| 1. |
- Elfwing, Magnus, et al.
(författare)
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Fetal development of baroreflex sensitivity: The chicken embryo as a case model
- 2011
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Ingår i: Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology. - : Elsevier B.V.. - 1569-9048 .- 1878-1519. ; 178:1, s. 75-83
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The baroreflex is the main short term compensatory mechanism to buffer blood pressure changes and maintain circulatory homeostasis. Its ontogeny and importance during prenatal life is not fully understood so we used broiler chickens to investigate the maturation of the baroreflex in late incubation using a novel method that measured changes in heart rate during spontaneous fluctuations in blood pressure. Our results suggest that a baroreflex is already functional at d17 with no indication of further maturation in terms of sensitivity (gain at 17 d was 52.9 ± 8.3 and at 20 d 69.5 ± 16.2 ms kPa−1). The physiological relevance of these values is shown using data surrogation methods. Although the results contrast with the progressive baroreflex maturation indicated by the pharmacological method, we sustain that both methods provide information on baroreflex regulation. While the spontaneous method evaluates truly physiological (but small) pressure changes, the pharmacological method provides a more consistent and repetitive challenge for the reflex that requires a different recruitment of baroreflex effectors.
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| 2. |
- Elfwing, Magnus, et al.
(författare)
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The Strong Selective Sweep Candidate Gene ADRA2C Does Not Explain Domestication Related Changes In The Stress Response Of Chickens
- 2014
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science. - 1932-6203. ; 9:8, s. e103218-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Analysis of selective sweeps to pinpoint causative genomic regions involved in chicken domestication has revealed a strongselective sweep on chromosome 4 in layer chickens. The autoregulatory a-adrenergic receptor 2C (ADRA2C) gene is theclosest to the selective sweep and was proposed as an important gene in the domestication of layer chickens. The ADRA2Cpromoter region was also hypermethylated in comparison to the non-selected ancestor of all domesticated chicken breeds,the Red Junglefowl, further supporting its relevance. In mice the receptor is involved in the fight-or-flight response as itmodulates epinephrine release from the adrenals. To investigate the involvement of ADRA2C in chicken domestication, wemeasured gene expression in the adrenals and radiolabeled receptor ligand in three brain regions comparing the domesticWhite Leghorn strain with the wild ancestor Red Junglefowl. In adrenals ADRA2C was twofold greater expressed than therelated receptor gene ADRA2A, indicating that ADRA2C is the predominant modulator of epinephrine release but no straindifferences were measured. In hypothalamus and amygdala, regions associated with the stress response, and in striatum,receptor binding pIC50 values ranged between 8.1–8.4, and the level was not influenced by the genotyped allele. Becausechicken strains differ in morphology, physiology and behavior, differences attributed to a single gene may be lost in thenoise caused by the heterogeneous genetic background. Therefore an F10 advanced intercross strain between WhiteLeghorn and Red Junglefowl was used to investigate effects of ADRA2C alleles on fear related behaviors and fecundity. Wedid not find compelling genotype effects in open field, tonic immobility, aerial predator, associative learning or fecundity.Therefore we conclude that ADRA2C is probably not involved in the domestication of the stress response in chicken, and thestrong selective sweep is probably caused by selection of some unknown genetic element in the vicinity of the gene.
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| 3. |
- Goerlich, Vivian C., et al.
(författare)
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Transgenerational effects of early experience on acute stress reactions in behaviour, steroid hormones and gene expression in the precocial chicken
- 2012
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Ingår i: Hormones and Behavior. - : Elsevier BV. - 0018-506X .- 1095-6867. ; 61:5, s. 711-718
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Stress during early life can profoundly influence an individual’s phenotype. Effects can manifest in the short-term as well as later in life and even in subsequent generations. Transgenerational effects of stress are potentially mediated via modulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) as well as epigenetic mechanisms causing heritable changes in gene expression. To investigate these pathways we subjected domestic chicks (Gallus gallus) to intermittent social isolation, food restriction, and temperature stress for the first three weeks of life. The early life stress resulted in a dampened corticosterone response to restraint stress in the parents and male offspring. Stress-specific genes, such as early growth response 1 (EGR1) and corticotropin releasing hormone receptor 1 (CRHR1), were upregulated when chicks were tested in the context of restraint stress, but not under baseline conditions. Treatment differences in gene expression were also correlated across generations which indicate transgenerational epigenetic inheritance, possibly mediated by differences in maternal yolk estradiol and testosterone. In an associative learning test early stressed birds made more correct choices suggesting a higher coping ability in stressful situations. This study is the first to show transgenerational effects of early life stress in a precocial species by combining behavioural, endocrinological, and transcriptomic measurements.
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| 4. |
- Gorokhova, Elena, et al.
(författare)
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Single and combined effects of hypoxia and contaminated sediments on the amphipod Monoporeia affinis in laboratory toxicity bioassays based on multiple biomarkers
- 2010
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Ingår i: Aquatic Toxicology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0166-445X .- 1879-1514. ; 99:2, s. 263-274
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In estuaries, hypoxic conditions and pollution are among the major factors responsible for the declines in habitat quality, yet little is known about their combined effects on estuarine organisms. In this study, to investigate single and combined effects of hypoxia and contaminated sediment, the Baltic amphipod Monoporeia affinis was exposed for 5-9 days to four different combinations of oxygen conditions (moderate hypoxia vs. normoxia) and contamination (polluted vs. unpolluted sediments) at environmentally realistic levels. To detect oxidative stress, a suite of biomarkers was used - antioxidant enzymes [superoxide dismutases (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione S-transferases (GST)], acetylcholinesterase (AChE), lipid peroxidation status (TBARS concentration), protein carbonyl content (PCC), and DNA strand breakage (DNA-SB). To assay effects at the organism level, we used RNA:DNA ratio as a proxy for growth and metabolic rate and mortality. There were significant increases in CAT and SOD activities and TBARS levels in response to both moderate hypoxia and contaminated sediment, while GST increased and AChE decreased in response to the contamination only. Significant positive correlations were observed among the antioxidant enzymes and between the enzyme activities and TBARS concentration, suggesting a complex response to the oxidative stress. No significant changes in PCC were recorded in any of the treatments. Furthermore, the negative effect of hypoxia on DNA integrity was significant; with frequency of DNA-SB increasing in animals exposed to hypoxia in contaminated sediment. Despite clear effect at the cellular and biochemical levels, no responses at the organism level were observed. Multivariate analyses of the dataset have allowed us to link exposure factors to individual biomarker responses. Of the potential biomarkers assessed in this study, CAT activity was found to be associated with hypoxia, while SOD, GST and AChE activities appear to predict best the effects of exposure to sediments containing several contaminants (e.g. heavy metals, PCBs and PAHs), and TBARS concentration is particularly indicative of combined effects of hypoxia and contamination. In addition to providing new knowledge on the combined effects of multiple stressors on estuarine organisms, the findings of the present study are also important to understand data from biomonitoring studies in the Baltic Sea and in other regions where multiple stress factors co-occur.
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