黑线仓鼠的BMR个体差异及其应对高脂食物的能量学对策

为探讨高脂食物对小型哺乳动物能量代谢的影响及其与基础代谢率(Basal metabolic rate, BMR)的关系,将成年雌性黑线仓鼠(Cricetulus barabensis)分为高、低BMR组,每组再随机分为低脂、高脂食物组,驯化6周后,测定体重、摄入能和代谢率,以及消化酶活力、褐色脂肪组织(Brown adipose tissue, BAT)和主要内脏器官与肌肉的细胞色素c氧化酶(Cytochrome c oxidase, COX)活性、解偶联蛋白(Uncoupling protein, UCP) mRNA表达等。结果显示,高脂食物对高、低BMR组动物体重均无显著影响。与低脂食物组相比,高脂食物组的摄食量、摄入能和消化能显著下降,小肠脂肪酶活力显著增强,消化率明显增加,但高、低BMR组的组间差异不显著。夜间代谢水平显著高于昼间,高脂食物使高BMR组的夜间代谢率显著升高。BAT、肌肉和内脏器官COX活性不受高脂食物的影响,高、低BMR组的组间差异也不显著。高脂食物组仅肝脏UCP2表达显著上调。结果表明,能量摄入和消化系统形态及功能的可塑性调节是黑线仓鼠应对高脂食物的主要策略;黑线仓鼠的代谢率具有显著的昼夜节律,既受高脂食物的影响,也与动物自身的BMR水平有关,但UCP表达具有组织特异性,这可能不是导致BMR个体差异的因素。     

Altitudinal Variation in Digestive Tract Lengh in Feirana quadranus

Selective pressures favor variation in organ size in response to environmental changes and evolutionary process. In particular, changes in environmental temperature and rainfall at different altitudes often affect food resources, thereby mediating energy intake and allocation. The digestive tract provided a functional relationship between energy intake and allocation, of which gut morphology was associated with diet changes and food quality under different environments. Here we studied altitudinal variation in the digestive tract across four Feirana quadranus populations and tested the hypothesis that relative size of digestive tract should increase with increasing altitude. The results showed that although significant variation in length of the digestive tract was observed in females among populations, altitudinal variation in relative length of digestive tract or gut was non-significant. In addition, the digestive tract length was not correlated with temperature and precipitation across the four populations. Our findings suggest that individuals living in low-temperature and-precipitation populations at high altitudes did not display longer digestive tract than high temperature and precipitation populations at low altitudes, possibly because of small populations or sample sizes.     

Digestive constraints on an aquatic carnivore: effects of feeding frequency and prey composition on harbor seals

We hypothesized that increased feeding frequency in captive harbor seals would increase nutrient loads and thus reduce retention time and the digestive efficiency of natural prey. We measured daily feed intake and excretion during 6 feeding trials and fed herring (49% lipid), pollock (22% lipid) or an equal mix of each diet over 24 months. Animals were accustomed to feeding at either high or low frequency. Body mass and intake did not vary with season. Although mean retention times were similar between diets and feeding frequencies, solute and particulate digesta markers separated at high feeding frequency. Consistent dry matter digestibility resulted in greater gut fill from pollock than from herring. Digestible energy intakes from pollock were approximately 25% greater than from either herring or the mixed diet. Lipid digestibility of herring declined from 90% to 50% when lipid intake exceeded 60 g kg^–0.75 day^–1. Our hypothesis of a trade-off between intake and digestion was not supported for protein but was supported for lipid. Results of this study imply that a flexible digestive system for harbor seals can compensate for ingesting prey of lower energy density by increasing gut fill and enhancing protein and lipid assimilation, to sustain digestible energy intake.Abbreviations DM dry matter - DEI digestible energy intake - DIT diet-induced thermogenesis - FF feeding frequency - MRT mean retention time Communicated by: G. Heldmaier     

Ecological and Geographical Reasons for the Variation of Digestive Tract Length in Anurans

Changes of environmental conditions can shape organs size evolution in animal kingdoms. In particular, environmental changes lead to difference in food resources between different habitats, thereby affecting individual's energy intake and allocation. The digestive theory states that animals consuming food with low contents of digestible materials should result in increasing gut length. In this study, to test the hypothesis of digestive theory, we studied ecological and geographical reasons for variation in digestive tract length among 35 species of anurans distributing in different altitude and latitude. The results showed that ecological type significantly affected digestive tract length among species, with aquatic and terrestrial species having longer digestive tract than arboreal ones. Latitude was positively correlated with digestive tract length. However, altitude, as well as monthly mean temperature and precipitation, did not correlate with digestive tract length among species. Our findings suggest that aquatic and terrestrial species might forage less digestible materials than arboreal species, thereby displaying relatively longer digestive tract than arboreal species.     

Spare capacity and phenotypic flexibility in the digestive system of a migratory bird: defining the limits of animal design

Flexible phenotypes enable animals to live in environments that change over space and time, and knowing the limits to and the required time scale for this flexibility provides insights into constraints on energy and nutrient intake, diet diversity and niche width. We quantified the level of immediate and ultimate spare capacity, and thus the extent of phenotypic flexibility, in the digestive system of a migratory bird in response to increased energy demand, and identified the digestive constraints responsible for the limits on sustained energy intake. Immediate spare capacity decreased from approximately 50% for birds acclimated to relatively benign temperatures to less than 20% as birds approached their maximum sustainable energy intake. Ultimate spare capacity enabled an increase in feeding rate of approximately 126% as measured in birds acclimated for weeks at −29°C compared with +21°C. Increased gut size and not tissue-specific differences in nutrient uptake or changes in digestive efficiency or retention time were primarily responsible for this increase in capacity with energy demand, and this change required more than 1–2 days. Thus, the pace of change in digestive organ size may often constrain energy intake and, for birds, retard the pace of their migration.     

The influence of natural diet composition, food intake level, and body size on ingesta passage in primates

An important component of digestive physiology involves ingesta mean retention time (MRT), which describes the time available for digestion. At least three different variables have been proposed to influence MRT in herbivorous mammals: body mass, diet type, and food intake (dry matter intake, DMI). To investigate which of these parameters influences MRT in primates, we collated data for 19 species from trials where both MRT and DMI were measured in captivity, and acquired data on the composition of the natural diet from the literature. We ran comparative tests using both raw species values and phylogenetically independent contrasts. MRT was not significantly associated with body mass, but there was a significant correlation between MRT and relative DMI (rDMI, g/kg(0.75)/d). MRT was also significantly correlated with diet type indices. Thus, both rDMI and diet type were better predictors of MRT than body mass. The rDMI-MRT relationship suggests that primate digestive differentiation occurs along a continuum between an "efficiency" (low intake, long MRT, high fiber digestibility) and an "intake" (high intake, short MRT, low fiber digestibility) strategy. Whereas simple-stomached (hindgut fermenting) species can be found along the whole continuum, foregut fermenters appear limited to the "efficiency" approach.     

Behavioral Energetics of Lactation in a Herbivorous Carnivore,the Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens)

In most mammals, the energetic costs of lactation significantly increase a female's daily energy requirements. Previous research indicates that such energetic costs may be met through changes in increased food consumption ranging from around 35 % to 150 %. In this paper, changes in food intake during lactation are measured in the red panda (Ailurus fulgens), a species of the order Carnivora which possesses a digestive system suited for a carnivorous diet but yet exclusively feeds on bamboo. Four feeding characteristics were studied: duration of feeding bouts, number of bamboo leaves consumed per mouthful, number of bamboo leaves consumed per minute, and interval between mouthfuls of bamboo. In three lactating females, three of four feeding behaviors significantly increased up to 200 % above the rate observed during non-lactation. Males showed no change in feeding behavior during the same reproductive months with identical available foods. Red pandas appear to suffer a more severe energetic cost during lactation (at least with respect to food consumption) than other mammals previously studied. This may relate to their inefficient digestive capacity to process a herbivorous diet of bamboo. The data presented here suggest that general discussions of the relative costs of reproduction and in turn parental investment should include a female's relative digestive efficiency during stressful reproductive periods.     

Meta-analysis of feed intake and growth responses of growing pigs after a sanitary challenge

Sanitary challenges negatively affect feed intake and growth, leading to a negative impact on animal well-being and economic losses. The aim of this study was to carry out a meta-analysis to quantify the dynamic feed intake and growth responses of growing pigs after a sanitary challenge. A database was constructed using 122 published experiments reporting the average daily feed intake (ADFI) and the average daily gain (ADG) of pigs subjected to one of six sanitary challenges: digestive bacterial infections, poor housing conditions, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenges, mycotoxicoses, parasitic infections and respiratory diseases. The responses to experimental challenges were calculated relative to that of a control group. Statistical analyses were carried out for each challenge to quantify the mean and the dynamic responses in feed intake and growth and to identify the basis of the reduction in growth (i.e. reduction in feed intake or reduction in feed efficiency related to changes in maintenance requirements). All challenges resulted in a reduction in ADFI and ADG, with the strongest responses for mycotoxicoses, respiratory diseases and digestive bacterial infections (8% to 23% reduction in ADFI and 16% to 29% reduction in ADG). The reduction in ADG was linearly related to the reduction in ADFI for digestive bacterial infections, LPS challenge, parasitic infections and respiratory diseases. For poor housing conditions and mycotoxicoses, the relationship was curvilinear. A 10% reduction in ADFI resulted in a reduction in ADG varying from 10% for mycotoxicoses to 43% for digestive bacterial infections. More than 70% of the reduction in ADG could be explained by the reduction in ADFI for mycotoxicoses, LPS challenge and respiratory diseases. For challenges associated with the gastrointestinal tract, a large part of the reduction in ADG was due to an increase in maintenance requirements, suggesting digestive and metabolic changes. A dynamic pattern in the reduction in feed intake and growth rate could be identified for digestive bacterial infections, mycotoxicoses and respiratory diseases. For digestive bacterial infections and mycotoxicoses, pigs did not fully recover from the challenge during the experimental period. The results of this study can be used to quantify the effects of a sanitary challenge in growth models of pigs.     

Intake, growth and carcass traits in male progeny of sires differing in genetic merit for beef production

Validation of economic indexes under a controlled experimental environment, can aid in their acceptance and use as breeding tools to increase herd profitability. The objective of this study was to compare intake, growth and carcass traits in bull and steer progeny of high and low ranking sires, for genetic merit in an economic index. The Beef Carcass Index (BCI; expressed in euro (€) and based on weaning weight, feed intake, carcass weight, carcass conformation and fat scores) was generated by the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation as a tool to compare animals on genetic merit for the expected profitability of their progeny at slaughter. A total of 107 male suckler herd progeny, from 22 late-maturing 'continental' beef sires of high (n = 11) or low (n = 11) BCI were compared under either a bull or steer production system, and slaughtered at approximately 16 and 24 months of age, respectively. All progeny were purchased after weaning at approximately 6 to 8 months of age. Dry matter (DM) intake and live-weight gain in steer progeny offered grazed grass or grass silage alone, did not differ between the two genetic groups. Similarly, DM intake and feed efficiency did not differ between genetic groups during an ad libitum concentrate-finishing period on either production system. Carcasses of progeny of high BCI sires were 14 kg heavier (P < 0.05) than those of low BCI sires. In a series of regression analyses, increasing sire BCI resulted in increases in carcass weight (P < 0.01) and carcass conformation (P = 0.051) scores, and decreases in carcass fat (P < 0.001) scores, but had no effect on weaning weight or DM intake of the progeny. Each unit increase in sire expected progeny difference led to an increase in progeny weaning weight, DM intake, carcass weight, carcass conformation score and carcass fat score of 1.0 (s.e. = 0.53) kg, 1.1 (s.e. = 0.32) kg, 1.3 (s.e. = 0.31) kg, 0.9 (s.e. = 0.32; scale 1 to 15) and 1.0 (s.e. = 0.25; scale 1 to 15), respectively, none of which differed from the theoretical expectation of unity. The expected difference in profitability at slaughter between progeny of the high and low BCI sires was €42, whereas the observed phenotypic profit differential of the progeny was €53 in favour of the high BCI sires. Results from this study indicate that the BCI is a useful tool in the selection of genetically superior sires, and that actual progeny performance under the conditions of this study is within expectations for both bull and steer beef production systems.     

Optimal foraging of a herbivorous lizard,the green iguana in a seasonal environment

Food selection was studied in free living green iguanas (Iguana iguana) throughout the year in a semiarid environment, Curaçao (Netherlands Antilles). Food intake was determined by direct observations and converted into biomass intake. Comparison between intake and biomass availability of the various food items revealed that the lizards were selective, and that changes in seasonal food availability led to periodic switching of food plants. The extent to which nutrient constraints determine iguana feeding ecology was investigated. Potential constraints were the requirements for water, digestible crude protein, and metabolizable energy. By using a linear programming model that incorporates characteristics of the food (chemical composition, energy content, item size) and requirements and constraints of the green iguanas (nutrient and energy requirements digestive tract capacity, feeding rate) it was possible to identify which factors determine food choice over the year. During the dry period, when the iguanas had no access to drinking water they consumed flowers to increase water intake, though the amount of flowers consumed was too low to cover maintenance requirements for either energy or protein. After the young leaf flush, following the early rains in May, the biomass increased, free surface water was available during showers, and the linear programming solutions indicate that food selection conformed to the protein maximization criterion. Reproduction in green iguanas shows an annual cycle, in which oviposition takes place at the end of the dry season, when intake is below maintenance levels. Females show a 8–10 month gap between acquisition of most of the protein required for egg synthesis and the act of laying. Thus, as in avian and mammalian herbivores, food availability during a period prior to the energy and protein demanding reproductive season of iguanas determines reproductive success.     

Digestive parameters and water turnover of the leopard tortoise

Leopard tortoises (Stigmochelys pardalis) experience wide fluctuations in environmental conditions and unpredictable availability of food and water within the Nama-Karoo biome. It was hypothesised that tortoises fed two diets differing in preformed water and fibre content would have differing food intake, gut transit rate, assimilation efficiency, faecal and urinary water loss, and urine concentrations. It was predicted that tortoises fed these contrasting diets would attempt to maintain energy and water balance by altering their digestive parameters. Leopard tortoises fed lucerne (Medicago sativa) had a low food intake coupled with long gut transit times, which resulted in the lowest amount of faecal energy and faecal water lost. Tortoises fed tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) had higher food intake and faster gut transit times, but more energy and water was lost in the faeces. However, daily energy assimilated and assimilation efficiency were comparable between tortoises fed the two diets. Urine osmolality was significantly different between tortoises on the two diets. Results indicate that leopard tortoises can adjust parameters such as transit rate, food intake, water loss and urine osmolality to maintain body mass, water and energy balance in response to a high fibre, low water content and a low fibre, high water content diet. This study suggests that this digestive flexibility allows leopard tortoises in the wild to take advantage of unpredictable food and water resources.     

Why do eastern curlews Numenius madagascariensis feed on prey that lowers intake rate before migration?

Eastern curlews Numenius madagascariensis spending the nonbreeding season in eastern Australia foraged on three intertidal decapods: soldier crab Mictyris longicarpus, sentinel crab Macrophthalmus crassipes and ghost‐shrimp Trypaea australiensis. Due to their ecology, these crustaceans were spatially segregated (=distributed in ‘patches’) and the curlews intermittently consumed more than one prey type. It was predicted that if the curlews behaved as intake rate maximizers, the time spent foraging on a particular prey (patch) would reflect relative availabilities of the prey types and thus prey‐specific intake rates would be equal. During the mid‐nonbreeding period (November–December), Mictyris and Macrophthalmus were primarily consumed and prey‐specific intake rates were statistically indistinguishable (8.8 versus 10.1 kJ×min^?1). Prior to migration (February), Mictyris and Trypaea were hunted and the respective intake rates were significantly different (8.9 versus 2.3 kJ×min^?1). Time allocation to Trypaea‐hunting was independent of the availability of Mictyris. Thus, consumption of Trypaea depressed the overall intake rate. Six hypotheses for consuming Trypaea before migration were examined. Five hypotheses: the possible error by the predator, prey specialization, observer overestimation of time spent hunting Trypaea, supplementary prey and the choice of higher quality prey due to a digestive bottleneck, were deemed unsatisfactory. The explanation for consumption of a low intake‐rate but high quality prey (Trypaea) deemed plausible was diet optimisation by the curlews in response to the pre‐migratory modulation (decrease in size/processing capacity) of their digestive system. With a seasonal decrease in the average intake rate, the estimated intake per low tide increased from 1233 to 1508 kJ between the mid‐nonbreeding and pre‐migratory periods by increasing the overall time spent on the sandflats and the proportion of time spent foraging.     

光周期和高脂食物对雌性高山姬鼠能量代谢和产热的影响

为了研究光周期和高脂食物对小型哺乳动物能量代谢和产热的影响,将成年雌性高山姬鼠分别驯化于长光照低脂、高脂食物和短光照低脂、高脂食物条件下,7周后测定动物的体重、能量摄入、产热、身体组成、血清瘦素浓度以及体脂含量等参数。结果发现:1)短光照抑制体重增长,降低血清瘦素浓度,增加非颤抖性产热;2)高脂食物使摄入能减少,消化率和体脂含量提高,但未显著影响体重、基础代谢率、非颤抖性产热和血清瘦素浓度;3)血清瘦素浓度与摄入能不相关,但与体脂重量正相关。结果暗示:短光照下瘦素作用敏感性增加和产热能力增强,可能介导了抵抗高脂食物诱导的肥胖。在野外条件下,高山姬鼠能通过能量代谢和产热的适应性调节避免体重的过度增长,有利于降低捕食风险,增强生存能力。     

Characteristics of proteinase digestive function in invertebrates--inhabitants of cold seas

Digestive proteinases of various taxa of invertebrates of the Northern seas have been studied: crustaceans Paralithodes camtchaticus, Pandalus borealis; molluscs Chlamys islandicus, Buccinum undatum, Serripes groenlandicus, and echinoderms Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis, Cucumaria frondosa, Asterias rubens, and Grossaster papposus. The presence of two proteolytic activity peaks in the acid (pH 2.5-3.5) and low alkaline zones (pH 7.5-8.5) and a similar proteinase spectrum have been revealed in digestive organs of the studied animals. The proteolytic activity in digestive organs of the Barents Sea invertebrates exceeds significantly that of terrestrial homoiothermal animals, which seems to be an extensive compensation for poor differentiation of the digestive system and for low substrate specificity of the enzymes as well as for cold conditions of the habitat. The principal qualitative difference between vertebrates and invertebrates consists in that the latter have no pepsin activity, but do have the cathepsin activity that is absent in vertebrate digestive organs. Contribution to the acid proteolysis is made by lysosomal cathepsins, rather than by pepsins. Activity in the alkaline and neutral pH zones is provided by serine proteinases. In digestive cavities of invertebrates, hydrolysis of proteins and mechanical processing of food occur only in the low alkaline zone, whereas acid proteolysis has intracellular lysosomal localization.     

Variation in energy intake and basal metabolic rate of a bird migrating in a wind tunnel

1. We studied the changes in body mass, metabolizable energy intake rate (ME) and basal metabolic rate (BMR) of a Thrush Nightingale, Luscinia luscinia , following repeated 12-h migratory flights in a wind tunnel. In total the bird flew for 176 h corresponding to 6300 km. This is the first study where the fuelling phase has been investigated in a bird migrating in captivity.
2. ME was very high, supporting earlier findings that migrating birds have among the highest intake rates known among homeotherms. ME was significantly higher the second day of fuelling, indicating a build-up of the capacity of the digestive tract during the first day of fuelling.
3. Further indications of an increase in size or activity level of metabolically active structures during fuelling come from the short-term variation in BMR, which increased over the 2-day fuelling period with more than 20%, and in almost direct proportion to body mass. However, mass-specific BMR decreased over the season.
4. The patterns of mass change, ME and BMR of our focal bird following two occasions of 12-h fasts were the same as after flights, indicating that fast and flight may involve similar physiological processes.
5. The relatively low ME the first day following a flight may be a contributing factor to the well-known pattern that migrating birds during stopover normally lose mass the first day of fuelling.     

虎纹蛙消化道淀粉酶和脂肪酶活力研究

以酶学分析方法研究了虎纹蛙消化道淀粉酶和脂肪酶的分布以及pH和温度对这两种消化酶活力的影响。结果表明：在各自生理pH值条件下,虎纹蛙消化道不同部位淀粉酶活力大小顺序依次为前肠〉中肠〉后肠〉食道〉胃,胃和肠淀粉酶最适pH值分别为8．6和7．0,最适温度分别为35℃和40℃。脂肪酶活力大小顺序依次为中肠〉后肠〉前肠〉胃〉食道,各部位之间差异显著（P〈0．05）,胃和肠脂肪酶的最适pH值均为9．0,最适温度分别为50℃和55℃。     

Homozygous loss of menin is well tolerated in liver,a tissue not affected in MEN1

In recent studies from Sweden and the United States, a high vitamin A intake has been associated with low bone mineral density (BMD) and increased fracture risk. In Sweden and the United States, food items such as milk and breakfast cereals are fortified with vitamin A, whereas in Denmark there is no mandatory fortification with vitamin A. In the present study, we investigated relations between vitamin A intake and BMD and fracture risk in a Danish population consuming mostly unfortified food items. Within a population-based cohort study in 2,016 perimenopausal women, associations between BMD and vitamin A intake were assessed at baseline and after 5-year follow-up. Moreover, associations between baseline vitamin A intake and 5-year changes in BMD were studied. Finally, fracture risk was assessed in relation to vitamin A intake. In our cohort, dietary retinol intake (0.53 mg/day) was lower than the intake reported in recent studies form Sweden (0.78 mg/day) and the United States (1.66 mg/day). Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses showed no associations between intake of vitamin A and BMD of the femoral neck or lumbar spine. Neither did BMD differ between those 5% who had the highest, and those 5% who had the lowest, vitamin A intake. During the 5-year study period, 163 subjects sustained a fracture (cases). Compared to 978 controls, logistic regression analyses revealed no difference in vitamin A intake. Thus, in a Danish population, average vitamin A intake is lower than in Sweden and the United States and not associated with detrimental effects on bone.     

亚致死剂量阿维菌素对家蚕食物利用及中肠消化酶活性的影响

采用质量法和酶活力测定法研究了阿维菌素3种亚致死剂量（LC₅、LC₁₀和LC₂₀）处理对家蚕5 龄幼虫的食物利用及中肠3种消化酶活性的影响.结果表明：亚致死剂量阿维菌素处理对家蚕5龄幼虫的生长和食物利用有明显的抑制作用,体质量及其增加量、相对生长率均显著低于对照,同时伴随着取食量、相对取食量和排粪量减少,食物利用率和食物转化率显著降低,而近似消化率升高.阿维菌素处理的家蚕,其中肠淀粉酶和蔗糖酶活性前期受到抑制且持续时间较长,但随着幼虫的生长发育,逐渐恢复正常或高于对照;而海藻糖酶活性前期受抑制时间较短,随后活性迅速增强,并维持在与对照同一水平或高于对照.这些变化说明亚致死剂量阿维菌素对家蚕仍有一定的毒性,其程度随剂量的提高而增强,可导致家蚕消化系统紊乱,进而影响其生长发育和对食物的利用.     

Rapid orocecal transit in chronically active persons with high energy intake

Although chronic physical activity by humans can raise energy requirements and energy intake severalfold above sedentary levels, whether these increases alter digestive strategy remains unknown. To investigate this possibility, food passage rate (mouth-to-large intestinal lactulose transit) and absorption (xylose) were compared in a cross section of young men chosen to represent a wide range of daily physical activity and food intake. In 20 men (energy intake 1,272-5,342 kcal/day), resting mouth-to-cecum transit was faster in high caloric consumers (r = -0.69, P less than 0.01). In contrast, xylose absorption (n = 26; measured either as urinary xylose excretion or integrated breath H2 production from the sugar) was unrelated to food intake. Dietary fiber intake was uncorrelated with energy intake. This apparent human digestive strategy of rapid transit across the gut absorptive surface, without a sacrifice in absorption, parallels the adaptations made by several animal species similarly faced with increased energy demand at constant fiber intake. We therefore conclude that the hyperphagia of chronic exercise in humans may be linked with significant gastrointestinal adaptations.