins and their relative quantities in the mitochondria (pl.) from two different muscle types in two species of icefish and two species of red-blooded notothenioids. We used an approach called mass spectrometry to reveal relative amounts of the proteins from the muscles of each fish. We present analysis that shows how the connections and relative quantities of proteins differ between these species.

Abstract

Antarctic icefish are extraordinary in their ability to thrive without haemoglobin. We wanted to understand how the mitochondrial proteome has adapted to the loss of this protein. Metabolic pathways that utilise oxygen are most likely to be rearranged in these species. Here, we have defined the mitochondrial proteomes of both the red and white muscle of two different icefish species (Champsocephalus gunnari and Chionodraco rastrospinosus) and compared these with two related red-blooded Notothenioids (Notothenia rossii, Trematomus bernacchii). Liquid Chromatography-Mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to generate and examine the proteomic profiles of the two groups. We recorded a total of 91 differentially expressed proteins in the icefish red muscle mitochondria and 89 in the white muscle mitochondria when compared with the red-blooded related species. The icefish have a relatively higher abundance of proteins involved with Complex V of oxidative phosphorylation, RNA metabolism, and homeostasis, and fewer proteins for striated muscle contraction, haem, iron, creatine, and carbohydrate metabolism. Enrichment analyses showed that many important pathways were different in both red muscle and white muscle, including the citric acid cycle, ribosome machinery and fatty acid degradation. Life in the Antarctic waters poses extra challenges to the organisms that reside within them. Icefish have successfully inhabited this environment and we surmise that species without haemoglobin uniquely maintain their physiology. Our study highlights the mitochondrial protein pathway differences between similar fish species according to their specific tissue oxygenation idiosyncrasies.

Vascular Expression of Hemoglobin Alpha in Antarctic Icefish Supports Iron Limitation as Novel Evolutionary Driver

Frigid temperatures of the Southern Ocean are known to be an evolutionary driver in Antarctic fish. For example, many fish have reduced red blood cell (RBC) concentration to minimize vascular resistance. Via the oxygen-carrying protein hemoglobin, RBCs contain the vast majority of the body's iron, which is known to be a limiting nutrient in marine ecosystems. Since lower RBC levels also lead to reduced iron requirements, we hypothesize that low iron availability was an additional evolutionary driver of Antarctic fish speciation. Antarctic Icefish of the family Channichthyidae are known to have an extreme alteration of iron metabolism due to loss of RBCs and two iron-binding proteins, hemoglobin and myoglobin. Loss of hemoglobin is considered a maladaptive trait allowed by relaxation of predator selection since extreme adaptations are required to compensate for the loss of oxygen-carrying capacity. However, iron dependency minimization may have driven hemoglobin loss instead of a random evolutionary event. Given the variety of functions that hemoglobin serves in the endothelium, we suspected the protein corresponding to the 3' truncated Hbα fragment (Hbα-3'f) that was not genetically excluded by icefish may still be expressed as a protein. Using whole mount confocal microscopy, we show that Hbα-3'f is expressed in the vascular endothelium of icefish retina, suggesting this Hbα fragment may still serve an important role in the endothelium. These observations support a novel hypothesis that iron minimization could have influenced icefish speciation with the loss of the iron-binding portion of Hbα in Hbα-3'f, as well as hemoglobin β and myoglobin.

Building an experimental model of the human body with non-physiological parameters

New advances in engineering and biomedical technology have enabled recent efforts to capture essential aspects of human physiology in microscale, in-vitro systems. The application of these advances to experimentally model complex processes in an integrated platform - commonly called a 'human-on-a-chip (HOC)' - requires that relevant compartments and parameters be sized correctly relative to each other and to the system as a whole. Empirical observation, theoretical treatments of resource distribution systems and natural experiments can all be used to inform rational design of such a system, but technical and fundamental challenges (e.g. small system blood volumes and context-dependent cell metabolism, respectively) pose substantial, unaddressed obstacles. Here, we put forth two fundamental principles for HOC design: inducing in-vivo-like cellular metabolic rates is necessary and may be accomplished in-vitro by limiting O₂ availability and that the effects of increased blood volumes on drug concentration can be mitigated through pharmacokinetics-based treatments of solute distribution. Combining these principles with natural observation and engineering workarounds, we derive a complete set of design criteria for a practically realizable, physiologically faithful, five-organ millionth-scale (× 10^-6) microfluidic model of the human body.

Characterization of mitochondrial glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase in notothenioid fishes

Hearts of Antarctic icefishes (suborder Notothenioidei, family Channichthyidae) have higher densities of mitochondria, and mitochondria have higher densities of phospholipids, compared to red-blooded notothenioids. Glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT) catalyzes the rate-limiting step in glycerolipid biosynthesis. There are four isoforms of GPAT in vertebrates; GPAT1 and GPAT2 are localized to the outer mitochondrial membrane, whereas GPAT3 and GPAT4 are localized to the endoplasmic reticulum membrane. We hypothesized that transcript levels of GPAT1 and/or GPAT2 would mirror densities of mitochondrial phospholipids and be higher in the icefish Chaenocephalus aceratus compared to the red-blooded species Notothenia coriiceps. Transcript levels of GPAT1 were quantified in heart ventricles and liver using qRT-PCR. Additionally, GPAT1 cDNA was sequenced in the Antarctic notothenioids, C. aceratus and N. coriiceps, and in the sub-Antarctic notothenioid, Eleginops maclovinus, to identify amino acid substitutions that may maintain GPAT1 function at cold temperature. Transcript levels of GPAT1 were higher in liver compared to heart ventricles but were not significantly different between the two species. In contrast, transcripts of GPAT2 were only detected in ventricle where they were 6.6-fold higher in C. aceratus compared to N. coriiceps. These data suggest GPAT1 may be more important for synthesizing triacylglycerol, whereas GPAT2 may regulate synthesis of phospholipids. GPAT1 amino acid sequences are highly conserved among the three notothenioids with 97.9-98.7% identity. Four amino acid substitutions within the cytosolic region of Antarctic notothenioid GPAT1 may maintain conformational changes necessary for binding and catalysis at cold temperature.

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.

Hearts of some Antarctic fishes lack mitochondrial creatine kinase

Creatine kinase (CK; EC 2.7.3.2) functions as a spatial and temporal energy buffer, dampening fluctuations in ATP levels as ATP supply and demand change. There are four CK isoforms in mammals, two cytosolic isoforms (muscle [M-CK] and brain [B-CK]), and two mitochondrial isoforms (ubiquitous [uMtCK] and sarcomeric [sMtCK]). Mammalian oxidative muscle couples expression of sMtCK with M-CK, creating an energy shuttle between mitochondria and myofibrils. We hypothesized that the expression pattern and activity of CK would differ between hearts of red- and white-blooded Antarctic notothenioid fishes due to their striking differences in cardiac ultrastructure. Hearts of white-blooded icefishes (family Channichthyidae) have significantly higher mitochondrial densities compared to red-blooded species, decreasing the diffusion distance for ATP between mitochondria and myofibrils and potentially minimizing the need for CK. The distribution of CK isoforms was evaluated using western blotting and maximal activity of CK was measured in mitochondrial and cytosolic fractions and tissue homogenates of heart ventricles of red- and white-blooded notothenioids. Transcript abundance of sMtCK and M-CK was also quantified. Overall, CK activity is similar between hearts of red- and white-blooded notothenioids but hearts of icefishes lack MtCK and have higher activities of M-CK in the cytosol compared to red-blooded fishes. The absence of MtCK may compromise cardiac function under stressful conditions when ATP supply becomes limiting.

Exposure to critical thermal maxima increases oxidative stress in hearts of white- but not red-blooded Antarctic notothenioid fishes

Antarctic icefishes have a significantly lower critical thermal maximum (CT(max)) compared with most red-blooded notothenioid fishes. We hypothesized that the lower thermal tolerance of icefishes compared with red-blooded notothenioids may stem from a greater vulnerability to oxidative stress as temperature increases. Oxidative muscles of icefishes have high volume densities of mitochondria, rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, which can promote the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Moreover, icefishes have lower levels of antioxidants compared with red-blooded species. To test our hypothesis, we measured levels of oxidized proteins and lipids, and transcript levels and maximal activities of antioxidants in heart ventricle and oxidative pectoral adductor muscle of icefishes and red-blooded notothenioids held at 0°C and exposed to their CT(max). Levels of oxidized proteins and lipids increased in heart ventricle of some icefishes but not in red-blooded species in response to warming, and not in pectoral adductor muscle of any species. Thus, increases in oxidative damage in heart ventricles may contribute to the reduced thermal tolerance of icefishes. Despite an increase in oxidative damage in hearts of icefishes, neither transcript levels nor activities of antioxidants increased, nor did they increase in any tissue of any species in response to exposure to CT(max). Rather, transcript levels of the enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD) decreased in hearts of icefishes and the activity of SOD decreased in hearts of the red-blooded species Gobionotothen gibberifrons. These data suggest that notothenioids may have lost the ability to elevate levels of antioxidants in response to heat stress.

Temperature compensation of aerobic capacity and performance in the Antarctic pteropod, Clione antarctica, compared to its northern congener, C. limacina

In ectotherms living in cold waters, locomotory performance is constrained by a slower generation of the ATP that is needed to fuel muscle contraction. Both polar and temperate pteropods of the genus Clione, however, are able to swim continuously by flapping their parapodia (wings) at comparable frequencies, despite the latitudinal temperature gradient. Therefore, we expected polar species to have increased aerobic capacities in their wing muscles. We investigated muscle and mitochondrial ultrastructure of Clione antarctica from the Southern Ocean (-1.8ºC) and populations of a sister species, Clione limacina, from the Arctic (-0.5-3ºC) and from the N. Atlantic (10ºC). We also measured oxygen consumption and the activity of the mitochondrial enzyme citrate synthase (CS), in isolated wings of the two species. The Antarctic species showed a substantial up-regulation of the density of oxidative muscle fibers, but at the expense of fast-twitch muscle fibers. Mitochondrial capacity was also substantially increased in the Antarctic species, with the cristae surface density (58.2±1.3 µm2/µm3) more than twice that found in temperate species (34.3±0.8 µm2/µm3). Arctic C. limacina was intermediate between these two populations (43.7±0.5 µm2/µm3). The values for cold adapted populations are on par with those found in high-performance vertebrates. As a result of oxidative muscle proliferation, CS activity was 4-fold greater in C. antarctica wings than in temperate C. limacina when measured at a common temperature (20°C). Oxygen consumption of isolated wing preparations was comparable in the two species when measured at their respective habitat temperatures. These findings indicate complete compensation of ATP generation in wing muscles across a 10°C temperature range, which supports similar wing-beat frequencies during locomotion at each species' respective temperature. The elevated capacity in the wing muscles is reflected in whole-animal oxygen consumption and feeding rates.

The evolution of the mitochondria-to-calcium release units relationship in vertebrate skeletal muscles

The spatial relationship between mitochondria and the membrane systems, more specifically the calcium release units (CRUs) of skeletal muscle, is of profound functional significance. CRUs are the sites at which Ca(2+) is released from the sarcoplasmic reticulum during muscle activation. Close mitochondrion-CRU proximity allows the organelles to take up Ca(2+) and thus stimulate aerobic metabolism. Skeletal muscles of most mammals display an extensive, developmentally regulated, close mitochondrion-CRU association, fostered by tethering links between the organelles. A comparative look at the vertebrate subphylum however shows that this specific association is only present in the higher vertebrates (mammals). Muscles in all other vertebrates, even if capable of fast activity, rely on a less precise and more limited mitochondrion-CRU proximity, despite some tethering connections. This is most evident in fish muscles. Clustering of free subsarcolemmal mitochondria in proximity of capillaries is also more frequently achieved in mammalian than in other vertebrates.

The unique mitochondrial form and function of Antarctic channichthyid icefishes

Antarctic icefishes of the family Channichthyidae are the only vertebrate animals that as adults do not express the circulating oxygen-binding protein hemoglobin (Hb). Six of the 16 family members also lack the intracellular oxygen-binding protein myoglobin (Mb) in the ventricle of their hearts and all lack Mb in oxidative skeletal muscle. The loss of Hb has led to substantial remodeling in the cardiovascular system of icefishes to facilitate adequate oxygenation of tissues. One of the more curious adaptations to the loss of Hb and Mb is an increase in mitochondrial density in cardiac myocytes and oxidative skeletal muscle fibers. The proliferation of mitochondria in the aerobic musculature of icefishes does not arise through a canonical pathway of mitochondrial biogenesis. Rather, the biosynthesis of mitochondrial phospholipids is up-regulated independently of the synthesis of proteins and mitochondrial DNA, and newly-synthesized phospholipids are targeted primarily to the outer-mitochondrial membrane. Consequently, icefish mitochondria have a higher lipid-to-protein ratio compared to those from red-blooded species. Elevated levels of nitric oxide in the blood plasma of icefishes, compared to red-blooded notothenioids, may mediate alterations in mitochondrial density and architecture. Modifications in mitochondrial structure minimally impact state III respiration rates but may significantly enhance intracellular diffusion of oxygen. The rate of oxygen diffusion is greater within the hydrocarbon core of membrane lipids compared to the aqueous cytosol and impeded only by proteins within the lipid bilayer. Thus, the proliferation of icefish's mitochondrial membranes provides an optimal conduit for the intracellular diffusion of oxygen and compensates for the loss of Hb and Mb. Currently little is known about how mitochondrial phospholipid synthesis is regulated and integrated into mitochondrial biogenesis. The unique architecture of the oxidative muscle cells of icefishes highlights the need for further studies in this area.

The Antarctic hemoglobinless icefish, fifty five years later: a unique cardiocirculatory interplay of disaptation and phenotypic plasticity

The teleostean Channichthyidae (icefish), endemic stenotherms of the Antarctic waters, perennially at or near freezing, represent a unique example of disaptation among adult vertebrates for their loss of functional traits, particularly hemoglobin (Hb) and, in some species, cardiac myoglobin (Mb), once considered to be essential-life oxygen-binding chromoproteins. Conceivably, this stably frigid, oxygen-rich habitat has permitted high tolerance of disaptation, followed by subsequent adaptive recovery based on gene expression reprogramming and compensatory responses, including an alternative cardio-circulatory design, Hb-free blood and Mb-free cardiac muscle. This review revisits the functional significance of the multilevel cardio-circulatory compensations (hypervolemia, near-zero hematocrit and low blood viscosity, large bore capillaries, increased vascularity with great capacitance, cardiomegaly with very large cardiac output, high blood flow with low systemic pressure and systemic resistance) that counteract the challenge of hypoxemic hypoxia by increasing peripheral oxygen transcellular movement for aerobic tissues, including the myocardium. Reconsidered in the context of recent knowledge on both polar cold adaptation and the new questions related to the advent of nitric oxide (NO) biology, these compensations can be interpreted either according to the "loss-without-penalty" alternative, or in the context of an excessive environmental oxygen supply at low cellular cost and oxygen requirement in the cold. Therefore, rather than reflecting oxygen limitation, several traits may indicate structural overcompensation of oxygen supply reductions at cell/tissue levels. At the multilevel cardio-circulatory adjustments, NO is revealing itself as a major integrator, compensating disaptation with functional phenotypic plasticity, as illustrated by the heart paradigm. Beside NOS-dependent NO generation, recent knowledge concerning Hb/Mb interplay with NO and nitrite has revealed unexpected functions in addition to the classical respiratory role of these proteins. In fact, nitrite, a major biologic reservoir of NO, generates it through deohyHb- and deoxyMb-dependent nitrite reduction, thereby regulating hypoxic vasodilation, cellular respiration and signalling. We suggest that both Hb and Mb are involved as nitrite reductases under hypoxic conditions in a number of cardiocirculatory processes. On the whole, this opens new horizons in environmental and evolutionary physiology.

High mitochondrial densities in the hearts of Antarctic icefishes are maintained by an increase in mitochondrial size rather than mitochondrial biogenesis

We investigated the molecular mechanisms regulating differences in mitochondrial volume density between heart ventricles of Antarctic notothenioids that vary in the expression of hemoglobin (Hb) and myoglobin(Mb). In mammals, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γcoactivator-1α (PGC-1α) and nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF-1)stimulate mitochondrial biogenesis and maintain mitochondrial density in muscle tissues. We hypothesized that these factors would also maintain mitochondrial density in the hearts of Antarctic notothenioids. The percent cell volume occupied by mitochondria is significantly lower in hearts of the red-blooded notothenioid Notothenia coriiceps (18.18±0.69%) in comparison with those of the icefish Chaenocephalus aceratus(36.53±2.07%), which lacks both Hb and cardiac Mb. Mitochondrial densities are not different between hearts of N. coriiceps and Chionodraco rastrospinosus, which lacks Hb, but whose heart expresses Mb. Despite differences in mitochondrial volume density between hearts of N. coriiceps and C. aceratus, the levels of transcripts of the genes encoding PGC-1α, NRF-1 and citrate synthase, and the copy number of mitochondrial DNA do not differ. Our results indicate that the high mitochondrial densities in hearts of C. aceratus may result from an increase in organelle size. The surface-to-volume ratio of mitochondria from N. coriiceps is 1.9-fold greater than that of mitochondria from C. aceratus. In addition, the levels of PGC-1α correlate with mitochondrial density in muscle tissues of notothenioids possessing mitochondria of similar size and morphology. Finally, the levels of PGC-1α are 4.6-fold higher in the aerobic pectoral adductor muscle in comparison with the glycolytic skeletal muscle of N. coriiceps. The potential physiological significance of an increase in mitochondrial size in hearts of Antarctic icefishes is discussed.

Deletion of hexose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activates the unfolded protein response pathway and induces skeletal myopathy

Hexose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (H6PD) is the initial component of a pentose phosphate pathway inside the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) that generates NADPH for ER enzymes. In liver H6PD is required for the 11-oxoreductase activity of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1, which converts inactive 11-oxo-glucocorticoids to their active 11-hydroxyl counterparts; consequently, H6PD null mice are relatively insensitive to glucocorticoids, exhibiting fasting hypoglycemia, increased insulin sensitivity despite elevated circulating levels of corticosterone, and increased basal and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in muscles normally enriched in type II (fast) fibers, which have increased glycogen content. Here, we show that H6PD null mice develop a severe skeletal myopathy characterized by switching of type II to type I (slow) fibers. Running wheel activity and electrically stimulated force generation in isolated skeletal muscle are both markedly reduced. Affected muscles have normal sarcomeric structure at the electron microscopy level but contain large intrafibrillar membranous vacuoles and abnormal triads indicative of defects in structure and function of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). SR proteins involved in calcium metabolism, including the sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase (SERCA), calreticulin, and calsequestrin, show dysregulated expression. Microarray analysis and real-time PCR demonstrate overexpression of genes encoding proteins in the unfolded protein response pathway. We propose that the absence of H6PD induces a progressive myopathy by altering the SR redox state, thereby impairing protein folding and activating the unfolded protein response pathway. These studies thus define a novel metabolic pathway that links ER stress to skeletal muscle integrity and function.

Morphometry of retinal vasculature in Antarctic fishes is dependent upon the level of hemoglobin in circulation

We quantitatively assessed ocular vascular patterns of six Antarctic notothenioid fishes that vary in their expression of the circulating oxygen-binding protein, hemoglobin (Hb). Digital image analyses revealed marked differences in vessel morphometries among notothenioid species. Hemoglobinless (–Hb) icefishes display mean vessel length densities that are greater (Chaenocephalus aceratus, 5.51±0.32 mm mm–2; Champsocephalus gunnari, 5.15±0.50 mm mm–2) than those observed in red-blooded (+Hb) species(Gymnodraco acuticeps, 5.20±0.46 mm mm–2; Parachaenichthyes charcoti, 4.40±0.30 mm mm–2; Trematomus hansoni, 3.94±0.08 mm mm–2; Notothenia coriiceps, 2.48±0.21 mm mm–2). –Hb fishes also have mean vessel diameters that are ∼1.5 times greater than vessel diameters of +Hb species (–Hb,0.193±0.006 mm; +Hb, 0.125±0.005 mm). Vascular density index(VDI), a stereological index that is affected by both vessel number and length, is greatest in –Hb C. aceratus (3.51±0.20) and lowest in +Hb N. coriiceps (1.58±0.14). Among four +Hb species, there is a direct relationship between red blood cell content and retinal vasculature. Hematocrit (Hct) is inversely correlated to vascular density (r2=0.934) and positively correlated to intervessel distance (r2= 0.898) over a >2.3-fold range of Hct. These results indicate that anatomical capacity to supply blood to the retina increases to compensate for decreases in oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood.

Biochemical adaptations of notothenioid fishes: comparisons between cold temperate South American and New Zealand species and Antarctic species

Fishes of the perciform suborder Notothenioidei afford an excellent opportunity for studying the evolution and functional importance of diverse types of biochemical adaptation to temperature. Antarctic notothenioids have evolved numerous biochemical adaptations to stably cold waters, including antifreeze glycoproteins, which inhibit growth of ice crystals, and enzymatic proteins with cold-adapted specific activities (k(cat) values) and substrate binding abilities (K(m) values), which support metabolism at low temperatures. Antarctic notothenioids also exhibit the loss of certain biochemical traits that are ubiquitous in other fishes, including the heat-shock response (HSR) and, in members of the family Channichthyidae, hemoglobins and myoglobins. Tolerance of warm temperatures is also truncated in stenothermal Antarctic notothenioids. In contrast to Antarctic notothenioids, notothenioid species found in South American and New Zealand waters have biochemistries more reflective of cold-temperate environments. Some of the contemporary non-Antarctic notothenioids likely derive from ancestral species that evolved in the Antarctic and later "escaped" to lower latitude waters when the Antarctic Polar Front temporarily shifted northward during the late Miocene. Studies of cold-temperate notothenioids may enable the timing of critical events in the evolution of Antarctic notothenioids to be determined, notably the chronology of acquisition and amplification of antifreeze glycoprotein genes and the loss of the HSR. Genomic studies may reveal how the gene regulatory networks involved in acclimation to temperature differ between stenotherms like the Antarctic notothenioids and more eurythermal species like cold-temperate notothenioids. Comparative studies of Antarctic and cold-temperate notothenioids thus have high promise for revealing the mechanisms by which temperature-adaptive biochemical traits are acquired - or through which traits that cease to be of advantage under conditions of stable, near-freezing temperatures are lost - during evolution.

When bad things happen to good fish: the loss of hemoglobin and myoglobin expression in Antarctic icefishes

The Antarctic icefishes (Family Channichthyidae) provide excellent examples of unique traits that can arise in a chronically cold and isolated environment. Their loss of hemoglobin (Hb) expression, and in some cases, loss of myoglobin (Mb) expression, has taught us much about the function of these proteins. Although absences of the proteins are fixed traits in icefishes, the losses do not appear to be of adaptive value. Contrary to some suggestions, loss of Hb has led to higher energetic costs for circulating blood, and losses of Mb have reduced cardiac performance. Moreover, losses of Hb and Mb have resulted in extensive modifications to the cardiovascular system to ensure adequate oxygen delivery to working muscles. Recent studies suggest that losses of Hb and Mb, and their associated nitric oxide (NO)-oxygenase activities, may have accelerated the development and evolution of these cardiovascular modifications. The high levels of NO that should occur in the absence of Hb and Mb have been shown in other animal groups to lead to an increase in tissue vascularization, an increase in the lumenal diameter of blood vessels, and an increase in mitochondrial densities. These characteristics are all hallmark traits of Antarctic icefishes. Homeostatic feedback mechanisms thus may have accelerated evolution of the pronounced cardiovascular traits of Antarctic icefishes.

The role of the liver in lipid metabolism during cold acclimation in non-hibernator rodents

Cold exposure increases the demand for energy substrates. Cold acclimation of rats led to a 3-fold increase in fatty acid (FA) beta-oxidation (P<0.01) for ex vivo livers perfused at 37 degrees C. This increase was preserved following perfusion at 25 degrees C (P<0.001). In vitro measurement of absolute rates of hepatic beta-oxidation revealed no significant difference following cold acclimation, implying changes in fatty acid flux through beta-oxidation rather than increased oxidation capacity. Total FA uptake was increased one-third following perfusion at 25 degrees C (P<0.001) and cold acclimation (P<0.05) and cold acclimation led to diversion of tissue FA from storage to beta-oxidation (P<0.01). In separate experiments, in vivo hepatic lipogenesis rates for saponifiable lipids doubled (P<0.01) and cholesterol synthesis increased one-third (P<0.001). Taken together these data suggest the oxidation and synthesis of lipids occur simultaneously in hepatic tissue possibly to increase prevailing tissue FA concentrations and to generate heat through increased metabolic flux rates.

Evidence for enhanced bioavailability of trace elements in the marine ecosystem of Deception Island, a volcano in Antarctica

This study assessed whether trace elements present at Deception Island, an active submarine volcano in the Antarctic Peninsula, show enhanced biological availability to the local marine community. Using a weak acid extraction method to dissolve organic material and leach associated but not constitutive trace elements of sediments, fifteen elements were measured from seafloor sediment, seawater particulates, and tissues of benthic (bivalves, brittlestars, sea urchins) and pelagic (demersal and pelagic fishes, krill) organisms collected in the flooded caldera. The highest element concentrations were associated with seafloor sediment, the lowest with seawater particulates and organism tissues. In the case of Ag and Se, concentrations were highest in organism tissue, indicating contamination through the food chain and biomagnification of those elements. The elements Al, Fe, Mn, Sr, Ti, and to a lesser extent Zn, were the most concentrated of the trace elements for all sample types. This indicates that the whole ecosystem of Deception Island is contaminated with trace elements from local geothermal activity, which is also reflected in the pattern of element contamination in organisms. Accordingly, element concentrations were higher in organisms collected at Deception Island compared to those from the neighboring non-active volcanic King George Island, suggesting that volcanic activity enhances bioavailability of trace elements to marine organisms. Trace element concentrations were highest in digestive tissue of organisms, suggesting that elements at Deception Island are incorporated into the marine food web mainly through a dietary route.

Brain and sense organ anatomy and histology in hemoglobinless Antarctic icefishes (Perciformes: Notothenioidei: Channichthyidae)

The Channichthyidae, one of five Antarctic notothenioid families, includes 16 species and 11 genera. Most live at depths of 200-800 m and are a major component of fish biomass in many shelf areas. Channichthyids are unique among adult fishes in possessing pale white blood containing a few vestigal erythrocytes and no hemoglobin. Here we describe the brains of seven species and special sense organs of eight species of channichthyids. We emphasize Chionodraco hamatus and C. myersi, compare these species to other channichthyids, and relate our findings to what is known about brains and sense organs of red-blooded notothenioids living sympatrically on the Antarctic shelf. Brains of channichthyids generally resemble those of their bathydraconid sister group. Among channichthyids the telencephalon is slightly regressed, resulting in a stalked appearance, but the tectum, corpus cerebellum, and mechanoreceptive areas are well developed. Interspecific variation is present but slight. The most interesting features of channichthyid brains are not in the nervous tissue but in support structures: the vasculature and the subependymal expansions show considerable elaboration. Channichthyids have large accessory nasal sacs and olfactory lamellae are more numerous than in other notothenioids. The eyes are relatively large and laterally oriented with similar duplex (cone and rod) retinae in all eight species. Twin cones are the qualitatively dominant photoreceptor in histological sections and, unlike bathydraconids, there are no species with rod-dominated retinae. Eyes possess the most extensive system of hyaloid arteries known in teleosts. Unlike the radial pattern seen in red-blooded notothenioids and most other teleosts, channichthyid hyaloid arteries arise from four or five main branches and form a closely spaced anastomosing series of parallel channels. Cephalic lateral line canals are membranous and some exhibit extensions (canaliculi), but canals are more ossified than those of deeper-living bathydraconids. We conclude that, with respect to the anatomy and histology of the neural structures, the brain and sensory systems show little that is remarkable compared to other fishes, and exhibit little diversification within the family. Thus, the unusual habitat and a potentially deleterious mutation resulting in a hemoglobinless phenotype are reflected primarily in expansion of the vasculature in the brain and eye partially compensating for the absence of respiratory pigments. Neural morphology gives the impression that channichthyids are a homogeneous and little diversified group.

Mode of locomotion places selective pressures on Antarctic and temperate labriform swimming fish

The physiological responses to exercise and stress of the Antarctic labriform swimmer Pagothenia borchgrevinki were compared to the temperate labriform swimmers Notolabrus celidotus and Notolabrus fucicola. Basic swimming characteristics were very similar amongst the three species with P. borchgrevinki showing a reduced capacity for exercise. P. borchgrevinki showed large increases in haematocrit (Hct) following exercise that were not seen in the temperate species. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activities were high in the white myotomal muscle from the Antarctic fish, with a distinct indication of metabolic cold adaptation in this enzyme. Nevertheless, although the temperate fish showed elevated muscle lactate concentrations following either exercise or electrical stimulation the Antarctic fish did not. The data suggest that poor anaerobic performance of white muscle is associated with the labriform mode of locomotion.

Muscle metabolism and growth in Antarctic fishes (suborder Notothenioidei): evolution in a cold environment

The radiation of notothenioid fishes (order Perciformes) in the Southern Ocean provides a model system for investigating evolution and adaptation to a low temperature environment. The Notothenioid fishes comprising eight families, 43 genera and 122 species dominate the fish fauna in Antarctica. The diversification of the clade probably began 15-20 million years ago after the formation of the Antarctic Polar Front. The radiation was, therefore, associated with climatic cooling down to the present day temperature of -1.86 degrees C. Origins and Evolution of the Antarctic Biota Geological Society Special Publication No. 47, Geological Society of London. pp. 253-268). The success of the group has been closely linked with the evolution of glycopeptide and peptide antifreezes, which are amongst the most abundant proteins in blood and interstitial fluid. The radiation of the clade has been associated with disaptation (evolutionary loss of function) and recovery. For example, it is thought that the icefishes (Channichyidae) lost haemoglobin through a single mutational event leading to the deletion of the entire beta-globin gene and the 5' end of the linked alpha-globin gene, resulting in compensatory adaptations of the cardiovascular system. Phylogenetically based statistical methods also indicate a progressive and dramatic reduction in the number of skeletal muscle fibres (FN(max)) at the end of the recruitment phase of growth in basal compared to derived families. The reduction in FN(max) is associated with a compensatory increase in the maximum fibre diameter, which can reach 100 microm in slow and 600 microm in fast muscle fibres. At -1 to 0 degrees C, the oxygen consumption of isolated mitochondria per mg mitochondrial protein shows no evidence of up-regulation relative to mitochondria from temperate and tropical Perciform fishes. The mitochondria content of slow muscle fibres in Antarctic notothenioids is towards the upper end of the range reported for teleosts with similar lifestyles, reaching 50% in Channichthyids. High mitochondrial densities facilitate ATP production and oxygen diffusion through the membrane lipid compartment of the fibre. Modelling studies suggest that adequate oxygen flux in the large diameter muscle fibres of notothenioids is possible because of the reduced metabolic demand and enhanced solubility of oxygen associated with low temperature. At the whole animal level size-corrected resting metabolic rate fits on the same temperature relationship as for Perciformes from warmer climates. It seems likely that the additional energetic costs associated with antifreeze synthesis and high mitochondrial densities are compensated for by reductions in other energy requiring processes: a hypothesis that could be tested with detailed energy budget studies. One plausible candidate is a reduction in membrane leak pathways linked to the loss of muscle fibres, which would serve to minimise the cost of maintaining ionic gradients.

Reduction in muscle fibre number during the adaptive radiation of notothenioid fishes: a phylogenetic perspective

The fish fauna of the continental shelf of the Southern Ocean is dominated by a single sub-order of Perciformes, the Notothenioidei, which have unusually large diameter skeletal muscle fibres. We tested the hypothesis that in fast myotomal muscle a high maximum fibre diameter (FD(max)) was related to a reduction in the number of muscle fibres present at the end of the recruitment phase of growth. We also hypothesized that the maximum fibre number (FN(max)) would be negatively related to body size, and that both body size and size-corrected FN(max) would show phylogenetic signal (tendency for related species to resemble each other). Finally, we estimated ancestral values for body size and FN(max). A molecular phylogeny was constructed using 12S mitochondrial rRNA sequences. A total of 16 species were studied from the Beagle Channel, Tierra del Fuego (5-11 degrees C), Shag Rocks, South Georgia (0.5-4 degrees C), and Adelaide Island, Antarctic Peninsula (-1.5 to 0.5 degrees C). The absence of muscle fibres of less than 10 micro m diameter was used as the criterion for the cessation of fibre recruitment. FD(max) increased linearly with standard length (SL), reaching 500-650 micro m in most species. Maximum body size was a highly significant predictor of species variation in FN(max), and both body size and size-corrected FN(max) showed highly significant phylogenetic signal (P<0.001). Estimates of trait values at nodes of the maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree were consistent with a progressive reduction in fibre number during part of the notothenioid radiation, perhaps serving to reduce basal energy requirements to compensate for the additional energetic costs of antifreeze production. For example, FN(max) in Chaenocephalus aceratus (12 700+/-300, mean +/- S.E.M., N=18) was only 7.7% of the value found in Eleginops maclovinus (164 000+/-4100, N=17), which reaches a similar maximum length (85 cm). Postembryonic muscle fibre recruitment in teleost fish normally involves stratified followed by mosaic hyperplasia. No evidence for this final phase of growth was found in two of the most derived families (Channichthyidae and Harpagiferidae). The divergence of the notothenioids in Antarctica after the formation of the Antarctic Polar Front and more recent dispersal north would explain the high maximum diameter and low fibre number in the derived sub-Antarctic notothenioids. These characteristics of notothenioids may well restrict their upper thermal tolerance, particularly for Champsocephalus esox and similar Channichthyids that lack respiratory pigments.