Low cost of gastric acid secretion during digestion in ball pythons

Nørgaard, Simon; Andreassen, Kim Vietz; Malte, Christian Lind; Enok, Sanne; Wang, Tobias

doi:10.1016/j.cbpa.2016.01.003

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…This strongly indicates that the enzymatic machinery for gastric acid secretion is maintained during fasting, a trait that may enable fast activation of acid secretion, at modest energetic expenditure, to kill bacteria and match gastric pH to the optimum value for pepsin. This interpretation is consistent with a number of recent studies indicating a rather modest contribution of gastric acid secretion to the specific dynamic action (SDA) response in pythons [ 41 , 42 ], but we also did observe a high prevalence of ATP synthase subunits (Fig. 4 ) amongst the highly upregulated genes, which does indicate a rise in aerobic metabolism (see also Supplementary Fig.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…It has been proposed that gastric processes account for more than half of the rise in total metabolism during digestion [ 38 ], and aerobic metabolism of isolated gastric strips in vitro increased during digestion [ 43 ]. However, while metabolism of the stomach certainly must increase during the postprandial period, more recent studies indicate a considerably smaller contribution of gastric acid secretion to the total SDA response, meaning that gastric acid comprises considerably less than 50% of the SDA [ 41 , 42 , 44 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Instead, pepsins, homologous to pepsins among other species, digest the intact swallowed prey. As in other vertebrates, pythons have a low gastric pH during digestion [ 38 , 42 ], and it is likely that these pepsins variants are among the most effective and aggressive pepsins identified so far; our sequence information facilitate future cloning, expression, and characterization of these potentially industrial relevant enzymes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Transcriptome analysis of the response of Burmese python to digestion

Duan

Sanggaard

Schauser³

et al. 2017

GigaScience

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Exceptional and extreme feeding behaviour makes the Burmese python (Python bivittatus) an interesting model to study physiological remodelling and metabolic adaptation in response to refeeding after prolonged starvation. In this study, we used transcriptome sequencing of 5 visceral organs during fasting as well as 24 hours and 48 hours after ingestion of a large meal to unravel the postprandial changes in Burmese pythons. We first used the pooled data to perform a de novo assembly of the transcriptome and supplemented this with a proteomic survey of enzymes in the plasma and gastric fluid. We constructed a high-quality transcriptome with 34 423 transcripts, of which 19 713 (57%) were annotated. Among highly expressed genes (fragments per kilo base per million sequenced reads > 100 in 1 tissue), we found that the transition from fasting to digestion was associated with differential expression of 43 genes in the heart, 206 genes in the liver, 114 genes in the stomach, 89 genes in the pancreas, and 158 genes in the intestine. We interrogated the function of these genes to test previous hypotheses on the response to feeding. We also used the transcriptome to identify 314 secreted proteins in the gastric fluid of the python. Digestion was associated with an upregulation of genes related to metabolic processes, and translational changes therefore appear to support the postprandial rise in metabolism. We identify stomach-related proteins from a digesting individual and demonstrate that the sensitivity of modern liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry equipment allows the identification of gastric juice proteins that are present during digestion.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Transcriptome analysis of the response of Burmese python to digestion

Duan

Sanggaard

Schauser³

et al. 2017

GigaScience

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“…The pH values of 1-2 found in the bearded dragons' stomachs remained constant throughout the day. These values are similar to those reported with the low values Nørgaard et al [22] discovered in ball pythons suggesting that reptiles in general may have a comparably low pH during digestion. This low pH represents a highly effective natural defence mechanism against pathogens ingested with the food.…”

Section: Gastric Ph Of Bearded Dragons -Determination and Adjustmentsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…To the authors' knowledge, there are no studies available on the physiological pH nor on drug adjustment of the gastric pH in lizards. Nørgaard et al [22] measured pH values in ball pythons ( Python regius) during digestion and recorded gastric pH of 2-3 24 and 48 hours after feeding. In comparison, snakes and agamid lizards have completely different feeding physiologies, though.…”

Section: Gastric Ph Of Bearded Dragons -Determination and Adjustmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

The use of a salmonella bacteriophage in bearded dragons: application, passage time and reisolation

Renfert¹,

Rabsch

Fruth

et al. 2019

Tierarztl Prax Ausg K

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Objective This study determined the passage time and phage propagation time of a salmonella specific phage, Felix O1, in bearded dragons, based on reisolation from cloacal swabs and faecal samples following oral administration, as a possible tool for reducing the zoonotic risk of salmonella from pet reptiles. An application scheme for this phage in bearded dragons was developed. Material and methods Ten healthy bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) were used in the study. The pH tolerance of the phage was tested and drugs were used to evaluate their influence on the gastric pH of the reptiles. After pH adjustment, the phage was administered orally for 12 consecutive days. Over 60 days, swabs were taken from the cloaca and examined for the presence of phages using culture and PCR. Furthermore, faecal samples were collected for phage quantification. Results Felix O1 displayed no activity at pH below 2.8. A calcium- and magnesium carbonate buffer induced an appropriate gastric pH increase for 30 minutes. Phages were reisolated for up to 24 days (mean shedding: 19 days) after last administration. Titres between 105 and 107 plaque forming units/g faeces were detected. The animals did not show any clinical signs related to phage application. Conclusion and clinical relevance The study provides first results on oral administration, passage time, and reisolation of a phage in reptiles. It could be shown that the phage was able to replicate in the intestine, and was shed for a prolonged period and therefore could potentially contribute to a reduction of salmonella shedding.

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