Seasonal protein changes support rapid energy production in hibernator brainstem
- 5 December 2009
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Journal of Comparative Physiology B
- Vol. 180 (4), 599-617
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s00360-009-0422-9
Abstract
During the torpor phase of mammalian hibernation when core body temperature is near 4°C, the autonomic system continues to maintain respiration, blood pressure and heartbeat despite drastic reductions in brain activity. In addition, the hibernator’s neuronal tissues enter into a protected state in which the potential for ischemia–reperfusion injury is markedly minimized. Evolutionary adaptations for continued function and neuroprotection throughout cycles of torpor and euthermia in winter are predicted to manifest themselves partly in changes in the brainstem proteome. Here, we compare the soluble brainstem protein complement from six summer active ground squirrels and six in the early torpor (ET) phase of hibernation. Thirteen percent of the ~1,500 quantifiable 2D gel spots alter significantly from summer to ET; the proteins identified in these differing spots are known to play roles in energy homeostasis via the tricarboxylic acid cycle (8 proteins), cytoarchitecture and cell motility (14 proteins), anabolic protein processes (13 proteins), redox control (11 proteins) and numerous other categories including protein catabolism, oxidative phosphorylation, signal transduction, glycolysis, intracellular protein trafficking and antiapoptotic function. These protein changes represent, at least in part, the molecular bases for restructuring of cells in the brainstem, a shift away from glucose as the primary fuel source for brain in the winter, and the generation of a streamlined mechanism capable of efficient and rapid energy production and utilization during the torpor and arousal cycles of hibernation.Keywords
This publication has 48 references indexed in Scilit:
- Seasonal proteomic changes reveal molecular adaptations to preserve and replenish liver proteins during ground squirrel hibernationAmerican Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 2010
- Adaptive mechanisms regulate preferred utilization of ketones in the heart and brain of a hibernating mammal during arousal from torporAmerican Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 2009
- Simultaneous measurement of brain tissue oxygen partial pressure, temperature, and global oxygen consumption during hibernation, arousal, and euthermy in non-sedated and non-anesthetized Arctic ground squirrelsJournal of Neuroscience Methods, 2008
- Proteomic analysis of the winter-protected phenotype of hibernating ground squirrel intestineAmerican Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 2008
- Spatial and temporal activation of brain regions in hibernation: c‐fos expression during the hibernation bout in thirteen‐lined ground squirrelJournal of Comparative Neurology, 2007
- Distribution of NMDA receptor subunit NR1 in Arctic ground squirrel central nervous systemJournal of Chemical Neuroanatomy, 2006
- Genome-wide atlas of gene expression in the adult mouse brainNature, 2006
- Protein SUMOylation is Massively Increased in Hibernation Torpor and is Critical for the Cytoprotection Provided by Ischemic Preconditioning and Hypothermia in SHSY5Y CellsJournal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism, 2006
- The Arctic Ground Squirrel Brain Is Resistant to Injury From Cardiac Arrest During EuthermiaStroke, 2006
- Hibernation and Torpor in Mammals and BirdsThe Journal of Wildlife Management, 1983