| 1. |
- Andersson, E., et al.
(author)
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Pituitary gonadotropin and ovarian gonadotropin receptor transcript levels: Seasonal and photoperiod-induced changes in the reproductive physiology of female Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)
- 2013
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In: General and Comparative Endocrinology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0016-6480. ; 191, s. 247-258
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In female Atlantic salmon kept at normal light conditions, pituitary follicle-stimulating hormone beta (fshb) transcript levels were transiently elevated one year before spawning, re-increased in February, and remained high during spawning in November and in post-ovulatory fish in December. The first increase in plasma 17b-estradiol (E-2), testosterone (T) and gonadosomatic index (GSI) was recorded in January; E-2 rose up to one month prior to ovulation, while T and GSI kept increasing until ovulation. Pituitary luteinizing hormone beta (lhb) transcript levels peaked at the time of ovulation. Except for transient changes before and after ovulation, ovarian follicle stimulating hormone receptor (fshr) transcript amounts were relatively stable at a high level. By contrast, luteinizing hormone receptor (lhcgr) transcript levels started out low and increased in parallel to GSI and plasma E-2 levels. Exposure to continuous light (LL) induced a bimodal response where maturation was accelerated or arrested. The LL-arrested females showed previtellogenic oil droplet stage follicles or primary yolk follicles only, and fshb and E-2 plasma levels collapsed while fshr increased. The LL-accelerated females showed elevated lhb transcript levels and slightly elevated E-2 levels during early vitellogenesis, and significantly elevated lhcgr E-2 and GSI levels in late vitellogenesis. We conclude that Fsh-dependent signaling stimulates recruitment into and the sustained development through vitellogenesis. Up-regulation of lhcgr gene expression during vitellogenesis may reflect an estrogenic effect, while elevated fshr gene expression following ovulation or during LL-induced arrestment may be associated with ovarian tissue remodeling processes. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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| 2. |
- Benedet Perea, Susana, 1972, et al.
(author)
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Pituitary and plasma growth hormone dynamics during sexual maturation of female Atlantic salmon
- 2010
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In: GENERAL AND COMPARATIVE ENDOCRINOLOGY. - 0016-6480. ; 167:1, s. 77-85
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Growth hormone in fish regulates many important physiological processes including growth, metabolism and potentially reproduction. In salmonid fish, GH secretion is episodic with irregularly spaced GH peaks. Plasma GH reflects secretion episodes as well as the clearance rate of the hormone, and plasma levels may thus not always reflect the level of activation of the GH axis. This study measured the production dynamics of GH over a 17-month period in sexually maturing female Atlantic salmon which included final maturation and spawning. For the first time, the level of pituitary GH mRNA, pituitary GH protein and plasma GH protein were analyzed concurrently in the same individuals. mRNA and protein were extracted in parallel from the same samples with subsequent real time quantitative PCR to measure mRNA transcripts and radioimmunoassay to measure pituitary and plasma GH protein. Further, the effects of photoperiod manipulation on these parameters were studied. The results show no correlation between mRNA and protein levels except at some time points, and indicate that it is inappropriate to correlate pooled temporal data and averages in time series unless the relationship among the variables is stable over time. The results indicate complex and shifting relationships between pituitary GH mRNA expression, pituitary GH content and plasma GH levels, which could result from changes in clearance rather than secretion rate at different times and its episodic secretion. The study also suggests that there is a functionally important activation of the GH system during spring leading up to maturation and spawning.
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| 3. |
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| 5. |
- Cardoso, João C R, et al.
(author)
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New insights into the evolution of vertebrate CRH (corticotropin-releasing hormone) and invertebrate DH44 (diuretic hormone 44) receptors in metazoans
- 2014
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In: General and Comparative Endocrinology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0016-6480 .- 1095-6840. ; 209:SI, s. 162-170
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The corticotropin releasing hormone receptors (CRHR) and the arthropod diuretic hormone 44 receptors (DH44R) are structurally and functionally related members of the G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) of the secretin-like receptor superfamily. We show here that they derive from a bilaterian predecessor. In protostomes, the receptor became DH44R that has been identified and functionally characterised in several arthropods but the gene seems to be absent from nematode genomes. Duplicate DH44R genes (DH44 R1 and DH44R2) have been described in some arthropods resulting from lineage-specific duplications. Recently, CRHR-DH44R-like receptors have been identified in the genomes of some lophotrochozoans (molluscs, which have a lineage-specific gene duplication, and annelids) as well as representatives of early diverging deuterostomes. Vertebrates have previously been reported to have two CRHR receptors that were named CRHR1 and CRHR2. To resolve their origin we have analysed recently assembled genomes from representatives of early vertebrate divergencies including elephant shark, spotted gar and coelacanth. We show here by analysis of synteny conservation that the two CRHR genes arose from a common ancestral gene in the early vertebrate tetraploidizations (2R) approximately 500 million years ago. Subsequently, the teleost-specific tetraploidization (3R) resulted in a duplicate of CRHR1 that has been lost in some teleost lineages. These results help distinguish orthology and paralogy relationships and will allow studies of functional conservation and changes during evolution of the individual members of the receptor family and their multiple native peptide agonists.
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| 6. |
- Deviche, Pierre J., et al.
(author)
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Acute stress rapidly decreases plasma testosterone in a free-ranging male songbird: Potential site of action and mechanism
- 2010
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In: GENERAL AND COMPARATIVE ENDOCRINOLOGY. - 0016-6480. ; 169:1, s. 82-90
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We used a free-ranging, seasonally breeding adult male songbird, the rufous-winged sparrow, Aimophila carpalis, to investigate the effects of acute stress-induced by capture followed by restraint, on the hypothalamo-pituitary–testicular axis. Intra- and interindividual comparisons revealed that males decreased their plasma testosterone (T) by 37–52% in response to acute stress. The decrease occurred within 15 min of capture and persisted for at least another 15 min. Within 15 min, the decrease in plasma T was not associated with a reduction in plasma luteinizing hormone (LH). Thirty minutes after capture and restraint, the decrease in plasma T either was likewise not associated with decreased plasma LH (intraindividual comparison) or concurred with a reduction in plasma LH (interindividual comparison). These observations indicate that effects of stress may have been mediated at the pituitary gland and also directly at the testicular levels. To address this question, we measured the hormonal response to an injection of the glutamate receptor agonist N-methyl-d,l-aspartate (NMA) to stimulate to stimulate the release of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) or of GnRH to stimulate the release of LH. Treatment with NMA did not change plasma LH, presumably because the birds were in breeding condition and already secreting GnRH at a maximum rate. Administration of GnRH increased plasma LH equally in birds that were or were not stressed before the treatment. An injection of purified ovine LH (oLH) increased plasma T equally in birds that were or were not acutely stressed before the hormone injection. Thus, the observed acute stress-induced decrease in plasma T was apparently not mediated by decreased responsiveness of the pituitary gland to GnRH or of the testes to LH. Decreased plasma T following stress may involve a direct impairment of the testicular endocrine function.
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| 7. |
- Fahlman, Åsa
(author)
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Cortisol and corticosterone independence in cortisol-dominant wildlife
- 2012
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In: General and Comparative Endocrinology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0016-6480 .- 1095-6840. ; 177, s. 113-119
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Species have traditionally been defined as cortisol-dominant or corticosterone-dominant, depending on the glucocorticoid that is reported. To assess the degree of covariance versus independence between cortisol and corticosterone, 245 serum samples belonging to 219 individuals from 18 cortisol-dominant, non-domesticated species (6 mammalian orders) were compared by mass spectrometry. In these samples, which were elevated above baseline, concentration ranges were overlapping for cortisol and corticosterone although cortisol was dominant in every sample except one of 17 bighorn sheep with a corticosterone-biased cortisol-to-corticosterone ratio of 0.17. As expected, cortisol and corticosterone were strongly associated among species (r(2) = 0.8; species with high absolute cortisol tend to have high absolute corticosterone concentrations), with wide variation in the species-average cortisol-to-corticosterone ratio (range 7.5-49) and an even wider ratio range across individuals (0.2-341). However, only 9 out of 13 species with >7 individuals showed a positive association between cortisol and corticosterone among individuals, and repeated measures of the cortisol-to-corticosterone ratio within individuals were weakly associated (CV range 3-136%). We conclude that corticosterone, although at lower concentrations, has the potential to signal independently of cortisol, and should be included in integrated endocrine models of stress responses. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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| 8. |
- Froiland, E., et al.
(author)
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Seasonal appetite regulation in the anadromous Arctic charr: Evidence for a role of adiposity in the regulation of appetite but not for leptin in signalling adiposity
- 2012
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In: General and Comparative Endocrinology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0016-6480. ; 178:2, s. 330-337
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of this study was to investigate whether the seasonal feeding cycle of the anadromous Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) is regulated by a lipostatic mechanism and if leptin (Lep) might act as an endocrine signal of adiposity. Offspring of anadromous Arctic charr with a body mass of 121 g were divided into two treatment groups; one was given feed in excess from March to November. and the other was fasted between April and early June and fed in excess thereafter. In the continuously fed group there was an 8-fold increase in body mass, and a doubling of percentage body fat, from March to August, after which there was no further increase. Fish in the other group lost weight and body fat during fasting, but grew rapidly on being fed, and had partially compensated for their deficit in body mass by August. Differences in percentage body fat between treatment groups were eliminated by August. providing evidence for a lipostatic regulation of feeding and energy homeostasis in Arctic charr. Neither liver total LepA gene expression nor plasma Lep concentrations correlated positively with fish adiposity, so there was no evidence that Lep acts as a signal of adiposity in this species. On the other hand, there was a strong increase in liver LepA1 gene expression at the end of the fasting period, concomitant with fat mobilization and increased plasma glucose, indicating that LepA1 may play a role in regulating metabolic processes associated with fasting. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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| 9. |
- Fuentes, E. N., et al.
(author)
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Nutritional status modulates plasma leptin, AMPK and TOR activation, and mitochondrial biogenesis: Implications for cell metabolism and growth in skeletal muscle of the fine flounder
- 2013
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In: General and Comparative Endocrinology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0016-6480. ; 186, s. 172-180
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Insight of how growth and metabolism in skeletal muscle are related is still lacking in early vertebrates. In this context, molecules involved in these processes, such as leptin, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), target of rapamicyn (TOR), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α, and oxidative phosphorylation complexes (OXPHOS), were assessed in the skeletal muscle of a fish species. Periods of fasting followed by a period of refeeding were implemented, using the fine flounder as a model (Paralichthys adspersus). This species exhibits remarkably slow growth and food intake, which is linked to an inherent growth hormone (GH) resistance and high circulating levels of leptin. Leptin increased during fasting concomitantly with AMPK activation, which was inversely correlated with TOR activation. On the other hand, AMPK was directly correlated with an increase in PGC-1α and OXPHOS complexes contents. Dramatic changes in the activation and content of these molecules were observed during short-term refeeding. Leptin, AMPK activation, and PGC-1α/OXPHOS complexes contents decreased radically; whereas, TOR activation increased significantly. During long-term refeeding these molecules returned to basal levels. These results suggest that there is a relation among these components; thus, during fasting periods ATP-consuming biosynthetic pathways are repressed and alternative sources of ATP/energy are promoted, a phenomenon that is reversed during anabolic periods. These results provide novel insight on the control of metabolism and growth in the skeletal muscle of a non-mammalian species, suggesting that both processes in fish muscle are closely related and coordinated by a subset of common molecules.
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| 10. |
- Fuentes, E. N., et al.
(author)
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Plasma leptin and growth hormone levels in the fine flounder (Paralichthys adspersus) increase gradually during fasting and decline rapidly after refeeding
- 2012
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In: General and Comparative Endocrinology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0016-6480. ; 177:1, s. 120-127
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In fish, recent studies have indicated an anorexigenic role of leptin and thus its possible involvement in regulation of energy balance and growth. In the present study, the effects of fasting and refeeding periods on plasma leptin levels were studied in the fine flounder, a flatfish with remarkably slow growth. To further assess the endocrine status of the fish during periods of catabolism and anabolism, plasma growth hormone (GH) levels were also analyzed. Under normal feeding condition, plasma leptin and CH levels remained stable and relatively high in comparison with other teleost species. For the three separate groups of fish, fasted for 2, 3, and 4 weeks, respectively, plasma leptin levels increase gradually, becoming significantly elevated after 3 weeks, and reaching highest levels after 4-week fasting. Plasma GH levels were significantly elevated after 2-week fasting. At the onset of refeeding, following a single meal, leptin levels decline rapidly to lower than initial levels within 2 h, irrespective of the length of fasting. Plasma GH also decline, the decrease being significant after 4, 24 and 2 h for the 2, 3 and 4-week fasted groups, respectively. This study shows that plasma leptin levels in the fine flounder are strongly linked to nutritional status and suggests that leptin secretion is regulated by fast-acting mechanisms. Elevated leptin levels in fasted fish may contribute to a passive survival strategy of species which experience natural food shortage periods by lowering appetite and limiting physical foraging activity. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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