Convergent changes in muscle metabolism depend on duration of high-altitude ancestry across Andean waterfowl
High-altitude environments require that animals meet the metabolic O2 demands for locomotion and thermogenesis in O2-thin air, but the degree to which convergent metabolic changes have arisen across independent high-altitude lineages or the speed at which such changes arise is unclear. We examined s...
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eLife Sciences Publications Ltd
2020-07-01
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| Series: | eLife |
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| Online Access: | https://elifesciences.org/articles/56259 |
| _version_ | 1828203312896278528 |
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| author | Neal J Dawson Luis Alza Gabriele Nandal Graham R Scott Kevin G McCracken |
| author_facet | Neal J Dawson Luis Alza Gabriele Nandal Graham R Scott Kevin G McCracken |
| author_sort | Neal J Dawson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | High-altitude environments require that animals meet the metabolic O2 demands for locomotion and thermogenesis in O2-thin air, but the degree to which convergent metabolic changes have arisen across independent high-altitude lineages or the speed at which such changes arise is unclear. We examined seven high-altitude waterfowl that have inhabited the Andes (3812–4806 m elevation) over varying evolutionary time scales, to elucidate changes in biochemical pathways of energy metabolism in flight muscle relative to low-altitude sister taxa. Convergent changes across high-altitude taxa included increased hydroxyacyl-coA dehydrogenase and succinate dehydrogenase activities, decreased lactate dehydrogenase, pyruvate kinase, creatine kinase, and cytochrome c oxidase activities, and increased myoglobin content. ATP synthase activity increased in only the longest established high-altitude taxa, whereas hexokinase activity increased in only newly established taxa. Therefore, changes in pathways of lipid oxidation, glycolysis, and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation are common strategies to cope with high-altitude hypoxia, but some changes require longer evolutionary time to arise. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T12:03:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-794e9188d0404fd48dfdbf6c1c989f20 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2050-084X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T12:03:32Z |
| publishDate | 2020-07-01 |
| publisher | eLife Sciences Publications Ltd |
| record_format | Article |
| series | eLife |
| spelling | doaj.art-794e9188d0404fd48dfdbf6c1c989f202022-12-22T03:33:46ZengeLife Sciences Publications LtdeLife2050-084X2020-07-01910.7554/eLife.56259Convergent changes in muscle metabolism depend on duration of high-altitude ancestry across Andean waterfowlNeal J Dawson0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5389-8692Luis Alza1Gabriele Nandal2Graham R Scott3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4225-7475Kevin G McCracken4Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada; Department of Biology University of Miami, Coral Gables, United StatesDepartment of Biology University of Miami, Coral Gables, United States; University of Alaska Museum and Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, United States; Centro de Ornitología y Biodiversidad - CORBIDI, Lima, PeruDepartment of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, CanadaDepartment of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, CanadaDepartment of Biology University of Miami, Coral Gables, United States; University of Alaska Museum and Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, United States; Centro de Ornitología y Biodiversidad - CORBIDI, Lima, Peru; Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Miami, Miami, United States; Human Genetics and Genomics, Hussman Institute for Human Genomics, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, United StatesHigh-altitude environments require that animals meet the metabolic O2 demands for locomotion and thermogenesis in O2-thin air, but the degree to which convergent metabolic changes have arisen across independent high-altitude lineages or the speed at which such changes arise is unclear. We examined seven high-altitude waterfowl that have inhabited the Andes (3812–4806 m elevation) over varying evolutionary time scales, to elucidate changes in biochemical pathways of energy metabolism in flight muscle relative to low-altitude sister taxa. Convergent changes across high-altitude taxa included increased hydroxyacyl-coA dehydrogenase and succinate dehydrogenase activities, decreased lactate dehydrogenase, pyruvate kinase, creatine kinase, and cytochrome c oxidase activities, and increased myoglobin content. ATP synthase activity increased in only the longest established high-altitude taxa, whereas hexokinase activity increased in only newly established taxa. Therefore, changes in pathways of lipid oxidation, glycolysis, and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation are common strategies to cope with high-altitude hypoxia, but some changes require longer evolutionary time to arise.https://elifesciences.org/articles/56259birdshigh-altitude adaptationhypoxiaenergy metabolismmyoglobinmuscle energetics |
| spellingShingle | Neal J Dawson Luis Alza Gabriele Nandal Graham R Scott Kevin G McCracken Convergent changes in muscle metabolism depend on duration of high-altitude ancestry across Andean waterfowl eLife birds high-altitude adaptation hypoxia energy metabolism myoglobin muscle energetics |
| title | Convergent changes in muscle metabolism depend on duration of high-altitude ancestry across Andean waterfowl |
| title_full | Convergent changes in muscle metabolism depend on duration of high-altitude ancestry across Andean waterfowl |
| title_fullStr | Convergent changes in muscle metabolism depend on duration of high-altitude ancestry across Andean waterfowl |
| title_full_unstemmed | Convergent changes in muscle metabolism depend on duration of high-altitude ancestry across Andean waterfowl |
| title_short | Convergent changes in muscle metabolism depend on duration of high-altitude ancestry across Andean waterfowl |
| title_sort | convergent changes in muscle metabolism depend on duration of high altitude ancestry across andean waterfowl |
| topic | birds high-altitude adaptation hypoxia energy metabolism myoglobin muscle energetics |
| url | https://elifesciences.org/articles/56259 |
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