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Holistic analyses of biochemical adaptation
Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part A 163 (2012) S1–S3
Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect
Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part A j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w. e l s ev i e r. c o m / l o c a t e / c b p a
28th Congress of the newEuropean Society of Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry, Bilbao (Basque Country, Spain) — Sept. 2–5, 2012 Cellular and molecular mechanisms for physiological adaptation to multiple stress
KEYNOTE LECTURES 1. Holistic analyses of biochemical adaptation G.N. Somero (Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, USA)
Holistic analysis of biochemical adaptation, in which as many relevant variables as possible are incorporated in a study, is crucial for capturing a full picture of adaptive processes, whether focus is on evolutionary change or phenotypic acclimatization. Organism's abilities to thrive under diverse abiotic conditions, notably of temperature, salinity, O2 availability and hydrostatic pressure are due to complementary evolutionary processes involving macromolecules like proteins and a diverse set of “micromolecules” (organic osmolytes, inorganic ions and protons) that bathe macromolecules in cells. These cooperative efforts of the “big” and “small” generate marginally stable states of proteins that are optimal for function and tightly defended during acclimatization. A holistic view of protein structure–function relationships that considers the role of many regions of a protein in governing function can reveal multiple sites where adaptive change in sequence can occur. Different evolutionary lineages converge on similar conservation of function through different amino acid substitutions. The multiple roles played by a given protein, e.g., the roles of heat-shock proteins as molecular chaperones and regulators of apoptosis must be integrated in studies of stress to obtain a full image of the stress response. Holistic analysis also mandates that studies be done in the context of time, including normal cellular rhythms, time-dependent responses to acute stress and ontogenetic differences in stress sensitivity. Lastly, in the context of global change, different types of abiotic stress may have either additive or counteracting effects on cells. Transcriptomic studies reveal that heat- and osmotic stress modify expression of a common set of genes, but in opposite directions. Only by exploiting such holistic approaches can comparative biochemistry generate realistic insights into the processes of adaptation that underlie the diversity and resilience of life. doi:10.1016/j.cbpa.2012.05.006 1095-6433/$ – see front matter
2. Oceans under climate change: Effects of warming, hypoxia and acidification on marine animals H.O. Pörtner (Integrative Ecophysiology, Alfred-Wegener-Institute, Germany) Climate change and its effects on marine ecosystems emphasize the need for a common understanding of the climate sensitivity of marine organisms by physiologists and ecologists. The whole organism responses to climate warming link to ecosystem response and build on a suite of tissue, cellular, molecular and genomic events, in a systemic to molecular hierarchy of limitation. All of these are involved in setting limits to tolerance, shaping a species-specific, limited budget of tolerance over time beyond pejus limits. The limiting mechanisms are also the targets of processes shaping acclimatisation and evolutionary adaptation. The concept of oxygen and capacity limitation of thermal tolerance (OCLTT) was proposed as a matrix integrating the levels of biological organisation and the synergistic effects of environmental stressors including ocean acidification (Pörtner et al., 2002, 2004, 2010). Adaptation to various climate regimes becomes visible in the positioning and width of thermal windows on the temperature scale. It will be discussed how such mechanistic understanding provides benefits to the assessment of climate change impacts on marine living resources and associated tools for management and policy. References: Pörtner, H.O., 2002. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 132A, 739–761. Pörtner, H.O., Mark, F.C., Bock, C., 2004. Respir. Physiol. Neurobiol. 141, 243–260. Pörtner, H.O., 2010. J. Exp. Biol. 213, 881–893.
doi:10.1016/j.cbpa.2012.05.007
3. Adaptation to chemical perturbation in the HPG axis: Implications for assessment and monitoring G.T. Ankley (US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, USA)
Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect
Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part A j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w. e l s ev i e r. c o m / l o c a t e / c b p a
28th Congress of the newEuropean Society of Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry, Bilbao (Basque Country, Spain) — Sept. 2–5, 2012 Cellular and molecular mechanisms for physiological adaptation to multiple stress
KEYNOTE LECTURES 1. Holistic analyses of biochemical adaptation G.N. Somero (Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, USA)
Holistic analysis of biochemical adaptation, in which as many relevant variables as possible are incorporated in a study, is crucial for capturing a full picture of adaptive processes, whether focus is on evolutionary change or phenotypic acclimatization. Organism's abilities to thrive under diverse abiotic conditions, notably of temperature, salinity, O2 availability and hydrostatic pressure are due to complementary evolutionary processes involving macromolecules like proteins and a diverse set of “micromolecules” (organic osmolytes, inorganic ions and protons) that bathe macromolecules in cells. These cooperative efforts of the “big” and “small” generate marginally stable states of proteins that are optimal for function and tightly defended during acclimatization. A holistic view of protein structure–function relationships that considers the role of many regions of a protein in governing function can reveal multiple sites where adaptive change in sequence can occur. Different evolutionary lineages converge on similar conservation of function through different amino acid substitutions. The multiple roles played by a given protein, e.g., the roles of heat-shock proteins as molecular chaperones and regulators of apoptosis must be integrated in studies of stress to obtain a full image of the stress response. Holistic analysis also mandates that studies be done in the context of time, including normal cellular rhythms, time-dependent responses to acute stress and ontogenetic differences in stress sensitivity. Lastly, in the context of global change, different types of abiotic stress may have either additive or counteracting effects on cells. Transcriptomic studies reveal that heat- and osmotic stress modify expression of a common set of genes, but in opposite directions. Only by exploiting such holistic approaches can comparative biochemistry generate realistic insights into the processes of adaptation that underlie the diversity and resilience of life. doi:10.1016/j.cbpa.2012.05.006 1095-6433/$ – see front matter
2. Oceans under climate change: Effects of warming, hypoxia and acidification on marine animals H.O. Pörtner (Integrative Ecophysiology, Alfred-Wegener-Institute, Germany) Climate change and its effects on marine ecosystems emphasize the need for a common understanding of the climate sensitivity of marine organisms by physiologists and ecologists. The whole organism responses to climate warming link to ecosystem response and build on a suite of tissue, cellular, molecular and genomic events, in a systemic to molecular hierarchy of limitation. All of these are involved in setting limits to tolerance, shaping a species-specific, limited budget of tolerance over time beyond pejus limits. The limiting mechanisms are also the targets of processes shaping acclimatisation and evolutionary adaptation. The concept of oxygen and capacity limitation of thermal tolerance (OCLTT) was proposed as a matrix integrating the levels of biological organisation and the synergistic effects of environmental stressors including ocean acidification (Pörtner et al., 2002, 2004, 2010). Adaptation to various climate regimes becomes visible in the positioning and width of thermal windows on the temperature scale. It will be discussed how such mechanistic understanding provides benefits to the assessment of climate change impacts on marine living resources and associated tools for management and policy. References: Pörtner, H.O., 2002. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 132A, 739–761. Pörtner, H.O., Mark, F.C., Bock, C., 2004. Respir. Physiol. Neurobiol. 141, 243–260. Pörtner, H.O., 2010. J. Exp. Biol. 213, 881–893.
doi:10.1016/j.cbpa.2012.05.007
3. Adaptation to chemical perturbation in the HPG axis: Implications for assessment and monitoring G.T. Ankley (US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, USA)