Hypoxic and hypercapnic burrow conditions lead to downregulation of free triiodothyronine and hematocrit in Ansell’s mole-rats (Fukomys anselli)

Hypoxic and hypercapnic burrow conditions lead to downregulation of free triiodothyronine and hematocrit in Ansell’s mole-rats (Fukomys anselli)

African mole-rats live in self-dug burrow systems under hypoxic and hypercapnic conditions. Adaptations to hypoxia include suppression of resting metabolic rate (RMR) and core body temperature ( T b ). Because the thyroid hormones (THs) thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) are positive regulator...

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Published in:Journal of comparative physiology. B, Biochemical, systemic, and environmental physiology Vol. 194; no. 1; pp. 33 - 40
Main Authors: Henning, Yoshiyuki, Adam, Kamilla, Gerhardt, Patricia, Begall, Sabine
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-02-2024
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects:
Adaptation
Animal Physiology
Animals
Biochemistry
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Body temperature
Down-regulation
Fukomys anselli
Hematocrit
Hemoglobin
Hormones
Human Physiology
Hypercapnia
Hypoxia
Life Sciences
Metabolic rate
Metabolism
Oxygen demand
Short Communication
Thyroid
Thyroid gland
Thyroid hormones
Thyroxine
Triiodothyronine
Underground construction
Zoology
Erythropoiesis
Hypercapnia
Hypoxia
Thyroid hormones
Ecophysiology
African mole-rat
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Summary:African mole-rats live in self-dug burrow systems under hypoxic and hypercapnic conditions. Adaptations to hypoxia include suppression of resting metabolic rate (RMR) and core body temperature ( T b ). Because the thyroid hormones (THs) thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) are positive regulators of RMR and T b , we hypothesized that serum TH concentrations would also be downregulated under hypoxic conditions. To test this hypothesis, we kept Ansell’s mole-rats ( Fukomys anselli ) in terraria filled with soil in which they were allowed to construct underground burrows to achieve chronic intermittent hypoxia and hypercapnia. The animals stayed in these hypoxic and hypercapnic burrows voluntarily, although given the choice to stay aboveground. We collected blood samples before and after treatment to measure serum T4 and T3 concentrations as well as hematological parameters. The free fraction of the transcriptionally-active T3 was significantly decreased after treatment, indicating that cellular TH signaling was downregulated via peripheral mechanisms, consistent with the assumption that aerobic metabolism is downregulated under hypoxic conditions. Furthermore, we found that hematocrit and hemoglobin concentrations were also downregulated after treatment, suggesting that oxygen demand decreases under hypoxia, presumably due to the metabolic shift towards anaerobic metabolism. Taken together, we have identified a potential upstream regulator of physiological adaptations to hypoxia in these highly hypoxia-tolerant animals.
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ISSN:0174-1578
1432-136X
DOI:10.1007/s00360-023-01526-0