Physiological polymorphism of a population of the common frog. II. The polymorphism of the type of muscle tissue heat resistance in stress]

A study was made of the dynamics in the heat resistance of m. interphalangealis of individual grass frogs under stress. The response of muscle tissue to injury can be differentiated into three types according to the initial heat resistance level: increase, decrease and phase change of the resistance. The pattern of response of muscle tissue of individual frogs to stress is one of manifestationss of physiological polymorphism of the population.     

The relation of changes in the individual levels of heat resistance of muscle tissue to their initial values during heat acclimation of Asellus aquaticus

1. 1.|In hog slater, Asellus aquaticus, five extremities were consecutively isolated in the course of heat acclimation to study the pattern of changes in the level of the heat resistance of muscle tissue of each single specimen.

2. 2.|The initial response of the population, during acclimation, is for the muscle resistance of different individuals to become less varied. Then a simultaneous increase in tissue resistance occurs in all ammals, which is complete by the 6th day of acclimation. Afterwards the heat resistance of muscles in the majority of animals shows little change and then, in spite of maintenance of acclimation, it starts to return to its initial level.

3. 3.|Thermal acclimation causes a temporary decrease in the variability of the heat resistance of the muscle tissue and also a temporary stabilization of this physiological characteristic to a new level. This phenomenon is a phenotypical masking of genotypic differences in a physiological characteristic in the population studied during changes in environmental temperature.

4. 4.|At all the stages of acclimation the relation of individual increases in cellular heat resistance to their initial levels follows a hyperbolic exponential equation. This implies that to a rise in environmental temperature a population responds as an integral functional system.

Physiological polymorphism in a population of the common frog. I. The polymorphism of a population of the common frog for the trait of muscle tissue heat resistance]

A study was made of heat resistance (36+/-0.2 degrees C) of m. interphalangealis of the third finger of a hind extremity in animals of one population of Rana temporaria L. living on the boundary between Leningrad region and Pskov region. Within this population, the existence of three groups of individuals differing in heat resistance levels of their m. interphalangealis is postulated. This conclusion is based on the distribution curve of heat resistance values and on the application of the probit-method. The distribution of the frequency of occurrence of individuals in these three groups follows Hardy-Weinberg's equation.     

Thyroid activity in common frogs and the heat resistance of their bodies and muscle tissue

Thyroid activity of single individuals of the grass frog has been studied during winter hybernation (2-5 degrees) and heat acclimation (15 degrees) in relation to the heat resistance of the organism and muscle tissue at 2-5 degrees. A positive correlation has been observed between thyroid activity and the organismal heat resistance. At 15 degrees thyroid activity increases. It is the highest in females with a low initial heat resistance of the organism. It is assumed that changes in the heat resistance of the organism and muscle tissue are controlled by the thyroid gland. However, no correlation has been found between the initial (winter) level of the heat resistance of muscle tissue and the activity of thyroid.     

Seasonal changes in the body and muscle heat resistance of the green toad

A study was made of the dynamics of seasonal changes in heat resistance of the organism and muscles of the green toad taken from micropopulation living in the North-Eastern suburbs of Tashkent. The heat resistance of the organism was determined by the time of onset of the irreversible heat shock caused by the immersion of animals into water at 39 +/- 0.1 degrees C. The heat resistance of muscles (m. gastrocnemius) was determined by the time of the loss of response to electrical stimulus during heating in the Ringer solution (41 +/- 0.1 degrees). It has been shown that the organism as a whole is much more dependent on seasonal variations of environmental temperature as compared with muscle tissue. Of much importance for the changes in the heat resistance of muscle tissue are cyclic hormonal changes in the organism associated with the process of reproduction and preparation to it.     

Hereditary effects of artificial selection of sperm for the endurance trait in the carp Cyprinus carpio and the frog Rana temporaria

Studies have been made of the effect of artificial selection of parental sperm by maximum motility time (maximum tolerance) on the body length in carp larva and heat resistance level of muscle tissue in tadpoles. Sperm selection increases mean values of these parameters due to the increase in the progeny of the relative number of long-sized individuals and individuals with higher heat resistance of muscle fibers.     

Regulation of the heat resistance of muscle fibers in Rana temporaria tadpoles by selecting the parental gametes using quaternary ammonium compounds and chelators

In experiments on the frog Rana temporaria, studies have been made on the effect of selection of the parental sperm by quaternary ammonium compounds--tetraethylammonium and tetramethylammonium, as well as by chelating agents--EDTA and EGTA--on the heat resistance of muscle tissue in the progeny of the first generation. It was found that selection of the sperm for its maximum stability to the injurious (immobilizing) effect of these drugs affects quantitative relationship in the family between tadpoles with a high and low heat resistance of muscle fibers. Insemination of the eggs by the sperm with maximum stability to elimination by TEA and TMA favours the development of tadpoles with relatively low heat resistance of muscle fibers. On the contrary, sperm selection by EDTA and EDTA increases the amount of tadpoles with a higher heat resistance of muscles.     

Physiological polymorphism of a grass frog population. III. The effect of the season on the phenotypic manifestation of frog polymorphism by the level of muscle tissue thermostability]

A study was made of the phenotypical manifestation of physiological polymorphism of the population of the grass frog by the heat resistance level of m. interphalangealis in different seasons. In autumn (starting from the 2nd half of October), throughout winter, and in summer the polymorphism of frogs is well expressed, whereas in spring (during the reproduction period) and in the first half of October (during the migration of animals to the places of hibernation) the polymorphism appears to be hidden. The latter phenomenon is due to differences in the pattern of individual seasonal changes in the heart resistance of muscles in individuals of different groups.     

Correlation between the heat resistance of the provisional and definitive muscle tissue during the metamorphosis crisis in frogs

Using tadpoles of the lake frog Rana ridibunda Pall. during metamorphosis, a study was made of the heat resistance of the provisional muscle tissue of the tail and of that of two definitive muscles belonging to low-resistant (musculus iliofibularis) and high-resistant (musculus gastrocnemius) groups. It has been shown that during the late metamorphosis a statistically significant direct relation exists between the heat resistance of the provisional muscle tissue of the tail and definitive m. iliofibularis. A comparison with the earlier published data points to a positive correlation between each of these two characteristics and the survival of larvae at high injurious temperature.     

Effect of Heat Shock on the mRNA-Directed Disease Resistance Response of Peas

Pea tissue `heat shocked' for 2 hours at 40°C accumulates mRNAs that code for a series of new proteins called heat shock proteins. A different messenger RNA population, which codes for a high level of 20 or more `resistance proteins,' accumulates in pea tissue as it resists plant pathogenic fungi. Heat shock treatment applied prior to fungal inoculation prevents the high level accumulation of messenger RNA coding for the 20 resistance proteins and blocks disease resistance. If the resistance response is initiated before the heat shock treatment or after heat shock recovery, messenger RNA accumulates for the resistance proteins and disease resistance develops.     

Structure of the brain and eye heater tissue in marlins, sailfish, and spearfishes

Marlins, sailfish, and spearfishes have a heat-producing tissue beneath the brain and adjacent to the eyes. This tissue warms the brain and eyes while the rest of the body remains at water temperature. The heater tissue is derived from the superior rectus eye muscle. Only a portion of this eye muscle contains normal skeletal muscle tissue; the rest consists of the modified muscle tissue that is associated with heat production. The heat-producing portion is supplied with blood through a countercurrent heat exchanger that originates from the carotid artery. The vascular rate prevents the heat being produced by the tissue from being dissipated at the gill. An unusual circulatory supply to the eyes and brain is associated with the presence of the heater tissue in these fishes.     

A novel single-nucleotide polymorphism of thevisfatin gene and its associations with performance traits in the chicken

Visfatin is a peptide that is predominantly expressed in visceral adipose tissue and is hypothesized to be related to obesity and insulin resistance. In this study, a novel silent single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was found in exon 7 of the chickenvisfatin gene (also known asPBEF1) by single-stranded conformation polymorphism (SSCP) and DNA sequencing. In total, 836 chickens forming an F₂ resource population of Gushi chicken crossed with Anka broiler were genotyped by XbaI forced RFLP, and the associations of this polymorphism with chicken growth, carcass characteristics, and meat quality were analyzed. Significant associations were found between the polymorphism and 4-week body weight (BW4), 6-week body weight (BW6), 4-week body slanting length (BSL4), fat bandwidth (FBW), breast muscle water loss rate (BWLR) and breast muscle fiber density (BFD) (P < 0.05), as well as 4-week breastbone length (BBL4) (P < 0.01). These observations suggested that the polymorphism in exon7 of thevisfatin gene had significant effects on the early growth traits of chicken.     

Reactive changes in the heat-resistant muscle tissue of lake frogs during heat acclimation

A study was made of the effect of heat acclimation of animals on the individual changes in the muscle heat resistance in populations of Rana ridibunda belonging to European or Asiatic groups of the species. The relationship between the levels of heat resistance of muscle cells and the value of its changes are the same in the populations of these groups. It is believed that this relationship forms on the level higher than populational one.     

The environmental temperature and physiological polymorphism of populations. 4. The effect of heat acclimation on the intensity and the genetic effectiveness of selection caused by heating

Heat acclimation is shown to result in the decrease in the intensity of thermal selection which is more evident at the lower as compared with higher heat doses. Heat acclimation is accompanied by a sharp decrease in the genetic effectiveness of thermal selection. Therefore the directed selection of individuals turns into a poorly selective or even completely non-selective order of death. This effect is achieved in three ways: (1) a decrease in individual variability of organismal heat resistance. (2) a decrease in the heritability of this trait and (3) a change in the order of death of individuals during thermal selection (rearrangement of selectivity).

The change in the intensity (δi) and genetic effectiveness (δE) of thermal selection due to the effect of acclimation demonstrates a functional homeostasis of the population. This homeostatic mechanism maintains population numerical composition and genetic structure under conditions of variable temperature. This can be expressed as follows: H = 1 - δi·δE where H is the level of homeostasis, δi is the organismal and δE the populational components of the total homeostasis.     

The potential of muscle stem cells.

Skeletal muscle contains two types of stem cells: satellite cells, which function as myogenic precursors, and a population of multipotent adult stem cells. Satellite cells are believed to form a stable, self-renewing pool of stem cells in adult muscle where they function in tissue growth and repair. An additional stem cell population in adult muscle displays a remarkable capacity to differentiate into hematopoietic cells as well as muscle following transplantation. This article discusses the characteristics and properties of these cell populations, the relationship between them, and the potential for stem cell-based muscle therapeutics.     

Hemodynamic responses to heat stress in the resting and exercising human leg: insight into the effect of temperature on skeletal muscle blood flow

Heat stress increases limb blood flow and cardiac output (Q) in humans, presumably in sole response to an augmented thermoregulatory demand of the skin circulation. Here we tested the hypothesis that local hyperthermia also increases skeletal muscle blood flow at rest and during exercise. Hemodynamics, blood and tissue oxygenation, and muscle, skin, and core temperatures were measured at rest and during exercise in 11 males across four conditions of progressive whole body heat stress and at rest during isolated leg heat stress. During whole body heat stress, leg blood flow (LBF), Q, and leg (LVC) and systemic vascular conductance increased gradually with elevations in muscle temperature both at rest and during exercise (r(2) = 0.86-0.99; P < 0.05). Enhanced LBF and LVC were accompanied by reductions in leg arteriovenous oxygen (a-vO(2)) difference and increases in deep femoral venous O(2) content and quadriceps tissue oxygenation, reflecting elevations in muscle and skin perfusion. The increase in LVC occurred despite an augmented plasma norepinephrine (P < 0.05) and was associated with elevations in muscle temperature (r(2) = 0.85; P = 0.001) and arterial plasma ATP (r(2) = 0.87; P < 0.001). Isolated leg heat stress accounted for one-half of the increase in LBF with severe whole body heat stress. Our findings suggest that local hyperthermia also induces vasodilatation of the skeletal muscle microvasculature, thereby contributing to heat stress and exercise hyperemia. The increased limb muscle vasodilatation in these conditions of elevated muscle sympathetic vasoconstrictor activity is closely related to the rise in arterial plasma ATP and local tissue temperature.     

The bleed off perfusion term in the Weinbaum-Jiji bioheat equation.

The microvascular organization and thermal equilibration of the primary and secondary arteries and veins that comprise the bleed off circulation to the muscle fibers from the parent countercurrent supply artery and veins are analyzed. The blood perfusion heat source term in the tissue energy equation is shown to be related to this vascular organization and to undergo a fundamental change in behavior as one proceeds from the more peripheral tissue, where the perfusion term is proportional to the Ta--Tv difference in the parent supply vessels, to the deeper tissue layers where the bleed off vessels themselves form a branching countercurrent system for each muscle tissue cylinder and the venous return temperature can vary between the local tissue temperature and Ta. The consequences of this change in behavior are examined for the Weinbaum-Jiji bioheat equation and a modified expression for the effective conductivity of perfused tissue is derived for countercurrent bleed off exchange.     

Reduction of skeletal muscle injury in composite tissue allotransplantation by heat stress preconditioning

Ischemia-reperfusion injury is a dominant factor limiting tissue survival in any microsurgical tissue transplantation, a fact that also applies to allogeneic hand transplantation. The clinical experience of the 12 human hand transplantations indicates that shorter ischemia times result in reduced tissue damage and, ultimately, in better hand function. Heat stress preconditioning and the accompanying up-regulation of the heat shock protein 72 have been shown to reduce the ischemia-reperfusion injury following ischemia of various organs, including organ transplantation. The aim of this study was to reduce the ischemia-reperfusion injury in a model of composite tissue allotransplantation. Allogeneic hind limb transplantations were performed from Lewis (donor) to Brown-Norway rats. Donor rats in group A (n = 10) received a prior heat shock whereas rats in group B (n = 10) did not receive any prior heat shock. Group C served as a control group without transplantation. The transplantations were performed 24 hours after the heat shock, at which time the heat shock protein 72 was shown to be up-regulated. The outcome was evaluated 24 hours after transplantation by nitroblue tetrazolium staining and wet-to-dry weight ratio of muscle slices (anterior tibial muscle). The nitroblue tetrazolium staining showed a significant reduction of necrotic muscle in group A (prior heat shock) (p = 0.005). The wet-to-dry ratio was significantly reduced in group A (prior heat shock), indicating less muscle edema and less tissue damage (p = 0.05). Heat shock preconditioning 24 hours before an ischemic event leads to an up-regulation of heat shock protein 72 in muscle and to a tissue protection reducing ischemia-reperfusion injury in composite tissue transplantation.