Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), China West Normal University, Nanchong 637009, China.
Key Laboratory of Artificial Propagation and Utilization in Anurans of Nanchong City, China West Normal University, Nanchong 637009, China.
Int J Mol Sci. 2018 Aug 10;19(8):2363. doi: 10.3390/ijms19082363.
Hibernation is an effective energy conservation strategy that has been widely adopted by animals to cope with unpredictable environmental conditions. The liver, in particular, plays an important role in adaptive metabolic adjustment during hibernation. Mammalian studies have revealed that many genes involved in metabolism are differentially expressed during the hibernation period. However, the differentiation in global gene expression between active and torpid states in amphibians remains largely unknown. We analyzed gene expression in the liver of active and torpid Asiatic toads () using RNA-sequencing. In addition, we evaluated the differential expression of genes between females and males. A total of 1399 genes were identified as differentially expressed between active and torpid females. Of these, the expressions of 395 genes were significantly elevated in torpid females and involved genes responding to stresses, as well as contractile proteins. The expression of 1004 genes were significantly down-regulated in torpid females, most which were involved in metabolic depression and shifts in the energy utilization. Of the 715 differentially expressed genes between active and torpid males, 337 were up-regulated and 378 down-regulated. A total of 695 genes were differentially expressed between active females and males, of which 655 genes were significantly down-regulated in males. Similarly, 374 differentially expressed genes were identified between torpid females and males, with the expression of 252 genes (mostly contractile proteins) being significantly down-regulated in males. Our findings suggest that expression of many genes in the liver of are down-regulated during hibernation. Furthermore, there are marked sex differences in the levels of gene expression, with females showing elevated levels of gene expression as compared to males, as well as more marked down-regulation of gene-expression in torpid males than females.
冬眠是一种有效的节能策略，被广泛应用于动物以应对不可预测的环境条件。肝脏在冬眠期间的适应性代谢调节中起着重要作用。哺乳动物研究表明，许多参与代谢的基因在冬眠期间差异表达。然而，两栖动物活跃和休眠状态之间的整体基因表达差异在很大程度上仍不清楚。我们使用 RNA 测序分析了活跃和休眠的亚洲蟾蜍肝脏中的基因表达。此外，我们评估了基因在雌性和雄性之间的差异表达。在活跃和休眠的雌性亚洲蟾蜍之间共鉴定出 1399 个差异表达基因。其中，395 个基因在休眠雌性中显著上调，这些基因涉及应激反应以及收缩蛋白的基因。1004 个基因在休眠雌性中显著下调，这些基因大多参与代谢抑制和能量利用的转变。在活跃和休眠的雄性亚洲蟾蜍之间的 715 个差异表达基因中，337 个基因上调，378 个基因下调。在活跃雌性和雄性之间的 695 个差异表达基因中，655 个基因在雄性中显著下调。同样，在活跃和休眠的雌性亚洲蟾蜍之间鉴定出 374 个差异表达基因，其中 252 个基因（主要是收缩蛋白）在雄性中显著下调。我们的研究结果表明，许多基因在亚洲蟾蜍的肝脏中在冬眠期间下调。此外，基因表达水平存在明显的性别差异，与雄性相比，雌性的基因表达水平升高，而且休眠雄性的基因表达下调程度比雌性更为显著。
