Metabolic cold adaptation in Antarctic fishes: evidence from enzymatic activities of brain

To evaluate the concept of metabolic cold adaptation (MCA) in fishes, we compared - in brain, red muscle, and white muscle of Antarctic notothenioid fishes and tropical/subtropical fishes - the activities of two enzymes of ATP-generating pathways, citrate synthase (CS), an indicator of citric acid c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine biology 2002-02, Vol.140 (2), p.279-286
Main Authors: KAWALL, H. G, TORRES, J. J, SIDELL, B. D, SOMERO, G. N
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agnatha. Pisces
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
ATP
Autoecology
Biological and medical sciences
Brain
Centropomus undecimalis
Chaenocephalus aceratus
Champsocephalus gunnari
Chionodraco rastrospinosus
Enzymatic activity
Enzymes
Fish
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Halichoeres
Kyphosus
Marine
Marine biology
Metabolism
Notothenioidea
Oreochromis
Pagothenia borchgrevinki
Pomacentrus dorsopunicans
Temperature
Trematomus
Vertebrata
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Summary:To evaluate the concept of metabolic cold adaptation (MCA) in fishes, we compared - in brain, red muscle, and white muscle of Antarctic notothenioid fishes and tropical/subtropical fishes - the activities of two enzymes of ATP-generating pathways, citrate synthase (CS), an indicator of citric acid cycle activity (aerobic metabolism), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), an indicator of potential for ATP production through anaerobic glycolysis. Brain was chosen because, unlike locomotory muscle, its metabolic activity is not likely to be influenced by a species' level of activity or nutritional status, so MCA should be readily observed if present. CS and LDH activities in brain exhibited a high level of MCA, but compensation to temperature was not complete (48% for CS; 46% for LDH). CS and LDH activities in red and white muscle varied widely among species, according to the general level of locomotory activity. The 'mode of life'-related enzymatic activities in locomotory muscle show that study of MCA at the level of whole organism metabolism is fraught with difficulties and experimental ambiguities. In contrast, the low variation among species within each group in enzymatic activities in brain, and the large differences between groups in CS and LDH activity, show that brain is an excellent study system for evaluating metabolic compensation to temperature.
ISSN:0025-3162
1432-1793
DOI:10.1007/s002270100695