Body temperature in arboreal and nonarboreal anuran amphibians: Differential effects of a small change in water vapor density

1. 1.|Body temperatures (T_b) and contaneous evaporative water loss rates (CWL) were measured in tree frogs (Hyla cinerea) and toads (Bufo valliceps) exposed to cyclical ramp changes in water vapor density (WVD) between 7.5 and 9.8 gm⁻³ (1 cycle h⁻¹ at an air temperature of 27.0°C.

2. 2.|CWL was 3.3 times greater in toads than in tree frogs.

3. 3.|T_b in toads cycled directly with WVd; WVD accounted for 98% of the variation in toad T_b.

4. 4.|T_b in tree frogs was independent of WVD, probably due to changes in skin resistance to water loss.

Employment of a turbidimetric assay system to measure heat-induced protein aggregation

1. 1.|We developed a turbidimetric assay system for quantitation of heat-induced protein aggregation which is presumably caused by protein denaturation.

2. 2.|Rhodanese in 6 M guanidinium chloride was employed in the assay system, because this protein recognizes hydrophobic sites on denatured proteins and aggregates.

3. 3.|Turbidity caused by protein-rhodanase aggregation was recorded at 320 nm by using a u.v./VIS spectrophotometer.

4. 4.|When heated, alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) aggregates with rhodanese. The increase of ADH-rhodanese aggregation was correlated with the loss of enzymatic activity.

5. 5.|These results indicated that the aggregation was proportional to the extent of ADH denaturation which assumingly caused the loss of ADH activity during heating at 45.5°C.

6. 6.|Similar results were observed when cytosolic proteins from CHO cells were heated at 45.5°C. Heated cytosolic proteins promoted aggregation by complex formation with rhodanese. The aggregation increased with increasing heat dose.

7. 7.|Therefore, the rhodanese assay system can be employed usefully to quantitate the protein aggregation after heat stress.

Heat death and cellular heat injury

1. 1.|Evidence is presented implicating cellular membranes in cellular heat injury. It is proposed this is the site of the primary lesion.

2. 2.|Secondary and tertiary events, resulting from the primary lesion, cause organism death. Those events may be unique to the life style and grade of organisation of the organism.

3. 3.|Thus hyperthermia may cause “excessive” fluidisation of membranes and so cause impairment of membrane permeability and disrupt the stability of membrane enzymes.

4. 4.|Homeoviscous adaptation of membrane fluidity may well have an important role in resistance acclimation as well as resistance adaptation.

Heat-transfer relations of avian nestlings

1. 1.|To determine the thermoregulatory prowess of altricial nestlings, we conducted both equilibrium and transient analyses of white-crowned sparrow nestings, a representative fringillid.

2. 2.|For an individual nestling at thermal equilibrium, feather development is the major factor reducing heat loss after 2 days of age; tissue- and boundary-layer resistances are of minor importance.

3. 3.|The nest substantially reduces wind speeds near the nestlings. Heat transfer through the nest material is of only moderate importance. Evaporation also appears to be a small proportion of total heat loss during hypothermia in natural environments.

4. 4.|Net long-wave radiant exchange is also minor, but short-wave radiation is potentially a major component of the nestling's energy budget, approaching the magnitude of maximal metabolic heat production.

5. 5.|When nestlings cool, their body mass and metabolic rate are also major importance in determining the rate of cooling, and (for metabolism) the equilibrium temperature as well.

6. 6.|The huddling together of nestlings is perhaps the single most important factor affecting heat transfer.

7. 7.|An older brood actually has more insulation than does an adult in the same microclimate.

The distribution of phospholipids on the mitochondrial inner membrane from the brains of goldfish acclimated at 5 and 30°C

1. 1.|The instantaneous addition of phospholipase C to goldfish brain inner mitochondrial vesicles resulted in a partial loss of ferricyanide reduction. The retained activity rose when the phospholipase concentration and incubation period were increased.

2. 2.|No impairment of ferricyanide reduction was observed when Antimycin A-treated inner membrane vesicles were incubated with the phospholipase at 0.05 and 0.2 U mg⁻¹ to 20 min. However, higher concentrations of the hydrolytic enzyme caused a considerable elevation in reduction and is attributed to a deterioration in vesicular integrity.

3. 3.|The hydrolysis of phospholipids from the inner membrane revealed that the phospholipase, at concentrations above 0.2 U mg⁻¹ (minimum of 10 min incubation), resulted in removal of over 50% lipid phosphate. It was suggested that the phospholipase, at such levels, is accessible to the interior of the vesicles.

4. 4.|With the exception of cardiolipin and phosphatidyl inositol, the phospholipase was observed to be non-specific to the phospholipids from mitochondrial inner membrane treated with Triton X-100.

5. 5.|The phospholipids are asymmetrically arranged across the inner membrane and their distribution is dependent on acclimation temperature.

6. 6.|It is suggested that the compositional redistribution of the phospholipids, when acclimation temperature was changed, is necessary to stabilize the bilayer conformation of the membrane in concurrence with maintaining fluidity and functional capacity.

Hatching of freshwater sponge gemmules after low temperature exposure: Ephydatia mülleri (Porifera: Spongillidae)

1. 1.|Gemmules of Ephydatia mülleri can withstand exposure to temperatures down to −80°C for 63 days without loss of hatchability.

2. 2.|Hatching is slowed following exposure to temperatures below −27°C.

3. 3.|There is a slight but significant relationship between gemmule size and the time to hatch.

4. 4.|This species can withstand long-term exposure to winter air temperatures occurring within its known geographic range.

Thermal resistance of the ciliary activity in the gills of the fresh water mussel Anodonta anatina

1. 1.|The thermal resistance of the activity of frontal cilia in the median gills of the fresh water mussel Anodonta anatina was studied.

2. 2.|The resistance acclimation appeared in 2 days in the gills of intact animals, but not in the isolated gills kept at 4, 14 and 24°C, for between 1 to 3 days.

3. 3.|Warm-acclimation increased the ACh sensitivity of the gills of intact mussels.

4. 4.|Isolation of the gills enhanced the thermal resistance.

5. 5.|ACh, choline and tetramethylammonium enhanced the thermal resistance in the isolated gills. whereas atropine and physostigmine diminished it.

6. 6.|It is concluded that in A. anatina the control if the thermal resistance is probably neural.

The lipid composition of mitochondrial outer and inner membranes from the brains of goldfish acclimated at 5 and 30°C

1. 1.|The mitochondrial outer membrane from goldfish contains on average approximately six times more phosholipid and eleven times more cholesterol than the inner membrane.

2. 2.|When acclimation temperature was lowered the amount of cholesterol to protein significantly decreased in the outer membrane, but remained unchanged in the inner membrane.

3. 3.|Although the amount of total phosphorus to cholesterol was not temperature dependent for inner membrane, it was found to be negatively correlated (P < 0.001) with acclimation temperature for outer membrane.

4. 4.|It is concluded that fluidity in the mitochondrial outer membrane is regulated by cholesterol whereas in the inner membrane, which contain very low quantities of this lipid, cholesterol has little or no influence on the fluidity properties.

Hyperthermia-induced changes in the morphology of CHO-K1 and their refractile inclusions

1. 1.|Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO-K1) were heated at temperatures of 42°C and above.

2. 2.|Cells were cultured in microcapillaries to eliminate handling stress, and morphological changes were observed by light microscopy.

3. 3.|Increased incidence of membrane blebbing was noted between 1 and 2 h and few cells were viable after 2 h at 43°C.

4. 4.|Morphological changes, including the appearance of potocytotic blebs, were recorded by cinemicroscopy of microcapillary cultures on a heated microscope stage.

5. 5.|Lipid-rich refractile cell inclusions changed shape before blebbing occurred.

6. 6.|Cell retraction and rearrangement of organelles seen at 1 h at 43°C are the reverse of those seen in spreading post-trypsinized cells and suggest a thermal effect on the cytoskeleton.

The combined effects of ambient temperature and enforced sustained swimming activity on body temperatures of arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus L.)

1. 1.|The difference between tissue temperatures and ambient water temperatures (ΔT) of the ectothermic Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus L.) ranged between 0.2 and 0.6°C.

2. 2.|For fish held at 5.7°C there were no significant differences in ΔT of exercising fish and those of controls.

3. 3.|By contrast, for fish held at 1.7°C sustained exercise led to a significant increase in ΔT of all body compartments compared with fish held in standing water (controls).

4. 4.|It is suggested that Arctic charr are capable of a limited control of metabolic heat exchange between body compartments and surrounding water when subjected to sustained exercise and ambient temperatures <2°C.

Thermohaemolysis of human erythrocytes in sucrose containing isotonic media

1. 1.|The thermohaemolysis of human erythrocytes in NaCl/sucrose isotonic media can be best accounted for in terms of the colloid-osmotic theory of haemolysis.

2. 2.|The thermohaemolysis in NaCl saline was preceded by leakage of K⁺ and cell swelling. If the inner oncotic osmoactivity was balanced with external sucrose the cells progressively shrinked losing K⁺, but the haemolysis was strongly reduced.

3. 3.|Time dependence of the shrinking of cells and one-step resealed ghosts suspended in isotonic 60 mOsm NaCl/sucrose media was studied between 50 and 58°C.

4. 4.|After a lag period for cells only, this shrinking proceeded with apparently constant rate for cells and ghosts.

5. 5.|The rate constant of shrinking for cells and ghosts obeys the Arrhenius relation, giving the value of 250 ± 15 kJ/mol for the activation energy of shrinking in both cases. This is also the case for the activation energy of the membrane ion permeability constant.

6. 6.|These results are consistent with the thermal inactivation of membrane associated protein(s) acting as a trigger for the ion permeability barrier disturbance.

7. 7.|The mid-point temperature for these membrane events was about 61°C.

Thermohaemolysis of human erythrocytes in isotonic NaCl/sucrose media during transient heating

1. 1.|The hyperhermia induced haemolysis of cells and resealed ghosts suspended in isotonic NaCl/sucrose media was studied upon transient heating.

2. 2.|At 61.5°C a process of temperature accelerated disturbance of membrane permeability barrier was initiated, wich was sensed by the consequent volume changes. Concomitantly with this process the thermohaemolysis appeared as a threshold colloid-osmotic lysis.

3. 3.|The initial temperature of this successive barrier disturbance was decreased linearly by ethanol. At 18% ethanol this barrier disturbance took place at 39°C while spectrin was denaturated at about 45°C. Apparently, the spectrin denaturation was not sufficient, nor was involved in, the initiation of this membrane disturbance.

4. 4.|The membrane of cells made ion permeable in the presence of 18% ethanol by heating to 39°C contained irreversible pores with a radius of about 0.45 nm.

5. 5.|This suggests a conformational change of a protein(s) in their formation, but not spectrin nor the anion channel.

6. 6.|Using specific amino reagents it was ascertained, that a superficial NH₃⁺ group dissociable at neutral pH impeded this thermo-induced pore formation.

7. 7.|Consistent results show that this formation of membrane pores initiated at 61.5°C may be included in the still unknown mechanism of thermohaemolysis.

The effect of hypothermia on the cardiovascular system and the pressor actions of angiotensin II

1. 1.|The effect of hypothermia (24°C) on the pressor action of angiotensin II (ANG II) was studied in anaesthetized rats.

2. 2.|Hypothermia prolonged the pressor response to ANG II leading to an increase in the estimated half-life of ANG II.

3. 3.|Hypothermia also caused a significant increase in stroke volume and a significant decrease in heart rate with no change in cardiac output.

4. 4.|It is conclued that hypothermia causes a prolongation of the pressor action of ANG II probably by reducing the activity of the catabolic enzymes leading to an increase in ANG II half-life.

Stereological analysis of mitochondria from brains of temperature acclimated goldfish, Carassius auratus L. (5 and 30°C)

1. 1.|The mitochondrial population in hypothalamic and hypophysial brain tissue from warm (30°C) and cold (5°C) acclimated goldfish (Carassius auralus L.) was analyzed using sterological techniques.

2. 2.|It was revealed that there is a significantly larger volume density (Vv) in the cold acclimated tissue, with no significant difference in either of the surface densities (Svext and Svint) from either of the brain areas.

3. 3.|The hypothalamic brain tissue has a significantly lower specific surface (S/V) in the cold acclimated tissue but there is not a significant difference in this parameter for the hypophysial brain tissue.

4. 4.|The values for these three parameters (Vv, Svext and SVint, and S/V) indicate that mitochondria from acclimated brain tissue undergo shape changes in response to thermal stress.

5. 5.|We suggest that the shape changes may be related to the change in the phospholipid composition of the inner mitochondrial membrane with acclimation temperature.

Thermosensitivity during embryonic development of Lymnaea stagnalis (Mollusca)

1. 1.|The percentage of survival after 1 hr at 40.0°C is lowest at the larval trochophore stage and at hatching of the young snail.

2. 2.|Heat resistance depends on the stage of development.

3. 3.|From the early cleavage stage onwards a higher percentage of embryos can withstand high temperature after a previous heat treatment than without it.

4. 4.|The pattern of thermosensitivity is discussed in relation to the organizational level of the stage of development.

5. 5.|It is concluded that the developing Lymnaea is a suitable system to study heat resistance and thermotolerance at the level of cells, organs and organism.

Interactions of season and temperature acclimation in the control of metabolism in Amphibia

1. 1.|Studies concerning the seasonal variation and the temperature acclimation of metabolism and their control in Amphibia are reviewed.

2. 2.|Both season and temperature acclimation affect the activities of the central and autonomic nervous systems.

3. 3.|These changes are mediated especially by alterations in the activity of the thyroid and through the autonomic nerves.

4. 4.|The fact that common control mechanisms are involved may explain some of the often observed metabolic interactions of season and temperature acclimation.

Thermal gradients in the oesophagus of man during exercise and passive warming

1. 1.|Oesophageal temperature (T_es) has been recorded at four vertical levels in the oesophagus of human subjects during exercise and during passive body heating.

2. 2.|The temperature increased with depth.

3. 3.|The rate of increase in T_es during exercise was greatest at the level of the diaphragm.

4. 4.|During passive heating of the body T_es increased most rapidly, and with shortest latency time, at the level adjacent to the left atrium of the heart.

5. 5.|During exercise, when breathing is deeper than at rest, T_es should be measured at a deeper level than that which is used during passive heating.

Effect of temperature on growth and bioenergetics of a tropical moth

1. 1.|Larval development and metamorphosis of Achaea junta were prolonged at 22°C, compared to 27, 32 and 35°C.

2. 2.|Overall rates of consumption, assimilation, production and metabolism of the larvae increased with temperature.

3. 3.|Efficiencies of assimilation and conversion of the digested food were significantly altered by life stage and temperature.

4. 4.|About 60% of the pupal energy was transferred to the imago at the tested temperatures.

Temperature gradients in the nasal cavity of the rabbit

1. 1.|Temperatures at four sites along the ventral nasal concha were recorded in four unrestrained rabbits exposed to ambient temperatures from 0 to 35°C.

2. 2.|The nasal temperatures decreased and temperature gradients from proximal to distal parts of the concha increased in cold-exposed rabbits.

3. 3.|The temperature gradients increased also during panting in heat-stressed rabbits.

4. 4.|The ventral nasal concha is suggested to be an efficacious heat exchanger both in cold and hot ambient, due to its geometry and vascularization.

Thermal acclimation and hardening in tadpoles of the bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana

1. 1.|Critical thermal maxima (CTMax) and minima (CTMin) were measured to evalute thermal hardening in Rana catesbeiana.

2. 2.|Tadpoles show heat hardening and CTMax acclimation, and both responses are influenced by developmental stage.

3. 3.|The first evidence of cold hardening in vertebrates is reported here.

4. 4.|Heat hardening significantly reduces cold tolerance, but there is otherwise no evidence of a cross-hardening effect.