Managing anabolic steroids in pre-hibernating Arctic ground squirrels: obtaining their benefits and avoiding their costs
Androgens have benefits, such as promoting muscle growth, but also significant costs, including suppression of immune function. In many species, these trade-offs in androgen action are reflected in regulated androgen production, which is typically highest only in reproductive males. However, all non...
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ftpubmed:oai:pubmedcentral.nih.gov:4261865 2023-05-15T14:31:28+02:00 Managing anabolic steroids in pre-hibernating Arctic ground squirrels: obtaining their benefits and avoiding their costs Boonstra, Rudy Mo, Kaiguo Monks, Douglas Ashley 2014-11 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4261865/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25376801 https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2014.0734 en eng The Royal Society http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4261865/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25376801 http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2014.0734 © 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved. Physiology Text 2014 ftpubmed https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2014.0734 2015-11-08T01:24:04Z Androgens have benefits, such as promoting muscle growth, but also significant costs, including suppression of immune function. In many species, these trade-offs in androgen action are reflected in regulated androgen production, which is typically highest only in reproductive males. However, all non-reproductive Arctic ground squirrels, irrespective of age and sex, have high levels of androgens prior to hibernating at sub-zero temperatures. Androgens appear to be required to make muscle in summer, which, together with lipid, is then catabolized during overwinter. By contrast, most hibernating mammals catabolize only lipid. We tested the hypothesis that androgen action is selectively enhanced in Arctic ground squirrel muscle because of an upregulation of androgen receptors (ARs). Using Western blot analysis, we found that Arctic ground squirrels have AR in skeletal muscle more than four times that of Columbian ground squirrels, a related southern species that overwinters at approximately 0°C and has low pre-hibernation androgen levels. By contrast, AR in lymph nodes was equivalent in both species. Brain AR was also modestly but significantly increased in Arctic ground squirrel relative to Columbian ground squirrel. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that tissue-specific AR regulation prior to hibernation provides a mechanism whereby Arctic ground squirrels obtain the life-history benefits and mitigate the costs associated with high androgen production. Text Arctic ground squirrel Arctic PubMed Central (PMC) Arctic Biology Letters 10 11 20140734 |
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Physiology Boonstra, Rudy Mo, Kaiguo Monks, Douglas Ashley Managing anabolic steroids in pre-hibernating Arctic ground squirrels: obtaining their benefits and avoiding their costs |
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Physiology |
description |
Androgens have benefits, such as promoting muscle growth, but also significant costs, including suppression of immune function. In many species, these trade-offs in androgen action are reflected in regulated androgen production, which is typically highest only in reproductive males. However, all non-reproductive Arctic ground squirrels, irrespective of age and sex, have high levels of androgens prior to hibernating at sub-zero temperatures. Androgens appear to be required to make muscle in summer, which, together with lipid, is then catabolized during overwinter. By contrast, most hibernating mammals catabolize only lipid. We tested the hypothesis that androgen action is selectively enhanced in Arctic ground squirrel muscle because of an upregulation of androgen receptors (ARs). Using Western blot analysis, we found that Arctic ground squirrels have AR in skeletal muscle more than four times that of Columbian ground squirrels, a related southern species that overwinters at approximately 0°C and has low pre-hibernation androgen levels. By contrast, AR in lymph nodes was equivalent in both species. Brain AR was also modestly but significantly increased in Arctic ground squirrel relative to Columbian ground squirrel. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that tissue-specific AR regulation prior to hibernation provides a mechanism whereby Arctic ground squirrels obtain the life-history benefits and mitigate the costs associated with high androgen production. |
format |
Text |
author |
Boonstra, Rudy Mo, Kaiguo Monks, Douglas Ashley |
author_facet |
Boonstra, Rudy Mo, Kaiguo Monks, Douglas Ashley |
author_sort |
Boonstra, Rudy |
title |
Managing anabolic steroids in pre-hibernating Arctic ground squirrels: obtaining their benefits and avoiding their costs |
title_short |
Managing anabolic steroids in pre-hibernating Arctic ground squirrels: obtaining their benefits and avoiding their costs |
title_full |
Managing anabolic steroids in pre-hibernating Arctic ground squirrels: obtaining their benefits and avoiding their costs |
title_fullStr |
Managing anabolic steroids in pre-hibernating Arctic ground squirrels: obtaining their benefits and avoiding their costs |
title_full_unstemmed |
Managing anabolic steroids in pre-hibernating Arctic ground squirrels: obtaining their benefits and avoiding their costs |
title_sort |
managing anabolic steroids in pre-hibernating arctic ground squirrels: obtaining their benefits and avoiding their costs |
publisher |
The Royal Society |
publishDate |
2014 |
url |
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4261865/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25376801 https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2014.0734 |
geographic |
Arctic |
geographic_facet |
Arctic |
genre |
Arctic ground squirrel Arctic |
genre_facet |
Arctic ground squirrel Arctic |
op_relation |
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4261865/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25376801 http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2014.0734 |
op_rights |
© 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved. |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2014.0734 |
container_title |
Biology Letters |
container_volume |
10 |
container_issue |
11 |
container_start_page |
20140734 |
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1766305092460347392 |