Regression of postprandial cardiac hypertrophy in burmese pythons is mediated by FoxO1.

As ambush-hunting predators that consume large prey after long intervals of fasting, Burmese pythons evolved with unique adaptations for modulating organ structure and function. Among these is cardiac hypertrophy that develops within three days following a meal (Andersen et al., 2005, Secor, 2008), which we previously showed was initiated by circulating growth factors (Riquelme et al.

Molecular regulation of reversible cardiac remodeling: lessons from species with extreme physiological adaptations.

Some vertebrates evolved to have a remarkable capacity for anatomical and physiological plasticity in response to environmental challenges. One example of such plasticity can be found in the ambush-hunting snakes of the genus Python, which exhibit reversible cardiac growth with feeding. The predation strategy employed by pythons is associated with months-long fasts that are arrested by ingestion of large prey.

Postprandial cardiac hypertrophy is sustained by mechanics, epigenetic, and metabolic reprogramming in pythons.

Constricting pythons, known for their ability to consume infrequent, massive meals, exhibit rapid and reversible cardiac hypertrophy following feeding. Our primary goal was to investigate how python hearts achieve this adaptive response after feeding. Isolated myofibrils increased force after feeding without changes in sarcomere ultrastructure and without increasing energy cost.

Hearts apart: sex differences in cardiac remodeling in health and disease.

Biological sex is an important modifier of physiology and influences pathobiology in many diseases. While heart disease is the number one cause of death worldwide in both men and women, sex differences exist at the organ and cellular scales, affecting clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment. In this Review, we highlight baseline sex differences in cardiac structure, function, and cellular signaling and discuss the contribution of sex hormones and chromosomes to these characteristics.