The adaptation of biological membranes to temperature and pressure: Fish from the deep and cold

Cossins, Andrew R.; Macdonald, A. G.

doi:10.1007/bf00762215

Cited by 149 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…Accordingly, many deep-sea organisms modulate their membrane fluidity and composition in response to pressure [6]. Comparison of deep-sea and shallow-water fish revealed increased proportions of membrane fluidizing unsaturated fatty acids [9]. An increase in MUFAs and PUFAs and decrease in SFAs was also observed in vertically migrating marine planktonic copepods with increasing depth [52].…”

Section: Fa Composition Of E Colimentioning

confidence: 95%

Closely related intertidal and deep-sea Halomonhystera species have distinct fatty acid compositions

Campenhout

Vanreusel

2016

Helgol Mar Res

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The deep-sea free-living nematode Halomonhystera hermesi, dominant in the sulphidic sediments of the Håkon Mosby mud volcano (1280 m, Barent sea slope), is part of the mainly estuarine Halomonhystera disjuncta species complex consisting of five cryptic species (GD1-GD5). Cryptic species have a very similar morphology raising questions on their specific environmental differences. This study analyzed total fatty acid (FA) compositions of H. hermesi and GD1, one of H. hermesi's closest relatives. Additionally, we experimentally investigated the effect of a temperature reduction, salinity increase and sulphide concentrations on GD1's FA composition. Because nematodes are expected to have low amounts of storage FA, total FA compositions most likely reflect FA contents of cellular membranes. The deep-sea nematode H. hermesi had significantly lower saturation levels and increased highly unsaturated fatty acid (HUFAs) proportions due to the presence of docosahexanoic acid (DHA-22:6ω3) and higher eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA-20:5ω3) proportions. HUFAs were absent in H. hermesi's food source indicating the ability and need for this nematode to synthesize HUFAs in a deep-sea environment. Our experimental data revealed that only a decrease in temperature resulted in lower saturated fatty acids proportions, indicating that the FA content of H. hermesi is most likely a response to temperature but not to sulphide concentrations or salinity differences. In experimental nematodes, EPA proportions were low and DHA was absent indicating that other factors than temperature, salinity and sulphides mediate the presence of these HUFAs in H. hermesi.

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Section: Fa Composition Of E Colimentioning

confidence: 95%

Closely related intertidal and deep-sea Halomonhystera species have distinct fatty acid compositions

Campenhout

Vanreusel

2016

Helgol Mar Res

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“…Omega-3 index [EPA+DHA as a percentage of the total FA in red blood cells (Harris, 2007)] values of healthy human populations with highly varying dietary habits have been reported in the range of 4-12 (Harris, 2010;von Schacky, 2014), whereas the omega-3 index of salmon fed sufficient EPA+DHA was 43-47 (Sissener et al, 2016b). The omega-3 index appeared to level off as the requirement level was met, and the range of values from 43 to 47 reflected different rearing temperatures, with a higher omega-3 index recorded among fish kept at 6°C compared with those at 12°C (Sissener et al, 2016b), reflecting the need to maintain membrane fluidity at low temperatures (Cossins and Macdonald, 1989). …”

Section: Feed Composition For Farmed Atlantic Salmonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are we what we eat? Changes to the feed fatty acid composition of farmed salmon and its effects through the food chain

Sissener

2018

Journal of Experimental Biology

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‘Are we what we eat?’ Yes and no. Although dietary fat affects body fat, there are many modifying mechanisms. In Atlantic salmon, there is a high level of retention of the n-3 fatty acid (FA) docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) relative to the dietary content, whereas saturated FAs never seem to increase above a specified level, which is probably an adaptation to low and fluctuating body temperature. Net production of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) and especially DHA occurs in salmon when dietary levels are low; however, this synthesis is not sufficient to maintain EPA and DHA at similar tissue levels to those of a traditional fish oil-fed farmed salmon. The commercial diets of farmed salmon have changed over the past 15 years towards a more plant-based diet owing to the limited availability of the marine ingredients fish meal and fish oil, resulting in decreased EPA and DHA and increased n-6 FAs. Salmon is part of the human diet, leading to the question ‘Are we what the salmon eats?’ Dietary intervention studies using salmon have shown positive effects on FA profiles and health biomarkers in humans; however, most of these studies used salmon that were fed high levels of marine ingredients. Only a few human intervention studies and mouse trials have explored the effects of the changing feed composition of farmed salmon. In conclusion, when evaluating feed ingredients for farmed fish, effects throughout the food chain on fish health, fillet composition and human health need to be considered.

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“…In response, deep-sea animals have membranes with a composition of phospholipid fatty acids that increases inherent fluidity (e.g. by removing saturated fatty acids), thus combating pressure-and temperature-induced stiffening (Cossins and Macdonald, 1989;Somero, 1992). The impacts of ureotelism on membranes might constrain the potential for such deep-sea membrane adaptation in chondrichthyans: they have highly saturated membranes that could have lower intrinsic fluidity than those of teleosts, possibly as an adaptation to urea, which makes membranes more fluid (Barton et al, 1999;Glemet and Ballantyne, 1996).…”

Section: Constraints Imposed By Interactions Of Membranes With Solutementioning

confidence: 99%

Does the physiology of chondrichthyan fishes constrain their distribution in the deep sea?

Treberg

Speers‐Roesch

2016

Journal of Experimental Biology

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The deep sea is the largest ecosystem on Earth but organisms living there must contend with high pressure, low temperature, darkness and scarce food. Chondrichthyan fishes (sharks and their relatives) are important consumers in most marine ecosystems but are uncommon deeper than 3000 m and exceedingly rare, or quite possibly absent, from the vast abyss (depths >4000 m). By contrast, teleost (bony) fishes are commonly found to depths of ∼8400 m. Why chondrichthyans are scarce at abyssal depths is a major biogeographical puzzle. Here, after outlining the depth-related physiological trends among chondrichthyans, we discuss several existing and new hypotheses that implicate unique physiological and biochemical characteristics of chondrichthyans as potential constraints on their depth distribution. We highlight three major, and not mutually exclusive, working hypotheses: (1) the urea-based osmoregulatory strategy of chondrichthyans might conflict with the interactive effects of low temperature and high pressure on protein and membrane function at great depth; (2) the reliance on lipid accumulation for buoyancy in chondrichthyans has a unique energetic cost, which might increasingly limit growth and reproductive output as food availability decreases with depth; (3) their osmoregulatory strategy may make chondrichthyans unusually nitrogen limited, a potential liability in the food-poor abyss. These hypotheses acting in concert could help to explain the scarcity of chondrichthyans at great depths: the mechanisms of the first hypothesis may place an absolute, pressure-related depth limit on physiological function, while the mechanisms of the second and third hypotheses may limit depth distribution by constraining performance in the oligotrophic abyss, in ways that preclude the establishment of viable populations or lead to competitive exclusion by teleosts.

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The adaptation of biological membranes to temperature and pressure: Fish from the deep and cold

Cited by 149 publications

References 59 publications

Closely related intertidal and deep-sea Halomonhystera species have distinct fatty acid compositions

Closely related intertidal and deep-sea Halomonhystera species have distinct fatty acid compositions

Are we what we eat? Changes to the feed fatty acid composition of farmed salmon and its effects through the food chain

Does the physiology of chondrichthyan fishes constrain their distribution in the deep sea?

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