Article
Neurosciences
Thomas R. Tripp, Barnaby P. Frankish, Victor Lun, J. Preston Wiley, Jane Shearer, Robyn M. Murphy, Martin J. MacInnis
Summary: Sprint interval training (SIT) has been found to cause fragmentation of the sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium-release channel, ryanodine receptor 1 (RyR1), 24 hours after exercise, which may serve as a signal for mitochondrial biogenesis. This study examined the time course of RyR1 fragmentation in human whole muscle and pooled type I and type II skeletal muscle fibers following a single session of SIT. Full-length RyR1 protein content was significantly lower than pre-exercise by 6 hours post-SIT in whole muscle, and fragmentation was detectable in type II but not type I fibers, albeit to a lesser extent than in whole muscle. The peak in PGC1A mRNA expression occurred earlier than RyR1 fragmentation. The increased temporal resolution and fiber type-specific responses for RyR1 fragmentation provide insights into its importance to mitochondrial biogenesis in humans.
JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-LONDON
(2022)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Maanvi Dhureja, Richmond Arthur, Divya Soni, Shubham Upadhayay, Pooja Temgire, Puneet Kumar
Summary: Recent neuroscience breakthroughs have revealed the important role of calcium channels, particularly RyR and SERCA, in neural functions and their dysregulation in neurodegenerative disorders.
EXPERT OPINION ON THERAPEUTIC TARGETS
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Steven E. E. Cala, Nicholas J. J. Carruthers, Paul M. M. Stemmer, Zhenhui Chen, Xuequn Chen
Summary: The importance of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+-handling in heart has been extensively studied, while the understanding of other endoplasmic reticulum (ER) functions in the heart is limited. This research aimed to analyze cardiac microsomes to gain a better understanding of cardiac SR and ER functions. The results showed that different proteins exhibited varying levels of enrichment in SR fractions compared to the crude membrane preparation, indicating functional sets of proteins localized to the same areas of the ER/SR membrane. This study suggests that the combined activities of Ca2+ uptake by SERCA and Ca2+ leak by RyR contribute to the evaluation of multiple functional ER/SR subdomains.
MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR BIOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Daisuke Sato, Hitoshi Uchinoumi, Donald M. Bers
Summary: Increasing SERCA activity has a dual effect on the propensity of arrhythmogenic Ca waves, promoting their generation at lower levels but potentially aborting them at higher levels. Factors influencing Ca wave propagation include diffusive coupling between Ca sparks, Ca buffers, intra-SR Ca diffusion, and distance between CRUs.
JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-LONDON
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Emma J. Steer, Zhaokang Yang, Moza M. Al-Owais, Hannah M. Kirton, Edward White, Derek S. Steele
Summary: In this study, the effects of flecainide on Ca2+ sparks and waves were compared in intact and permeabilized wild type cardiac myocytes. The results showed that high doses of flecainide induced sustained changes in SR Ca2+ waves, but had minimal effects on Ca2+ sparks. Partial inhibition of the SR counter-current enhanced the effects of flecainide on SR Ca2+ waves. These findings suggest that the actions of flecainide on RyR2 may be influenced by intracellular concentration and SR membrane polarization.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Sun Li-na, Liu Yan-di, Zhang Huai Jiang, Yan Wen-tao, Yue Qiang, Qiu Gui-sheng
Summary: The insect RyR is a novel target of certain insecticides, and in this study, full-length cDNAs of RyRs were isolated from the summer fruit tortrix moth. It was found that mRNA expression of AoRyR was significantly up-regulated after treatment with diamides, providing a basis for further functional studies of AoRyR and the development of new chemicals with selective activity against insects.
JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE AGRICULTURE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sena Isbilir, Beverly Catchot, Lauren Catchot, Fred R. Musser, Seung-Joon Ahn
Summary: This study found moderate resistance of Chrysodeixis includens, a significant crop pest, to chlorantraniliprole. The full-length cDNA of the C. includens RyR gene was sequenced, revealing a gene with 113 exons, one of the largest reported for RyR genes. Gene expression analysis indicated high expression of RyR in the third instar larval stage, particularly in muscle-containing tissues. Exposure to a sublethal dose of chlorantraniliprole reduced RyR expression levels after 96 hours.
ARCHIVES OF INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Matthieu Dos Santos, Akansha M. Shah, Yichi Zhang, Svetlana Bezprozvannaya, Kenian Chen, Lin Xu, Weichun Lin, John R. McAnally, Rhonda Bassel-Duby, Ning Liu, Eric N. Olson
Summary: Researchers used single-nucleus RNA and ATAC sequencing to create an atlas of skeletal muscle development, identifying gene programs and transcription factors that control muscle fiber development and maturation. They discovered that specific gene programs and transcriptional switches play crucial roles in myofiber formation, maturation, and contraction.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Andrew Clark, Subhadip Ghatak, Poornachander Reddy Guda, Mohamed S. El Masry, Yi Xuan, Amy Y. Sato, Teresita Bellido, Chandan K. Sen
Summary: This study utilizes a non-viral tissue nanotransfection platform to deliver MyoD to injured tissue and successfully restores muscle function. This approach shows promising potential in the treatment of muscle tissue injuries.
NPJ REGENERATIVE MEDICINE
(2022)
Review
Immunology
Paula Schmidt, Martin J. Raftery, Gabriele Pecher
Summary: The development of CAR-NK cells allows for harnessing the innate anti-tumor ability of NK cells against target tumor antigens, with the potential for creating an off-the-shelf therapeutic product applicable to most patients.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Milad Azad, Neda Khaledi, Mehdi Hedayati, Mohammadreza Karbalaie
Summary: The study revealed that the apoptotic response to exercise depends on the type and intensity of exercise, as well as the sensitivity and susceptibility of the muscle. Acute and chronic exercise can significantly affect apoptotic responses in different types of muscles.
Review
Physiology
Xiaolei Wang, Xiaohui Chen, Dobromir Dobrev, Na Li
Summary: Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia in adults, with serious implications for health. Recent research has shown that intracellular Ca2+ dysregulation and NLRP3 inflammasome activity play a crucial role in the initiation and maintenance of atrial fibrillation.
PFLUGERS ARCHIV-EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mehmet Neset Ozel, Claudia Skok Gibbs, Isabel Holguera, Mennah Soliman, Richard Bonneau, Claude Desplan
Summary: The study reveals that the Drosophila visual system contains nearly 200 distinct types of neurons, each defined by unique combinations of about 10 continuously expressed transcription factors. Modifying the terminal selector code can predictably convert neuronal fates and these conversions are morphologically and transcriptionally complete. Additionally, the study identifies one gene that is linked to an upstream patterning factor, which specifies neuronal fates in stem cells.
Article
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Hemant Bhardwaj, Neeru Adlakha
Summary: T lymphocytes play a crucial role in maintaining health and fighting diseases. The activation, division, or apoptosis of T cells are determined by various extracellular and intracellular signals. The dynamics of Ca2+ ions in T cells is essential for their immunological function, and this study models the nonlinear spatio-temporal dynamics of Ca2+ incorporating different parameters. The results obtained from a numerical meshless approach provide valuable insights into calcium dynamics in T cells.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMPUTATIONAL METHODS
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Jack R. Kirsch, Amanda K. Williamson, Diana Yeritsyan, William A. Blessing, Kaveh Momenzadeh, Todd R. Leach, Patrick M. Williamson, Jenny T. Korunes-Miller, Joseph P. DeAngelis, David Zurakowski, Rosalynn M. Nazarian, Edward K. Rodriguez, Ara Nazarian, Mark W. Grinstaff
Summary: Significant progress in biotherapeutics for musculoskeletal diseases is still lacking, especially in addressing the complexity of these diseases. Current treatment options fail to target the underlying cause of arthrofibrosis, a debilitating musculoskeletal disease characterized by the accumulation of fibrotic tissue in the joints. Human relaxin-2 (RLX), a hormone with antifibrotic activity, shows promise as a potential therapy for musculoskeletal fibrosis. However, previous clinical programs for RLX have faced challenges due to pharmacokinetic barriers. In this study, researchers designed a drug delivery system that can sustainably release RLX in vitro and in vivo, leading to improved joint range of motion and architecture in a rat model of arthrofibrosis. The expression of RLX receptor, RXFP1, in human tissues relevant to arthrofibrosis further suggests the potential translational application of RLX in a sustained and targeted manner.
SCIENCE TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Biology
Isabella Loughland, Alexander Little, Frank Seebacher
Summary: The study reveals that DNMT3a plays a key role in regulating developmental thermal plasticity, and the phenotypic effects of different DNMT3a isoforms are additive. However, DNMT3a interacts with other mechanisms, such as histone (de)acetylation, induced during short-term acclimation to buffer phenotypes from environmental change. These interactions make phenotypic compensation for climate change more efficient.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Nicholas C. Wu, Frank Seebacher
Summary: The study found that exposure to BPF and BPS can reduce swimming performance in adult zebrafish, while BPA, BPS, and BPF can all affect the activities of citrate synthase and lactate dehydrogenase. This suggests that bisphenols at ecologically relevant concentrations may disrupt the thermal responses of fish.
CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Clare Miln, Ashley J. W. Ward, Frank Seebacher
Summary: The study found that in a group of zebrafish, social status was the best predictor of competitive success, followed by realized speed. As social relationships were established, the importance of physiological performance decreased.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Amelie Le Roy, Geoffrey P. F. Mazue, Neil B. Metcalfe, Frank Seebacher
Summary: Food availability and temperature can affect the energetics and behavior of animals, with the efficiency of energy transduction in mitochondria changing depending on environmental factors. Zebrafish with lower feeding frequency exhibit higher mitochondrial efficiency, especially when warm-acclimated, impacting their exploration behavior. The interaction between temperature and feeding frequency influences exploration behavior in zebrafish, highlighting the importance of considering both metabolic rate and ATP production efficiency in understanding animal performance.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biology
Isabella Loughland, Gigi Y. Lau, Jordan Jolly, Frank Seebacher
Summary: The potential negative effects of thermal variation on physiological functions depend on the time scale of phenotypic adjustment and the rate of temperature change. In this study, different rates of temperature increase were tested on zebrafish, and it was found that both fast and slow rates of warming led to increased oxidative stress. However, mitochondrial substrate oxidation rates, leak respiration rates, and coupling did not show significant differences. The increase in ROS production at the slowest rate of warming suggests that seemingly benign environments can still be stressful for organisms.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Nicholas C. Wu, Alexander M. Rubin, Frank Seebacher
Summary: The energetic cost of growth is affected by temperature and environmental endocrine disruption. Plastic pollution and climate warming can impact animal growth efficiency and population dynamics.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biology
Nicholas C. Wu, Frank Seebacher
Summary: Physiological traits influence individual movement and differences in physiological characteristics between range edges and cores may be associated with dispersal success. However, the results may be biased due to undersampling.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Frank Seebacher, Julian Beaman
Summary: Phenotypic plasticity of physiological functions allows organisms to respond quickly to environmental changes and increase their resilience. The Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA) likely had metabolic plasticity that allowed it to adjust energy production to meet demand. Metabolic plasticity originated with the advent of Darwinian evolution and played a crucial role in genetic material replication and cell division. Since LUCA, metabolic networks have become more complex, with complexity being specific to environmental contexts and phylogenetic lineages.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biology
Miki Jahn, Frank Seebacher
Summary: This article explores the costs of movement (COT) in animals and its impact on ecological systems. Environmental conditions, morphology, and underlying physiological mechanisms contribute to differences in COT between individuals and species. Increasing temperatures notably increase COT, while thermal acclimation and exercise have varied effects on COT across taxa. Anthropogenic pollutants can also increase COT. COT can influence energy allocation and individual fitness, ultimately affecting the dynamics of animal communities. Future research should consider multiple stressors on COT, including a broader range of pollutants, and quantifying potential allocation trade-offs induced by COT.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Frank Seebacher
Summary: Human activities have created unique environmental drivers that may have unexpected effects on the endocrine responses of non-human animals, such as impacting reproduction and growth through hormones like gonadotropins and thyroid hormones. Interactions between temperature, light, endocrine disrupting compounds, light-at-night, and noise can lead to different physiological responses across generations of animals.
MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Jean-Guy J. Godin, Amelie Le Roy, Alicia L. Burns, Frank Seebacher, Ashley J. W. Ward
Summary: Consistent individual differences in behavior exist within populations. In this study, adult male guppies were tested to investigate the correlation between behavioral and metabolic traits. The findings did not support the prediction of the pace-of-life-syndrome (POLS) hypothesis, as there was no significant correlation between metabolic traits and behavioral traits. Male color ornamentation also did not predict behavioral or metabolic phenotypes. Therefore, individual differences in metabolism may not underlie the evolution and maintenance of behavioral variation in this study population.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Tiana Pelaia, Alexander M. Rubin, Frank Seebacher
Summary: Human activity has introduced novel chemicals into aquatic ecosystems, such as BPA which disrupts hormone-mediated processes. BPA is being replaced by BPS, but studies show that BPS can also disrupt hormone signalling, particularly of thyroid hormone. This study found that BPS exposure decreased swimming performance in zebrafish and had ecological consequences, likely mediated by thyroid hormone disruption.
AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Frank Seebacher, Stephanie M. Bamford, Amelie Le Roy
Summary: Each parent can impact offspring phenotype through zygote provisioning or sex-specific DNA methylation. Transgenerational plasticity may depend on the environmental conditions experienced by each parent. In a factorial experiment using guppies, we found that the thermal background of mothers and fathers influenced mass, length, and thermal performance of sons and daughters. Offspring sex played a significant role in most traits. The study showed that parental thermal variation can modify offspring phenotype, highlighting the importance of considering the thermal background of each parent.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Geoffrey P. F. Mazue, Maxim W. D. Adams, Frank Seebacher, Ashley J. W. Ward
Summary: To adjust their foraging strategy, individuals may use a combination of private and social information. The reliability of private information about environmental characteristics, such as prey distribution, can influence individuals' movement patterns. This study investigated how movement characteristics changed as individuals acquired reliable private information about prey distribution during foraging.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Frank Seebacher, Edward Narayan, Jodie L. Rummer, Sean Tomlinson, Steven J. Cooke
Summary: This article emphasizes the important role of physiology in addressing climate warming, including environmental monitoring and measuring individual sensitivities to temperature change. Physiology can be incorporated by institutions and organizations to bring a mechanistic approach to conservation and the management of biological resources.
CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
