Hibernation patterns of Turkish hamsters: influence of sex and ambient temperature.

Turkish hamsters (Mesocricetus brandti) are a model organism for studies of hibernation, yet a detailed account of their torpor characteristics has not been undertaken. This study employed continuous telemetric monitoring of body temperature (T(b)) in hibernating male and female Turkish hamsters at ambient temperatures (T(a)s) of 5 and 13 °C to precisely characterize torpor bout depth, duration, and frequency, as well as rates of entry into and arousal from torpor. Hamsters generated brief intervals of short (<12 h), shallow test bouts (T(b) > 20 °C), followed by deep torpor bouts lasting 4-6 days at T(a) = 5 °C and 2-3 days at T(a) = 13 °C. Females at T(a) = 5 °C had longer bouts than males, but maintained higher torpor T(b); there were no sex differences at T(a) = 13 °C. Neither body mass loss nor food intake differed between the two T(a)s. Hamsters entered torpor primarily during the scotophase (subjective night), but timing of arousals was highly variable. Hamsters at both T (a)s generated short, shallow torpor bouts between deep bouts, suggesting that this species may be capable of both hibernation and daily torpor.

The effects of day length, hibernation, and ambient temperature on incisor dentin in the Turkish hamster (Mesocricetus brandti).

Dentin is deposited on a circadian basis, and daily layers manifest as bands on the medial surfaces of rodent incisors. Hibernation alters dentin deposition, and a distinct hibernation mark has been described on incisor surfaces of several rodent species; the factors that influence the morphology of this mark are poorly understood. We tested the effects of day length, torpor expression, and ambient temperature on incisor surface morphology in Turkish hamsters housed in one of four conditions: long days (LDs) at 22 °C, short days (SDs) at 22 °C, SDs at 5 °C, and SDs at 13 °C. Body temperature was monitored continuously with implanted radio transmitters, and teeth examined postmortem. Teeth of SD hamsters had narrower, less distinct circadian increments than those of LD hamsters, but the width of ultradian increments was similar in both photoperiods. Hibernation at both 5 and 13 °C was associated in most specimens with very narrow, sharply defined dentin increments and increased tooth heterogeneity. Hamsters in SDs at 5 °C that did not hibernate lacked characteristic hibernation increments. At 5 °C, but not 13 °C, the number and cumulative width of hibernation increments were related to number and cumulative duration of periodic arousals. Our results suggest that incremental deposition of dentin in rodent incisors may be a useful trait for characterizing hibernation behavior in both evolutionary and historical contexts.

Influence of pelage insulation and ambient temperature on energy intake and growth of juvenile Siberian hamsters.

Both growth and thermoregulation are energetically costly, and many studies implicate an energetic tradeoff between them. Moreover, fur is known to ameliorate thermoregulatory costs in adult mammals, but its role in maintaining energy balance during growth is unclear. This study tested for an energetic tradeoff between growth and thermoregulation in juvenile Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus) and the effect of an insulative pelage on intrinsic growth rate. Hamsters weaned at 18 days of age and left fully furred or deprived of all dorsal fur by shaving at 20 days of age, were housed at 10 degrees C or 23 degrees C. Body mass, length, and food consumption were measured until hamsters were 35 days old. Thermal challenge, whether by low ambient temperature or shaving, resulted in increased food intake and decreased efficiency at converting food into body mass. Body mass and length were not affected by the thermal challenges. These results suggest that there is no mandatory tradeoff between growth and thermoregulation in this species, particularly when food is in abundant supply. Although fur was not necessary for normal growth to proceed, it ameliorated energetic costs associated with thermoregulation, and may play a role in maintaining energy balance under conditions of limited food availability.

An amino acid polymorphism in the couch potato gene forms the basis for climatic adaptation in Drosophila melanogaster.

Diapause is the classic adaptation to seasonality in arthropods, and its expression can result in extreme lifespan extension as well as enhanced resistance to environmental challenges. Little is known about the underlying evolutionary genetic architecture of diapause in any organism. Drosophila melanogaster exhibits a reproductive diapause that is variable within and among populations; the incidence of diapause increases with more temperate climates and has significant pleiotropic effects on a number of life history traits. Using quantitative trait mapping, we identified the RNA-binding protein encoding gene couch potato (cpo) as a major genetic locus determining diapause phenotype in D. melanogaster and independently confirmed this ability to impact diapause expression through genetic complementation mapping. By sequencing this gene in samples from natural populations we demonstrated through linkage association that variation for the diapause phenotype is caused by a single Lys/Ile substitution in one of the six cpo transcripts. Complementation analyses confirmed that the identified amino acid variants are functionally distinct with respect to diapause expression, and the polymorphism also shows geographic variation that closely mirrors the known latitudinal cline in diapause incidence. Our results suggest that a naturally occurring amino acid polymorphism results in the variable expression of a diapause syndrome that is associated with the seasonal persistence of this model organism in temperate habitats.

The diphthamide modification on elongation factor-2 renders mammalian cells resistant to ricin.

Diphthamide is a post-translational derivative of histidine in protein synthesis elongation factor-2 (eEF-2) that is present in all eukaryotes with no known normal physiological role. Five proteins Dph1-Dph5 are required for the biosynthesis of diphthamide. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells mutated in the biosynthetic genes lack diphthamide and are resistant to bacterial toxins such as diphtheria toxin. We found that diphthamide-deficient cultured cells were threefold more sensitive than their parental cells towards ricin, a ribosome-inactivating protein (RIP). RIPs bind to ribosomes at the same site as eEF-2 and cleave the large ribosomal RNA, inhibiting translation and causing cell death. We hypothesized that one role of diphthamide may be to protect ribosomes, and therefore all eukaryotic life forms, from RIPs, which are widely distributed in nature. A protective role of diphthamide against ricin was further demonstrated by complementation where dph mutant CHO cells transfected with the corresponding DPH gene acquired increased resistance to ricin in comparison with the control-transfected cells, and resembled the parental CHO cells in their response to the toxin. These data show that the presence of diphthamide in eEF-2 provides protection against ricin and suggest the hypothesis that diphthamide may have evolved to provide protection against RIPs.