|
|
|
|||
| Home Help Feedback Subscriptions Archive Search Table of Contents | ||||
First published online April 17, 2009
Journal of Experimental Biology 212, 1294-1301 (2009)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2009
doi: 10.1242/jeb.028290
Protein synthesis is lowered while 20S proteasome activity is maintained following acclimation to low temperature in juvenile spotted wolffish (Anarhichas minor Olafsen)
1 Ocean Sciences Centre, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St John's,
Newfoundland, Canada A1C 5S7
2 Biodôme de Montréal, 4777 Ave Pierre-De Coubertin,
Montréal, Québec, Canada H1V 1B3
3 Département de Biologie, Université du Québec à
Rimouski, Rimouski, Québec, Canada G5L 3A1
* Author for correspondence (e-mail: simon.lamarre{at}gmail.com)
Accepted 23 February 2009
| Summary |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Key words: 20S proteasome, growth rate, protein synthesis, temperature
| INTRODUCTION |
|---|
|
|
|---|
The inherent complexity of measuring protein degradation comes from the
multiple pathways that are involved. Protein degradation is often estimated
from the difference between protein synthesis and protein growth. This method,
however, assumes that protein synthesis measured over a few hours is
representative of growth rate measured over weeks. It also assumes that there
is no change in tissue composition during the experiment. For now, however, it
is the only method available to measure in vivo protein degradation
(Fraser and Rogers, 2007
).
Several studies have focused on the activity of enzymes involved in protein
degradation in fish experiencing muscle wasting conditions, such as food
restriction, starvation (Guderley et al.,
2003
; Martin et al.,
2002
; Martin et al.,
2001
; Salem et al.,
2007
), migration and spawning in salmonids
(Mommsen, 2004
;
Salem et al., 2006
) that is
also associated with starvation. In such situations, it is mainly the
cathepsin and calpain systems that are responsible for protein mobilization as
energetic substrate and/or as material for reproductive investment
(Martin et al., 2002
;
Mommsen, 2004
). To our
knowledge, only one study has linked growth rate and the activity of one
pathway of protein degradation in fish growing without food restriction or the
complicated aspect of sexual maturation. In rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus
mykiss), specific growth rate was negatively linked with the hepatic
activity of 20S proteasome, and high proteasome activity was linked to
decreased growth efficiency (Dobly et al.,
2004
). In a second study on starving rainbow trout, the activity
of 20S proteasome was shown to decrease after 14 days of starvation in rainbow
trout; most likely as a result of reduced protein turnover
(Martin et al., 2002
). These
results indicate that the activity of 20S proteasome could be a good proxy to
protein degradation in fish growing in `normal' conditions.
The proteasome pathway is mainly responsible for degradation of oxidatively
damaged proteins (Friguet,
2006
; Perepechaeva et al.,
2006
; Poppek and Grune,
2006
). This concept motivated us to assess if its activity is
linked to the levels of markers of oxidative stress and the level of an
antioxidant. Protein-carbonyls and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances
(TBARS) were used as indicators of oxidative damage of protein and lipids,
respectively. Reduced glutathione concentration was measured as an indicator
of antioxidant capacity.
The aim of this study is to measure the impact of three temperatures (4, 8 and 12°C) on the rate of protein synthesis, activity of 20S proteasome and levels of oxidative stress markers and antioxidant in white muscle of juvenile spotted wolffish (Anarhichas minor), a close relative of Atlantic wolffish. The use of three acclimation temperatures within the species thermal range was utilized to generate variability in growth rate without introducing undue stress to fish. To our knowledge, there are no studies that have concurrently measured the rate of protein synthesis and 20S proteasome activity in an ectothermic animal.
| MATERIALS AND METHODS |
|---|
|
|
|---|
and
oxygen concentration was always over 80%.
Specific growth rate in mass was calculated using
SGRm=[log(Mf)–log(M0)]x100/t,
where Mf and M0 are final and initial
mass (g) and t is the length in days of the experiment. For
SGRl, Mf and M0 were
replaced by lf and l0, the final and
initial length (cm), respectively. Fulton condition index (K) was calculated
using, K=Mxl–3, where M is
fish weight and l is fish length
(Ricker, 1975
). Rates of
protein synthesis, 20S proteasome activity, antioxidant and markers of
oxidative stress were all measured on the same fish.
Protein synthesis
Protein synthetic rate was measured based on the principles of the flooding
dose of radiolabelled phenylalanine method developed for rats
(Garlick et al., 1980
). In
this experiment, we report the protein synthetic rate as the incorporation of
nanomoles of phenylalanine per mg of protein per hour as expressed in other
studies (Lewis and Driedzic,
2007
; Treberg et al.,
2005
). Fish were starved for 24 h prior to experimentation. Each
fish was injected intraperitoneally with 1 ml/100 g of the tracer solution. No
anaesthetic was used during this procedure and the fish were immediately
returned to their tank, thus protein synthetic rate is measured at acclimation
temperature. The tracer solution was composed of 135 mmol l–1
phenylalanine containing L-[2,3,4,5,6-3H]phenylalanine
(GE Healthcare, Mississauga, ON, Canada) at a dosage of 1.85MBq
ml–1 in a buffered solution consisting of (in mmol
l–1) 150 NaCl, 5 KCl, 5 NaPO4, 2 CaCl2,
10 NaHCO3, 2.0 Na2HPO4, 1.0 MgSO4,
5 D-glucose, and 5.0 Hepes at pH 7.6
(Treberg et al., 2005
). An
incorporation period of about three hours was adopted following the results of
McCarthy et al. on Atlantic wolffish in the same size and temperature range
(McCarthy et al., 1999
). Fish
were thereafter killed by a blow to the head, and the peritoneal cavity was
opened and thoroughly rinsed with distilled water. A sample of white muscle
from the deep dorsolateral region was dissected (care was used not to sample
red muscle), immediately frozen on dry ice and transported to the laboratories
in Rimouski (QC, Canada) within 24 h after dissection to be stored
at–80°C until further laboratory work. Frozen muscle samples were
pulverized in liquid nitrogen using a stainless mortar and pestle, and samples
of the resulting powder were stored in sealed cryogenic tubes
at–80°C.
Tissue preparation and scintillation counting
Powdered muscle samples were homogenized in 10 volumes of ice-cold 0.2 mol
l–1 perchloric acid (PCA) using a Heidolph Diax 900
homogenizer (3x10 s) and incubated for 10 min on ice prior to being
centrifuged at 15000g for 5 min at 4°C (Thermo IEC
Micromax RF benchtop centrifuge, Waltham, MA, USA). Supernatant (for free pool
phenylalanine) was delicately removed, taking care not to include any lipid
located on top of the microcentrifuge tube. The protein pellet was then washed
three times by resuspending it in 1 ml of 0.2 mol l–1 PCA,
incubating on ice for 10 min and centrifuging for 10 min at
15,000g. The protein pellet was then dissolved in 2 ml of 0.3
mol l–1 NaOH (less than 2 h at 37°C). The determination
of labelled phenylalanine in proteins and in the free pool was conducted by
mixing samples of the pellet dissolved in NaOH or PCA supernatant,
respectively, in 10 ml ScintiVerse II (Fisher Scientific Canada, Ottawa, ON,
Canada). This mixture was then counted in a Beckman LS 6500 Multi-Purpose
Scintillation Counter (Fullerton, CA, USA). The fluorometric method of McCaman
and Robins (McCaman and Robins,
1962
) was used for the determination of total phenylalanine in the
free pool, allowing for the determination of free-pool phenylalanine specific
activity. Briefly, phenylalanine forms a highly fluorescent compound with
ninhydrin in the presence of L-leucyl-L-alanine after 2
h incubation at 60°C. Fluorescence was then measured in a Hitachi F-2500
spectrofluorometer (Hitachi High Technologies, San Jose, CA, USA) set at
excitation 365 nm and emission 515 nm. A standard curve ranging from 0 to 120
pmol l–1 was prepared for each assay using 0.2 mol
l–1 PCA as solvent. Protein synthesis was calculated from
radioactivity in the protein bound pool divided by specific activity in the
free pool. Data were normalized to tissue protein content. Protein
concentration in the sample was determined with a standardized colorimetric
assay (Bio-Rad, Mississauga, Canada).
20S proteasome assay
The chymotrypsin-like activity of 20S proteasome was assayed following
Shibatani and Ward (Shibatani and Ward,
1995
). The powdered sample was homogenized in five volumes of
lysis buffer using a Potter–Elvehjem (PTFE pestle and glass tube) and
centrifuged at 20,000g at 4°C for 1 h. The lysis buffer
was composed of 0.1 mmol l–1 EDTA, 1.0 mmol
l–1 β-mercaptoethanol in a 50 mmol l–1
Tris buffer (pH 8.0). The assay used the proteasome-specific synthetic
substrate LLVY-AMC (Biomol International, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA) and is
based on detection of the fluorophore 7-amino-4-methylcoumarin (AMC) after
cleavage from the labelled substrate. Briefly, 50 µg of protein from the
supernatant was incubated at 15°C with 40 µmol l–1
LLVY-AMC and 0.0475% SDS in 100 µl of 100 mmol l–1 Tris
buffer (pH 8.0) for 30 min. The reaction was stopped with 300 µl of 1% SDS
and 1 ml of 0.1 mol l–1 sodium borate (pH 9.1). Fluorescence
was determined at excitation/emission wavelengths of 370/430 nm. A standard
curve was prepared for each assay. Blanks were prepared by stopping the
reaction prior to incubation, and parallel samples were supplemented with 50
µmol l–1 MG-115 and 50 µmol l–1 MG-132
(Biomol International), two potent inhibitors of the chymotrypsin-like
activity of the proteasome. The inhibitor-sensitive activity is hereby
reported as 20S proteasome activity using pmol AMC per hour per 50 µg
protein as a unit. Protein concentration was determined as described for
protein synthesis. The activity was linear for at least 60 min, and the assays
never lasted more than 40 min (data not shown).
The in vitro thermosensitivity of the wolffish 20S proteasome chymotrypsin-like activity was evaluated by measuring the activity in samples as above but at different temperatures (4, 8, 16, 24, 32°C). Replicates of white muscle samples of five fish averaging 10 g and acclimated to 8°C were used. A linear model was fitted on the log10-transformed activities and used to convert the activities measured at 15°C to the fish's acclimation temperature. The Q10 was calculated using Q10 =10(slopex10).
Quantification of protein-bound carbonyls
Reactive oxygen species are the cause of many cellular damages, one of
which is the oxidation of amino acid residues on proteins, forming protein
carbonyls. The protein-carbonyl content was measured by the method of Levine
et al. (Levine et al., 1990
)
with slight modifications. Briefly, powdered muscle samples were homogenized
in ice-cold phosphate buffer saline (PBS; 3.2 mmol l–1
Na2HPO4, 0.5 mmol l–1
KH2PO4, 1.3 mmol l–1 KCl, 135 mmol
l–1 NaCl, pH 7.4), and 50 µl of this homogenate was
incubated with 500 µl of 10 mmol l–1
2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH)/2 mol l–1 HCl or 500 µl
of 2 mol l–1 HCl (control) for 1 h. The tubes were vortexed
every 10 min. The proteins were then precipitated by adding 500 µl of 20%
(w/v) TCA (trichloroacetic acid). After an incubation on ice for 10 min, the
tubes were centrifuged at 10,000 g for 10 min. To remove any
unbound DNPH, the resulting pellet was washed with 1 ml of 10% TCA and then
washed three times with 1 ml ethanol:ethyl acetate (1:1, v/v). After each
wash, the supernatant was carefully aspirated and discarded. The final pellet
was dissolved by incubating it in 500 µl of 6 mol l–1
guanidine hydrochloride at 37°C for 1 h. Absorbance at 370 nm was read on
a Lambda 11 spectrophotometer (PerkinElmer, Woodbridge, Canada), and the molar
absorption coefficient of 22,000 M–1 cm–1
was used to quantify the levels of protein-carbonyls. Protein concentration
was determined as described for protein synthesis.
TBARS assay
Free radical damage to lipids results in the generation of malonedialdehyde
(MDA), which reacts with thiobarbituric acid (TBA) to form a fluorescent
compound. The thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) were used as an
index of lipid peroxidation in the white muscle samples. The assay was
performed using a commercially available kit (Zeptometrix, Buffalo, NY, USA).
The kit was used as recommended by the manufacturer except that the assay was
downscaled to be performed in microtubes. Muscle samples were homogenized in
10 volumes of ice-cold PBS as above, and 20 µl was pipetted into labelled
tubes, 20 µl of the supplied SDS solution was added, followed by 500 µl
of the TBA reagent. The tubes were incubated at 95°C for 60 min along with
a standard curve of MDA (0–4 nmol ml–1). After cooling,
the tubes were centrifuged at 10,000 g for 5 min, the
fluorescence of the supernatant at excitation/emission wavelengths of 530/550
nm was recorded and the MDA equivalent concentration interpolated from the
standard curve. The results are presented as the average of three replicates
and expressed either in nmol g–1 tissue or nmol
mg–1 protein.
Determination of reduced glutathione
Glutathione (GSH) is an intracellular low-molecular-mass thiol that plays a
critical role in the cellular defence against oxidative stress. The GSH
concentration was measured according to Kamencic et al.
(Kamencic et al., 2000
).
Reduced glutathione is combined with monochlorobimane (mCB) by the enzyme
glutathione-S-transferase to form a fluorescent GSH–mCB adduct that can
be quantified by spectrofluorometry. Muscle samples were homogenized in 10
volumes of ice-cold PBS as above. The homogenate was incubated in triplicate
for 30 min at room temperature with mCB and glutathione-S-transferase at a
final concentration of 100µmoll–1 and 1 U
ml–1, respectively. After centrifugation (5000
g, 5 min) the fluorescence of the supernatant was recorded
(excitation/emission: 380/470 nm) and the GSH concentration was extrapolated
from a standard curve (0–100 µmol l–1).
Statistical analysis
All data are presented as means ± 95% confidence interval. The GLM
procedure of Systat 11 (Systat software, Chicago, IL, USA) was used to examine
the effect of temperature on growth, protein synthesis, proteasome activity,
protein-carbonyl, TBARS and glutathione. When a significant effect of
temperature was detected, the multiple comparison test of Tukey was performed.
Regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between protein
synthesis or 20S proteasome activity and SGR. Finally, a multiple regression
was used to analyse the combined effect of protein synthesis and 20S
proteasome activity on SGR. Equality of variances was tested using Levene's
test, and residual normality was tested using Kolmogorov–Smirnoff test
with the correction of Lilliefors. All tests were two-tailed with a
significance level of 0.05.
| RESULTS |
|---|
|
|
|---|
|
|
Protein synthesis
The protein synthetic activity was measured in white muscle at the end of
the growth trial. The effect of water temperature on the rate of protein
synthesis is presented in Fig.
3. At the lowest temperature (4°C), the rate of protein
synthesis was significantly lower compared with the group acclimated at
8°C (F2,23=3.150, P=0.026) while acclimation
at 12°C led to an intermediate rate with no significant difference between
4 and 12°C groups (Fig.
3).
|
|
Catalytic rate of the chymotrypsin-like activity of 20S proteasome at physiological temperatures (Fig. 4, white bars) was estimated by first determining activity at different assay temperatures for homogenates from fish acclimated to 8°C. The relationship between proteasome activity and temperature, determined at temperatures ranging from 4°C to 32°C, was linear (Fig. 5). This reveals that nothing untoward with respect to thermal sensitivity is occurring over the temperature range of study. The expected activity at acclimation temperature was calculated from the activity measured at 15°C using the calculated Q10 of 1.33. When the activities were reported at their expected values at acclimation temperature, the direction of the differences remains the same but the group acclimated at 8°C was no longer significantly different from the extremes while the 4 and 12°C groups remained significantly different from each other (Fig. 4, open bars) (F2,26=5.069, P=0.015).
|
In an attempt to describe growth data using protein synthesis and 20S proteasome activity, simple and multiple regression analyses were performed on pooled groups. Growth rate was well described by protein synthesis according to the following equation: SGRm=1.714+2.065xprotein synthesis (r2=0.343, P=0.001). The relationship between growth rate and 20S proteasome activity was best described by: SGRm=2.926–0.048xproteasome (r2=0.253, P=0.006). A multiple regression best described growth rate using both protein synthesis and 20S proteasome activity: SGRm=2.22+2.040xprotein synthesis–0.039xproteasome (r2=0.55, P<0.001).
Quantification of protein-bound carbonyls
Oxidative protein damages in the white muscle were measured as
protein-bound carbonyls. There was no significant effect of acclimation
temperature on protein-bound carbonyls (F2,24=1.520,
P=0.242). The protein-bound carbonyl content varied between 0.364 and
1.879 nmol mg–1 protein and averaged 1.074 nmol
mg–1 protein.
Quantification of TBARS and reduced glutathione
Lipid peroxidation was measured as the content of TBARS. The TBARS
concentrations varied between 0.087 and 0.263 µmol g–1
white muscle and averaged 0.154 µmol g–1 white muscle.
There was no significant effect of temperature on TBARS content
(F2,25=1.50, P=0.245). Acclimation temperature
had a significant effect on reduced glutathione (GSH) concentration
(Fig. 6). Fish acclimated at
4°C had a higher concentration of GSH than those acclimated at 12°C
while fish acclimated at 8°C had intermediate values
(F2,25=7.01, P=0.005).
|
| DISCUSSION |
|---|
|
|
|---|
As expected, acclimation at the coldest temperature had a significant
negative effect on growth rate, mean SGRm being 70% of
SGRm of fish acclimated at 8°C. Fish acclimated at 12°C did
not show significantly different growth rate when compared with the 8°C
group, as found in Atlantic wolffish
(McCarthy et al., 1998
;
McCarthy et al., 1999
).
However, Savoie et al. (Savoie et al.,
2008
), studying newly hatched spotted wolffish, reported highest
growth rate at 12°C compared with 8°C during the first two weeks
post-hatch, then a sharp decrease of growth rate at 12°C occurred. Our
results are also in accordance with other published growth rates of juvenile
spotted wolffish (Hansen and
Falk-Petersen, 2002
; Imsland
et al., 2006a
; Imsland et al.,
2006b
). The SGRm presented here are, to our knowledge,
the first published for spotted wolffish in the range of 2 to 5 g. The absence
of mortality and generalized positive growth during the growth trial is
indicative of the good health of the experimental fish but also shows that the
selected experimental temperatures were well within the species thermal range.
Acclimation to the highest temperature (12°C) seems to have an effect on
the shape of fish, as suggested by the reduced Fulton's condition index
(Fig. 2). This phenomenon might
be indicative of the difficulty of retaining energy reserves at higher
temperature due to higher maintenance costs. It might also be indicative of
different thermosensitivity of growth rate and developmental processes.
Protein synthesis
In this study, the rate of protein synthesis was maximal at 8°C, lower
at 4°C and intermediate at 12°C. At 12°C, the rate of amino acid
incorporation tends to be lower than at 8°C. This contrasts with the
results for Atlantic wolffish (McCarthy et
al., 1999
), where the fractional rate of protein synthesis
increased linearly with temperature. In juvenile barramundi (Lates
calcarifer), protein synthesis was shown to display an asymmetrical
relation with temperature, as it tends to in the present study
(Katersky and Carter, 2007
).
It has been suggested that, under satiation feeding, protein synthesis is
maximal at optimum growth temperature
(Carter and Houlihan, 2001
;
Loughna and Goldspink, 1985
).
This seems to be the case in the present study as protein synthesis tends to
be higher at 8°C, which is generally recognized as the optimal growth
temperature of spotted wolffish (Foss et
al., 2004
; Hansen and
Falk-Petersen, 2002
; Imsland
et al., 2006a
; Imsland et al.,
2006b
).
Proteasome activity
The thermosensitivity of the chymotryptic-like activity of 20S proteasome
was the same for the white muscle and liver (data not shown). The relatively
low Q10 observed in spotted wolffish contrasts with findings of
other studies, mostly on mammals, where reported Q10 are between
1.6 and 4 (Velickovska et al.,
2005
; Woods and Storey,
2005
). The skeletal muscle chymotryptic-like activity of
hibernating thirteen-lined ground squirrels (Spermophilus
tridecemlineatus) has a lower Q10 than that of conspecific
euthermic animals (1.6 vs 2.1) and is much lower than that of mouse
(Mus musculus), which has a Q10 of 2.9 [calculated from
fig. 3 of Woods and Storey
(Woods and Storey, 2005
)]. In
general, Q10 increases at lower temperature, but this phenomenon
was not observed in the range of temperature studied. This does not rule out
the possibility of a very large Q10 between 4°C and lower
temperatures but this is beyond the scope of this study. It is worth
mentioning that, in the wild, spotted wolffish experience temperatures that
range from–1 to 7°C (Barsukov,
1959
). Consequently, it is not surprising that a low
Q10 is measured even at cold temperatures. It is not clear whether
wolffish 20S proteasome is adapted to be more efficient at cold temperature or
if animals living at higher temperatures have evolved a protection mechanism
that limits protein degradation during short-term decreases of temperature,
such as in hibernating squirrels.
Protein degradation is a tightly regulated process
(Hershko et al., 2000
) and, in
eukaryotic cells, three major protein degradation systems exist. The lysosomal
system is composed of a vacuole-bound acidic environment where the cathepsins
hydrolyze the proteins in a non-specific manner. The concentrations of the
different cathepsins are under tight control
(Aoki et al., 2000
;
Mommsen, 2004
). The calpain
system is composed of two calcium-activated proteolytic enzymes (the m-calpain
and the µ-calpain) and their specific inhibitor (the calpastatin). This
system is thought to be principally involved in the cleavage of
cytoskeletal/membrane attachments and presumably signal transduction
(Goll et al., 2003
;
Goll et al., 1998
). The
ubiquitin/proteasome system, examined here, is involved in the specific
degradation of tagged proteins. Tagging of a protein for destruction is
accomplished by covalent attachment of multiple ubiquitin moieties, a highly
evolutionary conserved protein. Conjugation of ubiquitin to the protein is
realized via a three-step cascade mechanism involving three classes
of enzymes (E1, E2 and E3) that activate ubiquitin, transport it and attach it
to substrate protein, respectively (Attaix
et al., 2001
). The 20S proteasome is composed of four stacked
rings that form a barrel-like structure hosting proteolytic activities. Both
ends of the 20S proteasome can be capped by a 19S regulatory particle that is
responsible for substrate recognition and its translocation into the lumen for
degradation (Attaix et al.,
2001
; Braun et al.,
1999
; Glickman and
Ciechanover, 2002
).
This is the first study to measure 20S proteasome activity in fish
acclimated at different temperatures. There is a clear indication of thermal
compensation of proteasome activity in fish acclimated at 4°C. Proteasome
activity at 4°C was 130% higher than the activity level measured at
8°C, while in fish acclimated at 12°C, activity was 87% of that of
8°C (calculated using activities at acclimation temperature). The use of
Q10 to calculate proteasome activity at acclimation temperature was
preferred to measuring the enzyme activities at acclimation temperature for
practical considerations. The effect of temperature on enzyme activity was
linear in the studied range of temperature and there is no reason to believe
that the fish express different isoforms of proteasome at different
temperature. Therefore, the temperature sensitivity of the proteasome should
be the same between acclimation groups and the calculated activities should
represent reality. The assays were performed on tissues extracted at least 24
h after the last meal and the activities are likely to represent the basal
rate of protein degradation in white muscle of juvenile spotted wolffish. Our
results are in accordance with many transcriptomics studies that show an
increase of the genes coding for 20S proteasome and/or ubiquitinating enzymes
during acclimation to cold temperatures. In a study on gene expression level
of annual killifish (Austrofundulus limnaeus) during acclimation to
low and high temperature, Podrabsky and Somero found that a subunit of 26S
proteasome was strongly upregulated during cold acclimation
(Podrabsky and Somero, 2004
).
In the common carp (Cyprinus carpio), acclimation to cold temperature
also led to upregulation of 21 genes involved in the
ubiquitin–proteasome pathway (Gracey
et al., 2004
). Upregulation of genes of the proteasome pathway was
also observed, along with an apparent increase in the ubiquitin-conjugated
(Ub-conjugated) level of some proteins in common carp
(McLean et al., 2007
). Todgham
et al. found a higher level of Ub-conjugated protein in Antarctic fish species
than in fish inhabiting temperate waters of New Zealand
(Todgham et al., 2007
). The
authors concluded that cold waters placed higher physiological constraints on
maintaining proteins in their native state
(Todgham et al., 2007
). These
authors also suggested that the accumulation of Ub-conjugated proteins could
be a result of a lower efficiency of the proteasome at lower temperature. This
interpretation is now challenged by our results, given the compensation of 20S
proteasome activity at lower acclimation temperature. Our results, combined
with those of Todgham et al. (Todgham et
al., 2007
), indicate that cold temperatures place an important
physiological constraint on protein metabolism and that the
ubiquitin–proteasome pathway seems to be upregulated in such conditions.
It is noteworthy that the 20S proteasome activities reported in the present
study reflect the capacity of degradation of a synthetic peptide and not the
degradation of proteins per se. This is, for now, the closest we can
get to protein degradation by the proteasome pathway.
Lower protein synthesis retention efficiency (PSRE) was observed in
Atlantic wolffish at lower temperature
(McCarthy et al., 1999
). PSRE
was also found to be lower at low temperature in juvenile barramundi
(Katersky and Carter, 2007
).
Low PRSE indicates that a lower proportion of synthesized proteins is
successfully retained for growth, in other words it is indicative of a high
protein turnover and therefore of a low growth efficiency. Our results show
that the proteasome pathway is a potentially significant component of the low
PRSE generally observed at low temperature. It appears that, at temperatures
slightly higher than the optimal, growth rate is maintained by a combination
of skeletal growth and slightly reduced muscular activity of proteasome, as
shown by the Fulton's K and proteasome 20S activity, respectively. Since the
higher acclimation temperature was not high enough to produce a detrimental
effect on growth rate, it is not possible to evaluate the role of proteasome
in the case of acclimation to adversely high temperature. In their study on
barramundi, Katersky and Carter also found that PRSE was maintained over a
wide range of temperature at the higher end of the experimental temperatures
tested (Katersky and Carter,
2007
). To date, protein metabolism (synthesis, growth and
degradation) has not been measured in animals acclimated at temperatures
clearly above their optimal temperature. Such information would provide
further data to explore the relationships between protein metabolism and
growth rate.
Protein turnover
A significant positive relationship was found between the rate of protein
synthesis in white muscle and SGRm while a negative relationship
was found between 20S proteasome activity and SGRm. A significant
multiple regression described SGRm by using protein synthesis and
proteasome activity. As shown by the equation of this regression, white muscle
20S proteasome activity negatively impacts growth rate. Dobly et al.
(Dobly et al., 2004
) also found
a negative relationship between growth rate and 20S proteasome activity in
rainbow trout liver but not in white muscle. This is probably related to the
different experimental approach they used to study the relationship between
protein metabolism and growth rate and also to the sedentary swimming
behaviour of spotted wolffish compared with rainbow trout. The multiple
regression was computed on pooled fish without using temperature as a factor
for two reasons; first, we wanted to avoid the use of too many parameters and
their interactions. More importantly, since the selected acclimation
temperatures were within the thermal range of spotted wolffish, it was
considered as a mild treatment influencing growth rate in comparison to food
restriction. Keeping in mind that during positive growth, protein turnover is
equal to protein degradation (Hawkins,
1991
), turnover appeared to be maintained high in slow-growing
fish acclimated at lower temperature. Fish acclimated at the higher
temperature maintained growth rate similar to the group acclimated at 8°C
while having a slightly lower rate of protein synthesis and 20S proteasome
activity.
Protein damage
Protein cold denaturation and/or protein misfolding have been suggested as
causal factors of the high levels in Ub-conjugated protein content reported in
cold-water-adapted fish species (Todgham
et al., 2007
). Although, as pointed out by these authors, millions
of years of evolution in a cold environment should have led to adaptive
modifications of proteins in order to maintain their stability under natural
conditions. However, acclimation to cold temperature generally leads to
increased mitochondrial capacity in white muscle
(Guderley, 2004
), and reactive
oxygen species (ROS) are a byproduct of the mitochondrial respiration
(Boveris and Chance, 1973
).
These ROS may damage all types of biological molecules but, because of their
high relative importance in tissue composition, proteins are a major target
(Dalle-Donne et al., 2003
;
Levine et al., 1990
;
Shacter, 2000
). A generally
recognized role of the proteasome pathway is the degradation of oxidatively
damaged proteins. Oxidatively damaged proteins are tagged by enzymes of the
ubiquitinating pathway, and proteasome activity is also known to be highly
responsive to oxidative stress (Friguet,
2006
; Perepechaeva et al.,
2006
; Poppek and Grune,
2006
). A higher level of oxidative modification of proteins could
perhaps explain the higher rate of protein degradation at cold temperature. In
the present study, neither protein-carbonyl nor TBARS contents were higher at
low temperature; however, GSH concentration was significantly higher at low
temperature. Unfortunately, the method used for GSH assay did not allow for
assessment of GSSG, making it impossible to estimate the total glutathione
pool, its redox state and thus the antioxidant status of the fish. However,
GSH concentration was shown to increase as a response to mild oxidative
conditions (hyperoxia) in gills (Ritola et
al., 2002a
) and liver (Ritola
et al., 2002b
) of rainbow trout. In the North Sea eelpout
(Zoarces viviparous), GSH levels were shown to increase following
stressful exposure to low temperature
(Heise et al., 2006
). In the
Antarctic eelpout (Pachycara brachycephalum), glutathione content is
two to three times higher than in the North Sea eelpout, and the ratio
GSSG/GSH of the Antarctic eelpout was among the highest reported in the
literature. The authors argued that such a high ratio of GSSG/GSH and the high
concentration of GSH were both characteristic traits of some polar fish, such
that metabolic processes, adapted to function at low temperatures, are also
able to operate in a more oxidized redox environment
(Heise et al., 2007
). In these
studies, both GSH and GSSG were measured but, in all cases, the absolute
content of GSH was increased following exposure to potentially stressful
conditions. As such, the higher content of GSH in cold-acclimated spotted
wolffish possibly indicates that the animal faces more oxidative conditions.
The redox state of the glutathione pool following acclimation to different
temperatures would definitely be more informative but the data obtained in
this study present a valuable point of departure. Reduced glutathione was the
only antioxidant investigated but it could well be that antioxidant enzymes
are participating in ROS detoxification in cold-acclimated spotted wolffish.
For instance, in common carp, along with the ubiquitin–proteasome
pathway transcripts, the transcription levels of the antioxidant enzymes
superoxide dismutase and glutathione-S-transferase were upregulated during
cold acclimation (Gracey et al.,
2004
).
Conclusion
20S proteasome activity seems to be a good proxy for protein degradation at
suboptimal temperature in spotted wolffish. The effect of low temperature on
growth rate of juvenile spotted wolffish is attributed to the lower rate of
protein synthesis and high proteasome activity resulting in lower protein
retention efficiency and lower growth efficiency. High rate of protein
degradation at low temperature is suggested as an adaptive response to keep
the steady-state concentration of oxidatively modified proteins at an
acceptable level. Further work on mitochondrial ROS generation and the
antioxidant status of fish is nevertheless needed to strengthen this
hypothesis. Adaptation to a colder environment could involve tradeoffs between
increased mitochondrial capacity and lower protein retention efficiency due to
higher oxidative damages incurred by proteins when ROS production is
higher.
| Footnotes |
|---|
| References |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Aoki, T., Yamashita, T. and Ueno, R. (2000). Distribution of cathepsins in red and white muscles among fish species. Fish. Sci. 66,776 -782.[CrossRef]
Attaix, D., Combaret, L., Pouch, M. N. and Taillandier, D. (2001). Regulation of proteolysis. Curr. Opin. Clin. Nutr. Metab. Care 4,45 -49.[Medline]
Barsukov, V. V. (1959). The Wolffish (Anarhichadidae): Translated for the Smithsonian Institution. New Delhi: Indian National Scientific Documentation Centre.
Boveris, A. and Chance, B. (1973). The mitochondrial generation of hydrogen peroxide: general properties and effect of hyperbaric oxygen. Biochem. J. 134,707 -716.[Medline]
Braun, B. C., Glickman, M., Kraft, R., Dahlmann, B., Kloetzel, P. M., Finley, D. and Schmidt, M. (1999). The base of the proteasome regulatory particle exhibits chaperone-like activity. Nat. Cell Biol. 1,221 -226.[CrossRef][Medline]
Carter, C. G. and Houlihan, D. F. (2001). Protein synthesis. In Fish Physiology: Nitrogen Excretion, vol. 20 (ed. P. A. Wright and P. M. Andersen), pp. 31-75. London: Academic Press.[CrossRef]
Dalle-Donne, I., Rossi, R., Giustarini, D., Milzani, A. and Colombo, R. (2003). Protein carbonyl groups as biomarkers of oxidative stress. Clin. Chim. Acta 329, 23-38.[CrossRef][Medline]
Dobly, A., Martin, S. A. M., Blaney, S. C. and Houlihan, D. F. (2004). Protein growth rate in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) is negatively correlated to liver 20S proteasome activity. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 137A,75 -85.[CrossRef][Medline]
Foss, A., Imsland, A. K., Falk-Petersen, I. B. and Oiestad, V. (2004). A review of the culture potential of spotted wolffish Anarhichas minor Olafsen. Rev. Fish Biol. Fish. 14,277 -294.[CrossRef]
Fraser, K. P. P. and Rogers, A. D. (2007). Protein metabolism in marine animals: the underlying mechanism of growth. In Advances in Marine Biology, vol.52 (ed. D. W. Sims), pp.267 -362. London: Academic Press.[CrossRef][Medline]
Friguet, B. (2006). Oxidized protein degradation and repair in ageing and oxidative stress. FEBS Lett. 580,2910 -2916.[CrossRef][Medline]
Garlick, P. J., McNurlan, M. A. and Preedy, V. R. (1980). A rapid and convenient technique for measuring the rate of protein synthesis in tissues by injection of [3H]phenylalanine. Biochem. J. 192,719 -723.[Medline]
Glickman, M. H. and Ciechanover, A. (2002). The
ubiquitin-proteasome proteolytic pathway: destruction for the sake of
construction. Physiol. Rev.
82,373
-428.
Goll, D. E., Thompson, V. F., Taylor, R. G. and Ouali, A. (1998). The calpain system and skeletal muscle growth. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 78,503 -512.
Goll, D. E., Thompson, V. F., Li, H. Q., Wei, W. and Cong, J.
Y. (2003). The calpain system. Physiol.
Rev. 83,731
-801.
Gracey, A. Y., Fraser, E. J., Li, W. Z., Fang, Y. X., Taylor, R.
R., Rogers, J., Brass, A. and Cossins, A. R. (2004). Coping
with cold: an integrative, multitissue analysis of the transcriptome of a
poikilothermic vertebrate. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA
101,16970
-16975.
Guderley, H. (2004). Metabolic responses to low temperature in fish muscle. Biol. Rev. 79,409 -427.[Medline]
Guderley, H., Lapointe, D., Bedard, M. and Dutil, J. D. (2003). Metabolic priorities during starvation: enzyme sparing in liver and white muscle of Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua L. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 135A,347 -356.
Hansen, T. K. and Falk-Petersen, I. B. (2002). Growth and survival of first-feeding spotted wolffish (Anarhichas minor Olafsen) at various temperature regimes. Aquac. Res. 33,1119 -1127.[CrossRef]
Hawkins, A. J. S. (1991). Protein turnover: a functional appraisal. Funct. Ecol. 5, 222-233.[CrossRef]
Heise, K., Puntarulo, S., Nikinmaa, M., Lucassen, M., Portner, H. O. and Abele, D. (2006). Oxidative stress and HIF-1 DNA binding during stressful cold exposure and recovery in the North Sea eelpout (Zoarces viviparus). Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 143A,494 -503.
Heise, K., Estevez, M. S., Puntarulo, S., Galleano, M., Nikinmaa, M., Portner, H. O. and Abele, D. (2007). Effects of seasonal and latitudinal cold on oxidative stress parameters and activation of hypoxia inducible factor (HIF-1) in zoarcid fish. J. Comp. Physiol. B 177,765 -777.[CrossRef][Medline]
Hershko, A., Ciechanover, A. and Varshavsky, A. (2000). The ubiquitin system. Nat. Med. 6,1073 -1081.[CrossRef][Medline]
Houlihan, D. F., Carter, C. G. and McCarthy, I. D. (1995). Protein turnover in animals. In Nitrogen Metabolism and Excretion (ed. P. J. Walsh and P. Wright), pp.1 -32. New York: CRC Press.
Imsland, A. K., Foss, A., Sparboe, L. O. and Sigurdsson, S. (2006a). The effect of temperature and fish size on growth and feed efficiency ratio of juvenile spotted wolffish Anarhichas minor. J. Fish Biol. 68,1107 -1122.[CrossRef]
Imsland, A. K., Le Francois, N. R., Lamarre, S. G., Ditlecadet, D., Sigurosson, S. and Foss, A. (2006b). Myosin expression levels and enzyme activity in juvenile spotted wolffish (Anarhichas minor) muscle: a method for monitoring growth rates. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 63,1959 -1967.[CrossRef]
Kamencic, H., Lyon, A., Paterson, P. G. and Juurlink, B. H. J. (2000). Monochlorobimane fluorometric method to measure tissue glutathione. Anal. Biochem. 286, 35-37.[CrossRef][Medline]
Katersky, R. S. and Carter, C. G. (2007). A preliminary study on growth and protein synthesis of juvenile barramundi, Lates calcarifer at different temperatures. Aquaculture 267,157 -164.[CrossRef]
Le Francois, N. R., Lamarre, S. G. and Blier, P. U. (2004). Tolerance, growth and haloplasticity of the Atlantic wolffish (Anarhichas lupus) exposed to various salinities. Aquaculture 236,659 -675.[CrossRef]
Levine, R. L., Garland, D., Oliver, C. N., Amici, A., Climent, I., Lenz, A. G., Ahn, B. W., Shaltiel, S. and Stadtman, E. R. (1990). Determination of carbonyl content in oxidatively modified proteins. Methods Enzymol. 186,464 -478.[Medline]
Lewis, J. M. and Driedzic, W. R. (2007).
Tissue-specific changes in protein synthesis associated with seasonal
metabolic depression and recovery in the north temperate labrid,
Tautogolabrus adspersus. Am. J. Physiol. Regul. Integr. Comp.
Physiol. 293,R474
-R481.
Loughna, P. T. and Goldspink, G. (1985). Muscle
protein synthesis rates during temperature acclimation in a eurythermal
(Cyprinus carpio) and a stenothermal (Salmo gairdneri) species of
teleost. J. Exp. Biol.
118,267
-276.
Martin, S. A. M., Cash, P., Blaney, S. and Houlihan, D. F. (2001). Proteome analysis of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) liver proteins during short term starvation. Fish Physiol. Biochem. 24,259 -270.[CrossRef]
Martin, S. A. M., Blaney, S., Bowman, A. S. and Houlihan, D. F. (2002). Ubiquitin-proteasome-dependent proteolysis in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss): effect of food deprivation. Pflügers Arch. 445,257 -266.[CrossRef][Medline]
McCaman, M. W. and Robins, E. (1962). Fluorimetric method for the determination of phenylalanine in serum. J. Lab. Clin. Med. 59,885 -890.
McCarthy, I. D., Moksness, E. and Pavlov, D. A. (1998). The effect of temperature on growth rate and growth efficiency of juvenile common wolffish. Aquac. Int. 6, 207-218.[CrossRef]
McCarthy, I. D., Moksness, E., Pavlov, D. A. and Houlihan, D. F. (1999). Effects of water temperature on protein synthesis and protein growth in juvenile Atlantic wolffish (Anarhichas lupus). Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 56,231 -241.[CrossRef]
McLean, L., Young, I. S., Doherty, M. K., Robertson, D. H. L., Cossins, A. R., Gracey, A. Y., Beynon, R. J. and Whitfield, P. D. (2007). Global cooling: cold acclimation and the expression of soluble proteins in carp skeletal muscle. Proteomics 7,2667 -2681.[CrossRef][Medline]
Mommsen, T. P. (2004). Salmon spawning migration and muscle protein metabolism: the August Krogh principle at work. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 139B,383 -400.[CrossRef][Medline]
Perepechaeva, M. L., Kolosova, N. G. and Grishanova, A. Y. (2006). Activity of 20S proteosomes and content of oxidized proteins in rat liver after long-term cold exposure. Bull. Exp. Biol. Med. 142,182 -185.[CrossRef][Medline]
Podrabsky, J. E. and Somero, G. N. (2004).
Changes in gene expression associated with acclimation to constant
temperatures and fluctuating daily temperatures in an annual killifish
Austrofundulus limnaeus. J. Exp. Biol.
207,2237
-2254.
Poppek, D. and Grune, T. (2006). Proteasomal defense of oxidative protein modifications. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 8,173 -184.[CrossRef][Medline]
Ricker, W. E. (1975). Computation and interpretation of biological statistics of fish populations. Bull. Fish. Res. Board Can. 191,1 -382.
Ritola, O., Livingstone, D. R., Peters, L. D. and Lindstrom-Seppa, P. (2002a). Antioxidant processes are affected in juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) exposed to ozone and oxygen-supersaturated water. Aquaculture 210, 1-19.[CrossRef]
Ritola, O., Tossavainen, K., Kiuru, T., Lindstrom-Seppa, P. and Molsa, H. (2002b). Effects of continuous and episodic hyperoxia on stress and hepatic glutathione levels in one-summer-old rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). J. Appl. Ichthyol. 18,159 -164.[CrossRef]
Salem, M., Levesque, H., Moon, T. W., Rexroad, C. E. and Yao, J. B. (2006). Anabolic effects of feeding β(2)-adrenergic agonists on rainbow trout muscle proteases and proteins. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 144A,145 -154.
Salem, M., Silverstein, J., Rexroad, C. E., 3rd and Yao, J. (2007). Effect of starvation on global gene expression and proteolysis in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). BMC Genomics 8,16 .[CrossRef][Medline]
Savoie, A., Le Francois, N. R., Cahu, C. and Blier, P. U. (2008). Metabolic and digestive activity profiles of newly hatched spotted wolffish (Anarhichas minor Olafsen): effect of temperature. Aquac. Res. 39,382 -389.[CrossRef]
Shacter, E. (2000). Quantification and significance of protein oxidation in biological samples. Drug Metab. Rev. 32,307 -326.[CrossRef][Medline]
Shibatani, T. and Ward, W. F. (1995). Sodium dodecyl-sulfate (Sds) activation of the 20s proteasome in rat-liver. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 321,160 -166.[CrossRef][Medline]
Strand, H. K., Hansen, T. K., Pedersen, A., Falk-Petersen, I. B. and Oiestad, V. (1995). First feeding of common wolffish on formulated dry feed diets in a low water-level raceway system. Aquac. Int. 3,1 -10.
Sugden, H. and Fuller, J. (1991). Regulation of protein turnover in skeletal and cardiac striated muscle. Biochem. J. 273,21 -37.[Medline]
Todgham, A. E., Hoaglund, E. A. and Hofmann, G. E. (2007). Is cold the new hot? Elevated ubiquitin-conjugated protein levels in tissues of Antarctic fish as evidence for cold-denaturation of proteins in vivo. J. Comp. Physiol. B 177,857 -866.[CrossRef][Medline]
Treberg, J. R., Hall, J. R. and Driedzic, W. R. (2005). Enhanced protein synthetic capacity in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) is associated with temperature-induced compensatory growth. Am. J. Physiol. 288,R205 -R211.
Velickovska, V., Lloyd, B. P., Qureshi, S. and van Breukelen, F. (2005). Proteolysis is depressed during torpor in hibernators at the level of the 20S core protease. J. Comp. Physiol. B 175,329 -335.[CrossRef][Medline]
Woods, A. K. and Storey, K. B. (2005). Effects of hibernation on multicatalytic proteinase complex in thirteen-lined ground squirrels, Spermophilus tridecemlineatus. Mol. Cell. Biochem. 271,205 -213.[CrossRef][Medline]
![]()
CiteULike
Complore
Connotea
Del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Technorati
Twitter What's this?
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||