Cardiac myoglobin deficit has evolved repeatedly in teleost fishes

This study was supported by the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland (Scottish Funding Council grant no. HR09011), Myoglobin (Mb) is the classic vertebrate oxygen-binding protein present in aerobic striated muscles. It functions principally in oxygen delivery and provides muscle w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biology Letters
Main Authors: Macqueen, Daniel J., Garcia de la Serrana Castillo, Daniel, Johnston, Ian Alistair
Other Authors: University of St Andrews. School of Biology, University of St Andrews. Marine Alliance for Science & Technology Scotland, University of St Andrews. Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews. Centre for Research into Ecological & Environmental Modelling
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2014
Subjects:
Myoglobin
Oxygen supply
Fish evolution
Climate change
Thermal tolerance
Limitation
Expression
Oxygen
QH301 Biology
SDG 13 - Climate Action
QH301
Antarctic
The Antarctic
Antarc*
Icefish
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10023/5776
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2014.0225
Description
Summary:This study was supported by the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland (Scottish Funding Council grant no. HR09011), Myoglobin (Mb) is the classic vertebrate oxygen-binding protein present in aerobic striated muscles. It functions principally in oxygen delivery and provides muscle with its characteristic red colour. Members of the Antarctic icefish family (Channichthyidae) are widely thought to be extraordinary for lacking cardiac Mb expression, a fact that has been attributed to their low metabolic rate and unusual evolutionary history. Here, we report that cardiac Mb deficit, associated with pale heart colour, has evolved repeatedly during teleost evolution. This trait affects both gill-and air-breathing species from temperate to tropical habitats across a full range of salinities. Cardiac Mb deficit results from total pseudogenization in three-spined stickleback and is associated with a massive reduction in mRNA level in two species that evidently retain functional Mb. The results suggest that near or complete absence of Mb-assisted oxygen delivery to heart muscle is a common facet of teleost biodiversity, even affecting lineages with notable oxygen demands. We suggest that Mb deficit may affect how different teleost species deal with increased tissue oxygen demands arising under climate change. Publisher PDF Peer reviewed

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