Epigenetics and seasonal timing in animals: a concise review

Fishman, Bettina; Tauber, Eran

doi:10.1007/s00359-023-01673-3

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 74 publications

(80 reference statements)

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“…ACP6 (also highly over-expressed in the kidney) regulates mitochondrial lipid biosynthesis by balancing lipid composition within the cell (Li et al, 2013). We also identified MTNR1A as differentially expressed (although not within the top candidates), which mediates melatonin effects on circadian rhythm and reproductive alterations affected by day length (Fishman & Tauber, 2023), which could be relevant as Emperor penguin reproduction occurs during the almost constant darkness of austral winter (Miché et al, 1991).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gene expression shifts in Emperor penguin adaptation to the extreme Antarctic environment

Paris,

Fernandes,

Pirri

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Gene expression can accelerate ecological divergence by rapidly tweaking the response of an organism to novel environments, with more divergent environments exerting stronger selection and, supposedly, requiring faster adaptive responses. Organisms adapted to extreme environments provide ideal systems to test this hypothesis, particularly when compared to related species with milder ecological niches. The Emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) is the only warm-blooded vertebrate breeding in the harsh Antarctic winter, in stark contrast with the less cold-adapted sister species, the King penguin (A. patagonicus). Assembling the firstde novotranscriptomes and analysing multi-tissue (brain, kidney, liver, muscle, skin) RNAseq data from natural populations of both species, we quantified the shifts in tissue-enhanced genes, co-expression gene networks, and differentially expressed genes characterising Emperor penguin adaptation to extreme Antarctic ecology. Our analyses revealed the crucial role played by muscle and liver in temperature homeostasis, fasting and whole-body energy metabolism (glucose/insulin regulation, lipid metabolism, fatty acid beta-oxidation, and blood coagulation). Repatterning at the regulatory level appears as more important in the brain of the Emperor penguin, showing the lowest signature of differential gene expression but the largest co-expression gene network shift. Nevertheless, over-expressed genes related to mTOR signalling in the brain and the liver support their central role in cold and fasting responses. Besides contributing to understanding the genetics underlying complex traits, like body energy reservoir management, our results provide a first insight into the role of gene expression in adaptation to one of the most extreme environmental conditions endured by an endotherm.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gene expression shifts in Emperor penguin adaptation to the extreme Antarctic environment

Paris,

Fernandes,

Pirri

et al. 2023

Preprint

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“…Seasonal rhythms in physiological and behavioral parameters such as calorie intake, blood pressure, regulation of body temperature, sleep, immune responses, hormones, neurotransmitters, mood, and cognition are fundamental features of all living organisms, including humans. [16][17][18][19][20] Seasonal cycles can plausibly be entrained by the rotation of the earth around its axis and orbit, which causes seasonal fluctuations in photoperiod, light intensity, and temperature. 16 Animal research suggests that the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the site of the master circadian clock, is at least one of the sites mediating circannual rhythmicity.…”

Section: Incidence and Frequency Of Epileptic Seizuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

On hidden factors and design‐associated errors that may lead to data misinterpretation: An example from preclinical research on the potential seasonality of neonatal seizures

Löscher

2023

Epilepsia

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Unintentional misinterpretation of research in published biomedical reports that is not based on statistical flaws is often underrecognized, despite its possible impact on science, clinical practice, and public health. Important causes of such misinterpretation of scientific data, resulting in either false positive or false negative conclusions, include design‐associated errors and hidden (or latent) variables that are not easily recognized during data analysis. Furthermore, cognitive biases, such as the inclination to seek patterns in data whether they exist or not, may lead to misinterpretation of data. Here, we give an example of these problems from hypothesis‐driven research on the potential seasonality of neonatal seizures in a rat model of birth asphyxia. This commentary aims to raise awareness among the general scientific audience about the issues related to the presence of unintentional misinterpretation in published reports.

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Erwin Bünning and Wolfgang Engelmann: establishing the involvement of the circadian clock in photoperiodism

Helfrich-Förster

2024

J Comp Physiol A

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In 1936, Erwin Bünning published his groundbreaking work that the endogenous clock is used to measure day length for initiating photoperiodic responses. His publication triggered years of controversial debate until it ultimately became the basic axiom of rhythm research and the theoretical pillar of chronobiology. Bünning’s thesis is frequently quoted in the articles in this special issue on the subject of “A clock for all seasons”. However, nowadays only few people know in detail about Bünning’s experiments and almost nobody knows about the contribution of his former doctoral student, Wolfgang Engelmann, to his theory because most work on this topic is published in German. The aim of this review is to give an overview of the most important experiments at that time, including Wolfgang Engelmann’s doctoral thesis, in which he demonstrated the importance of the circadian clock for photoperiodic flower induction in the Flaming Katy, Kalanchoë blossfeldiana, but not in the Red Morning Glory, Ipomoea coccinea.

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Epigenetics and seasonal timing in animals: a concise review

Cited by 6 publications

References 74 publications

Gene expression shifts in Emperor penguin adaptation to the extreme Antarctic environment

Gene expression shifts in Emperor penguin adaptation to the extreme Antarctic environment

On hidden factors and design‐associated errors that may lead to data misinterpretation: An example from preclinical research on the potential seasonality of neonatal seizures

Erwin Bünning and Wolfgang Engelmann: establishing the involvement of the circadian clock in photoperiodism

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