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Incubation temperature and physiological aging in the zebra finch.

ABSTRACT: In birds, incubation temperature has received increased attention as an important source of phenotypic variability in offspring. A lower than optimal incubation temperature may negatively affect aspects of nestling physiology, such as body growth and energy metabolism. However, the long-term effects of sub-optimal incubation temperature on morphology and physiology are not well understood. In a previous study, we showed that zebra finches from eggs incubated at a low temperature (35.9°C) for 2/3 of the total incubation time suffered a lower post-fledging survival compared to individuals that had been incubated at higher temperatures (37.0 and 37.9°C). In the present study, we investigated whether these variations in incubation temperature could cause permanent long-lasting differences in body mass, body size, or basal metabolic rate. Furthermore, we tested whether the observed differences in survival between treatment groups would be reflected in the rate of physiological deterioration, assessed through oxidative damage and decreased metabolic rate with age (i.e. 'metabolic aging'). Incubation temperature did not significantly affect embryonic or nestling body growth and did not influence final adult body mass or body size. Nor was there any long-term effect on basal metabolic rate. Birds from eggs incubated at the lowest temperature experienced an accumulation of oxidative damage with age, although this was not accompanied by an accelerated rate of metabolic aging. The present results suggest that the low survival in these birds was possibly mediated by increased oxidative stress, but independent of body growth and the basal metabolic rate.

SUBMITTER: Berntsen HH

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8629242 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Among songbirds, the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) is an excellent model system for investigating the neural mechanisms underlying complex behaviours such as vocal communication, learning and social interactions. Neuropeptides and peptide hormones are cell-to-cell signalling molecules known to mediate similar behaviours in other animals. However, in the zebra finch, this information is limited. With the newly-released zebra finch genome as a foundation, we combined bioinformatics, mass-spectrometry (MS)-enabled peptidomics and molecular techniques to identify the complete suite of neuropeptide prohormones and final peptide products and their distributions.Complementary bioinformatic resources were integrated to survey the zebra finch genome, identifying 70 putative prohormones. Ninety peptides derived from 24 predicted prohormones were characterized using several MS platforms; tandem MS confirmed a majority of the sequences. Most of the peptides described here were not known in the zebra finch or other avian species, although homologous prohormones exist in the chicken genome. Among the zebra finch peptides discovered were several unique vasoactive intestinal and adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide 1 peptides created by cleavage at sites previously unreported in mammalian prohormones. MS-based profiling of brain areas required for singing detected 13 peptides within one brain nucleus, HVC; in situ hybridization detected 13 of the 15 prohormone genes examined within at least one major song control nucleus. Expression mapping also identified prohormone messenger RNAs in areas associated with spatial learning and social behaviours. Based on the whole-genome analysis, 40 prohormone probes were found on a commonly used zebra finch brain microarray. Analysis of these newly annotated transcripts revealed that six prohormone probes showed altered expression after birds heard song playbacks in a paradigm of song recognition learning; we partially verify this result experimentally.The zebra finch peptidome and prohormone complement is now characterized. Based on previous microarray results on zebra finch vocal learning and synaptic plasticity, a number of these prohormones show significant changes during learning. Interestingly, most mammalian prohormones have counterparts in the zebra finch, demonstrating that this songbird uses similar biochemical pathways for neurotransmission and hormonal regulation. These findings enhance investigation into neuropeptide-mediated mechanisms of brain function, learning and behaviour in this model.

Project description:Like human speech, birdsong is a complex vocal behavior that is acquired by sensorimotor learning based on coordination of auditory input and vocal output to mimic memorized tutor song. Here we investigate neural circuits for vocal learning and production in deafened songbirds to elucidate how sensory-input regulate genetic and epigenetic property of vocal development and its associated gene expression dynamics. Compared with audition-intact birds, in deafened zebra finches, the vocal development is delayed but song crystallization is observed at more than three times later, producing individually different but structured vocal patterns. In contrast to the distinct difference of vocal ontogeny between audition (+) and (-), unexpectedly, developmental regulation of gene expression dynamics is strictly conserved with age-locked trend in vocal motor circuit in both intact and deafened birds, indicating sensory-input independent robustness of developmental gene expression dynamics in the motor circuit for sensorimotor learning. This discrepancy between outward vocal phenotype and inward gene expression dynamics provides new insight into neural regulation at closing of the critical period for vocal learning by two different forms: auditory inputs-dependent M-bM-^@M-^XactiveM-bM-^@M-^Y crystallization and gene expression dynamics-mediated M-bM-^@M-^XpassiveM-bM-^@M-^Y crystallization. We collected brain samples from intact and early-deafened birds (deafened at day-post hatch 17-23) under silent and dark condition. Song nuclei in vocal motor circuit, HVC and RA tissue samples (juvenile; n = 3, young; n = 3, old; n = 3 of intact and early-deafened birds for HVC and RA) were laser-microdissected from total 24 birds (intact; n = 12, early-deafened; n = 12). Each sample was hybridized to a single array, totaling 36 arrays. Birds were selected per slide such that early-deafened birds were paired with intact birds. To minimize possible interslide bias or batch effects, intact and early-deafened bird samples matching with brain area and age conditions were hybridized side by side on same array glass.

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Incubation temperature and physiological aging in the zebra finch.

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