Ontogeny of Aerobic Capacity, Lipid Metabolism and Elevated Myoglobin Concentrations in the Skeletal Muscles of Weddell Seals

0125475 Kanatous该项目将解决有氧能力，脂质代谢和氧存储在年轻威德尔海豹骨骼肌相对于细胞环境方面的时间发展是重要的肌红蛋白表达在成熟过程中的遗传调控。该研究将与正在进行的自由放养的成年和亚成年威德尔海豹的潜水和狩猎行为的调查合作，以调查适应和遗传控制的酶，超微结构和血管适应的个体发生在成年威德尔海豹的骨骼肌潜水。第一个目标是表征有氧能力，脂质代谢，纤维类型，肌红蛋白的浓度和分布，使用酶，免疫组织化学和肌红蛋白测定新生儿，刚断奶，亚成体和成年海豹的发育变化。第二个目标是确定成熟过程中骨骼肌中肌红蛋白浓度和分布变化的分子控制。分子技术将被用来确定不同年龄组的威德尔海豹的游泳肌肉中的mRNA群体的差异。这些数据将确定影响肌红蛋白浓度个体发育变化的蛋白质和转录因子。这些结果将增加我们对个体发育和分子机制的理解，年轻的海豹通过这些机制获得成为有能力的潜水员和海洋捕食者所必需的生理适应。此外，这项研究将推进我们对骨骼肌肌红蛋白分子调控的认识，这对人类医学有更广泛的应用。

0125475KanatousThis project will address the temporal development of aerobic capacity, lipid metabolism and oxygen stores in the skeletal muscles of young Weddell seals relative to aspects of the cellular environment that are important in the genetic regulation of myoglobin expression during maturation. The study will collaborate with ongoing investigations of the diving and hunting behavior of free-ranging adult and subadult Weddell Seals to investigate adaptations and the genetic control of the ontogeny of enzymatic, ultra-structural, and vascular adaptations for diving that occur in the skeletal muscles of adult Weddell seals. The first objective is to characterize the developmental changes in aerobic capacity, lipid metabolism, fiber type, and myoglobin concentration and distribution using enzymatic, immuno-histochemical and myoglobin assays in newborn, newly weaned, subadult and adult seals. The second objective is to determine the molecular controls for changes in the concentration and distribution of myoglobin in skeletal muscles during maturation. Molecular techniques will be used to determine the differences in mRNA populations in the swimming muscles of the different age classes of Weddell seals. These data will identify the proteins and transcription factors that influence the ontogenetic changes in myoglobin concentration. The results will increase our understanding of both the ontogeny and molecular mechanisms by which young seals acquire the physiological adaptations necessary to become competent divers and marine predators. In addition, this study will advance our knowledge of the molecular regulation of myoglobin in skeletal muscle, which has broader applications for human medicine.