Aug 2026· Biology· Vol 15, pp. 1273· 0 citations· 43 references
Medicine
TL;DR
Prolonged starvation in T. rosa involved coordinated temporal changes in metabolism, splenic function, and cellular maintenance, which revealed a coordinated temporal response involving metabolic adjustment, stage-dependent reorganization of splenic immune-related processes, and autophagy-associated cellular maintenance in T. rosa.
Abstract
Simple Summary Caves are dark, isolated, and food-poor habitats. Animals living in caves must therefore make careful use of limited energy to survive. The cavefish Triplophysa rosa lives in such an environment, but little is known about how it copes when food is unavailable for a long time. In this study, we combined growth measurements, liver and spleen histology, transcriptomic analysis, quantitative reverse transcription PCR, and transmission electron microscopy to examine T. rosa responses to 30, 60, and 90 days of starvation. Prolonged starvation reduced growth and liver reserve indicators and was accompanied by coordinated changes in metabolic gene expression. In the spleen, early immune-related transcriptional changes were followed by greater prominence of melano-macrophage centers, suggesting increasing involvement of cellular clearance and tissue maintenance during prolonged starvation. Autophagy-related gene expression and ultrastructural observations were consistent with increased involvement of intracellular recycling, which may support basic cellular maintenance during prolonged food deprivation. In summary, prolonged starvation in T. rosa involved coordinated temporal changes in metabolism, splenic function, and cellular maintenance. By providing an integrated characterization of prolonged starvation responses in a cave-restricted fish, this study may provide useful physiological information for future conservation and management studies of cave-dwelling species. Abstract Food scarcity is a major ecological challenge for cavefish; however, their coordinated physiological and molecular responses to prolonged starvation remain poorly understood. Here, we characterized the responses of Triplophysa rosa to 30, 60, and 90 days of food deprivation under controlled laboratory conditions by integrating growth measurements, histology, transcriptomics, quantitative reverse transcription PCR, and transmission electron microscopy. Starvation inhibited growth, reduced the condition factor and hepatosomatic index, and induced hepatocyte shrinkage, consistent with mobilization of hepatic energy reserves. Liver genes with declining temporal expression were enriched mainly in lipid biosynthesis, cholesterol metabolism, ribosomal function, and cell-cycle pathways, consistent with reduced biosynthetic activity. In the spleen, immune-related transcription increased during early starvation and declined at later stages, while the greater prominence of melano-macrophage centers was consistent with greater involvement of cellular clearance and tissue maintenance during prolonged starvation. Prolonged starvation also increased the expression of autophagy-related genes in the liver and spleen, and autophagy-related structures became more prominent in representative transmission electron microscopy images, consistent with increased involvement of intracellular recycling. Together, these findings reveal a coordinated temporal response involving metabolic adjustment, stage-dependent reorganization of splenic immune-related processes, and autophagy-associated cellular maintenance in T. rosa. This integrated approach improves our understanding of physiological maintenance during sustained nutrient limitation in cave-restricted fish.
Both gill and liver exhibited pronounced enrichment of lipid metabolism–related pathways—including steroid biosynthesis, fatty acid metabolism, glycerolipid metabolism, and fat digestion and absorption—accompanied by extensive upregulation of these genes, which are tightly associated with activation of the PPAR signaling pathway.
Jin-Li Wang, Yuting Duan, D. Gu et al.· Marine Biotechnology· 0 citations
Artificial light at night (ALAN), intensified by coastal urbanization, is an emerging threat to coastal ecosystems. We used the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis and its prey Phaeocystis globosa as a model predator-prey system to examine rotifer life-history traits, predator-prey dynamics, and transcriptomic responses under varying ALAN intensities. ALAN altered maturation timing without affecting lifespan, and it reduced fecundity, population growth, and clearance rate, thereby delaying the depletion of P. globosa. Transcriptomic and network analyses showed that rotifers exposed to ALAN exhibited altered expression of candidate regulatory genes, including cytoskeleton-associated protein 5 (ckap5) and Raf proto-oncogene, serine/threonine kinase (raf) family members. These changes were associated with a CKAP5-associated microtubule module, RAF/PKA-related signaling, reproductive and cell-cycle-related pathways, and FoxO/autophagy-associated cellular-maintenance processes. These molecular responses provide potential regulatory clues for interpreting the phenotypic changes observed under ALAN exposure. Our findings help evaluate the potential effects of ALAN on zooplankton performance, and provide a scientific basis for assessing the environmental risks of coastal light pollution.
Qingqing Yu, Tianyang Xu, Yiru Shen et al.· Environmental Science and Te...· 0 citations
Heat stress negatively affects the growth and health of fish. In this study, Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatilis) were exposed to control (18°C, CK) and heat stress (25°C, HS) conditions. Using liver transcriptomics and metabolomics in conjunction with physiological and biochemical indicators, we investigated the mechanisms underlying their thermal response. The results revealed that heat stress in P. fluviatilis led to liver cell damage, characterized by vacuolar degeneration and inflammatory cell infiltration. Heat stress caused a fluctuating decrease in superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, a significant reduction in catalase (CAT) activity (p < 0.05) and a transient increase in glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity at 24 h, followed by a sustained decrease. Malondialdehyde (MDA) content significantly increased in the later stages. Adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) activity exhibited phase-specific oscillations, and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content decreased overall, while lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity displayed complex time-dependent variations. In total, 536 significantly differentially expressed genes and 262 differentially abundant metabolites were identified through combined transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses. Integrated multi-omics analysis revealed that key pathways involved in the heat stress response include alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism; purine metabolism; mitophagy; autophagy and apoptosis; cyclic guanosine monophosphate-protein kinase G (cGMP-PKG) signalling; oestrogen signalling; and lipid metabolism-associated pathways. These findings indicate that acute heat stress induces hepatic oxidative damage, energy-metabolism disturbance and multiomics alterations in P. fluviatilis. This study provides a basis for understanding the hepatic responses of temperate freshwater fish to elevated temperatures.
Si Chen, Jiayi Wang, Zhigang Zhao et al.· Journal of Fish Biology· 0 citations
Aging can be experimentally induced in Hydra oligactis, making it an exception among the “immortal” cnidarian genus Hydra. In response to cold temperatures, H. oligactis polyps switch from asexual to “emergency” sexual reproduction and eventually age and die. We used GC–MS‐based metabolite profiling to characterize cold‐induced (CI) metabolic reprogramming during concurrent sexual differentiation and aging in H. oligactis. Metabolites in four clusters either decreased or increased progressively until week 8, when animals were severely aged, whereas others peaked at sexual maturity after 4–6 weeks. At week 4, signatures of failing cytoprotection and neurotransmitter function appeared in both sexes, including a drastic reduction of taurine, whose deficiency is a known driver of aging in other organisms. Taurine supplementation partly reversed interstitial stem cell loss during the first 2 weeks of cold induction and subsequent sexual differentiation. Metabolites in the NAD+ synthesis and salvage pathways, such as picolinate and niacin, also declined. Changes in pyruvate and TCA cycle intermediates indicated increased energy demands associated with both gametogenesis and aging. Urate, the final oxidation product of purine metabolism, showed the highest fold‐change, peaking at sexual maturity in both sexes and remaining elevated. The abundance of most purine and pyrimidine bases also increased, in line with nucleotide cleavage by apoptosis, as part of gametogenesis and aging. Sexual maturity was clearly reflected by high levels of polyamines, such as putrescine, cadaverine, and 3‐hydroxybutyrate, required for spermatogenesis. Our study reveals metabolic processes related to gametogenesis and aging and highlights differences between female and male metabolism.
Nicki Marami-Zonouz, E. Arc, Thomas Roach et al.· Aging Cell· 0 citations
Diatoms, the core contributors to marine primary productivity, are threatened by rising concentrations of triazine herbicides. However, whether and how diatoms could adapt to such stress remains unclear. Here, we experimentally examined the physiological and metabolic responses of a model diatom species Phaeodactylum tricornutum to atrazine under short-term (∼50 generations) and long-term (∼920 generations) selection. Under short-term exposure, cells sustained their energy supply via ubiquitin‑proteasome‑mediated protein degradation, leading to a temporary increase in tolerance to atrazine; however, this process was accompanied by oxidative stress and cell cycle arrest at the G₂/M phase. After long-term exposure, the population showed heritable tolerance accompanied by coordinated transcriptomic, metabolomic, enzymatic, and physiological changes. And these changes were consistent with enhanced cyclic electron transport, putative malate/oxaloacetate-mediated redox balancing and photorespiration, and coordinated modulation of the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway and fatty acid metabolism. Nevertheless, such tolerance acquisition under long-term exposure incurred phenotypic trade‑offs, including reduced cell size and decreased particulate organic carbon/nitrogen (POC/PON) content, thereby impairing the ecosystem services provided by diatoms. This study indicates that diatoms could develop long-term tolerance to triazine herbicide stress through a two-phase response strategy, with systemic cross-organellar energy coordination (chloroplast-mitochondria crosstalk) and redox-balancing metabolic cycling serving as the coordinated physiological processes underlying heritable tolerance.
Yunsheng Wang, Y. Chen, Zhengmao Li et al.· Journal of Hazardous Materia...· 0 citations
Simple Summary Macrobrachium rosenbergii is an economically important species in freshwater aquaculture. However, climate change and rising sea levels are causing sudden increases in salt levels in farming areas, threatening their survival and regional economies. This study aimed to understand the internal survival strategies of adult prawns when exposed to sudden high salt conditions over a two-day period. By examining the active genes and metabolites in the prawns, researchers discovered that the animals shift from a quick stress response to a systemic physical adjustment. The results showed that to survive the salty environment, the prawns activate internal cell cleaning and repair systems while changing how they use fats and energy. Most importantly, they use a unique strategy to reduce the breakdown of specific amino acids, retaining these molecules to balance the intense outside salt pressure. In conclusion, these prawns survive extreme salt stress by combining cellular protection with a metabolite saving strategy. This research not only decodes the survival mechanisms of these prawns but also provides a basis for breeding salt-resistant varieties, helping the aquaculture industry better address the practical challenges posed by climate change.
Yan Xia, Zhonghong Li, Xudong Shen et al.· Biology· 0 citations