The infrequently feeding Burmese python (Python molurus) experiences significant and rapid postprandial cardiac hypertrophy followed by regression as digestion is completed. To begin to explore the molecular mechanisms of this response, we have sequenced and assembled the fasted and postfed Burmese python heart transcriptomes with Illumina technology using the chicken (Gallus gallus) genome as a reference. In addition, we have used RNA-seq analysis to identify differences in the expression of biological processes and signaling pathways between fasted, 1 day postfed (DPF), and 3 DPF hearts. Out of a combined transcriptome of ∼2,800 mRNAs, 464 genes were differentially expressed. Genes showing differential expression at 1 DPF compared with fasted were enriched for biological processes involved in metabolism and energetics, while genes showing differential expression at 3 DPF compared with fasted were enriched for processes involved in biogenesis, structural remodeling, and organization. Moreover, we present evidence for the activation of physiological and not pathological signaling pathways in this rapid, novel model of cardiac growth in pythons. Together, our data provide the first comprehensive gene expression profile for a reptile heart.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3026562 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/physiolgenomics.00162.2010 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Navigating new threats: Prey naïveté in native mammals.
J Anim Ecol
January 2025
University of Florida, Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
Invasive predators pose a substantial threat to global biodiversity. Native prey species frequently exhibit naïveté to the cues of invasive predators, and this phenomenon may contribute to the disproportionate impact of invasive predators on prey populations. However, not all species exhibit naïveté, which has led to the generation of many hypotheses to explain patterns in prey responses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDevelopment of a Tetraplex Digital PCR Assay for the Detection of Invasive Snake Species in Florida, USA.
Ecol Evol
November 2024
Department of Entomology and Nematology, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center University of Florida Davie Florida USA.
Article Synopsis
- Florida has over 500 non-native species, primarily reptiles, with more than 50 invasive species significantly impacting the environment and public health.
- Invasive constrictor snakes are a major focus due to their effective establishment and negative effects on native species and ecosystem restoration efforts.
- A new tetraplex dPCR assay has been developed for better detection of four invasive constrictor snake species, showing high sensitivity for monitoring with eDNA from soil and water samples.
High Prevalence of Sarcocystis in a Collapsed Black Rat (Rattus rattus) Population from the Florida Keys.
J Wildl Dis
October 2024
Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, 1745 McCarty Drive, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA.
Article Synopsis
- Researchers in Key Largo, Florida, studied black rats to explore the impact of diseases or parasites on their declining population, discovering that 94% of the sampled rats were infected with Sarcocystis sp.
- The identified strain of Sarcocystis was closely related to a newly described parasite, Sarcocystis kani, which primarily uses Asian snakes as hosts and affects rodents.
- The increase of invasive Burmese pythons in the area likely contributes to the spread of this parasite and adds predation pressure on local wildlife, highlighting the need for ongoing monitoring and studies on parasites affecting both snakes and rodents in south Florida.
Regression of postprandial cardiac hypertrophy in burmese pythons is mediated by FoxO1.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
October 2024
Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309.
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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProportional increment of oxygen consumption, heart rate and core body temperature in the digesting Python bivittatus.
J Exp Biol
October 2024
Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Universitetsparken, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
The Burmese python has a remarkable digestive physiology with large elevations of metabolic rate and heart rate following feeding. Here, we investigated the relationship between heart rate, oxygen consumption and core body temperature during digestion in five pythons (Python bivittatus) by implantation of data loggers. The snakes were placed in respirometers at 30±0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!