Prolonged fasting increases purine recycling in post-weaned northern elephant seals
Northern elephant seals are naturally adapted to prolonged periods (1–2 months) of absolute food and water deprivation (fasting). In terrestrial mammals, food deprivation stimulates ATP degradation and decreases ATP synthesis, resulting in the accumulation of purines (ATP degradation byproducts). Hy...
Published in: | Journal of Experimental Biology |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , , |
Format: | Text |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Company of Biologists
2012
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/content/short/215/9/1448 https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.067173 |
id |
fthighwire:oai:open-archive.highwire.org:jexbio:215/9/1448 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
fthighwire:oai:open-archive.highwire.org:jexbio:215/9/1448 2023-05-15T16:05:14+02:00 Prolonged fasting increases purine recycling in post-weaned northern elephant seals Soñanez-Organis, José Guadalupe Vázquez-Medina, José Pablo Zenteno-Savín, Tania Aguilar, Andres Crocker, Daniel E. Ortiz, Rudy M. 2012-05-01 00:00:00.0 text/html http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/content/short/215/9/1448 https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.067173 en eng Company of Biologists http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/content/short/215/9/1448 http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.067173 Copyright (C) 2012, Company of Biologists Research Articles TEXT 2012 fthighwire https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.067173 2015-03-01T00:10:53Z Northern elephant seals are naturally adapted to prolonged periods (1–2 months) of absolute food and water deprivation (fasting). In terrestrial mammals, food deprivation stimulates ATP degradation and decreases ATP synthesis, resulting in the accumulation of purines (ATP degradation byproducts). Hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HGPRT) salvages ATP by recycling the purine degradation products derived from xanthine oxidase (XO) metabolism, which also promotes oxidant production. The contributions of HGPRT to purine recycling during prolonged food deprivation in marine mammals are not well defined. In the present study we cloned and characterized the complete and partial cDNA sequences that encode for HGPRT and xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR) in northern elephant seals. We also measured XO protein expression and circulating activity, along with xanthine and hypoxanthine plasma content in fasting northern elephant seal pups. Blood, adipose and muscle tissue samples were collected from animals after 1, 3, 5 and 7 weeks of their natural post-weaning fast. The complete HGPRT and partial XOR cDNA sequences are 771 and 345 bp long and encode proteins of 218 and 115 amino acids, respectively, with conserved domains important for their function and regulation. XOR mRNA and XO protein expression increased 3-fold and 1.7-fold with fasting, respectively, whereas HGPRT mRNA (4-fold) and protein (2-fold) expression increased after 7 weeks in adipose tissue and muscle. Plasma xanthine (3-fold) and hypoxanthine (2.5-fold) levels, and XO (1.7- to 20-fold) and HGPRT (1.5- to 1.7-fold) activities increased during the last 2 weeks of fasting. Results suggest that prolonged fasting in elephant seal pups is associated with increased capacity to recycle purines, which may contribute to ameliorating oxidant production and enhancing the supply of ATP, both of which would be beneficial during prolonged food deprivation and appear to be adaptive in this species. Text Elephant Seal Elephant Seals HighWire Press (Stanford University) Journal of Experimental Biology 215 9 1448 1455 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
HighWire Press (Stanford University) |
op_collection_id |
fthighwire |
language |
English |
topic |
Research Articles |
spellingShingle |
Research Articles Soñanez-Organis, José Guadalupe Vázquez-Medina, José Pablo Zenteno-Savín, Tania Aguilar, Andres Crocker, Daniel E. Ortiz, Rudy M. Prolonged fasting increases purine recycling in post-weaned northern elephant seals |
topic_facet |
Research Articles |
description |
Northern elephant seals are naturally adapted to prolonged periods (1–2 months) of absolute food and water deprivation (fasting). In terrestrial mammals, food deprivation stimulates ATP degradation and decreases ATP synthesis, resulting in the accumulation of purines (ATP degradation byproducts). Hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HGPRT) salvages ATP by recycling the purine degradation products derived from xanthine oxidase (XO) metabolism, which also promotes oxidant production. The contributions of HGPRT to purine recycling during prolonged food deprivation in marine mammals are not well defined. In the present study we cloned and characterized the complete and partial cDNA sequences that encode for HGPRT and xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR) in northern elephant seals. We also measured XO protein expression and circulating activity, along with xanthine and hypoxanthine plasma content in fasting northern elephant seal pups. Blood, adipose and muscle tissue samples were collected from animals after 1, 3, 5 and 7 weeks of their natural post-weaning fast. The complete HGPRT and partial XOR cDNA sequences are 771 and 345 bp long and encode proteins of 218 and 115 amino acids, respectively, with conserved domains important for their function and regulation. XOR mRNA and XO protein expression increased 3-fold and 1.7-fold with fasting, respectively, whereas HGPRT mRNA (4-fold) and protein (2-fold) expression increased after 7 weeks in adipose tissue and muscle. Plasma xanthine (3-fold) and hypoxanthine (2.5-fold) levels, and XO (1.7- to 20-fold) and HGPRT (1.5- to 1.7-fold) activities increased during the last 2 weeks of fasting. Results suggest that prolonged fasting in elephant seal pups is associated with increased capacity to recycle purines, which may contribute to ameliorating oxidant production and enhancing the supply of ATP, both of which would be beneficial during prolonged food deprivation and appear to be adaptive in this species. |
format |
Text |
author |
Soñanez-Organis, José Guadalupe Vázquez-Medina, José Pablo Zenteno-Savín, Tania Aguilar, Andres Crocker, Daniel E. Ortiz, Rudy M. |
author_facet |
Soñanez-Organis, José Guadalupe Vázquez-Medina, José Pablo Zenteno-Savín, Tania Aguilar, Andres Crocker, Daniel E. Ortiz, Rudy M. |
author_sort |
Soñanez-Organis, José Guadalupe |
title |
Prolonged fasting increases purine recycling in post-weaned northern elephant seals |
title_short |
Prolonged fasting increases purine recycling in post-weaned northern elephant seals |
title_full |
Prolonged fasting increases purine recycling in post-weaned northern elephant seals |
title_fullStr |
Prolonged fasting increases purine recycling in post-weaned northern elephant seals |
title_full_unstemmed |
Prolonged fasting increases purine recycling in post-weaned northern elephant seals |
title_sort |
prolonged fasting increases purine recycling in post-weaned northern elephant seals |
publisher |
Company of Biologists |
publishDate |
2012 |
url |
http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/content/short/215/9/1448 https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.067173 |
genre |
Elephant Seal Elephant Seals |
genre_facet |
Elephant Seal Elephant Seals |
op_relation |
http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/content/short/215/9/1448 http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.067173 |
op_rights |
Copyright (C) 2012, Company of Biologists |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.067173 |
container_title |
Journal of Experimental Biology |
container_volume |
215 |
container_issue |
9 |
container_start_page |
1448 |
op_container_end_page |
1455 |
_version_ |
1766401144874074112 |