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- Title
Myoglobin deficiency in the hearts of phylogenetically diverse temperate-zone fish species.
- Authors
Grove, Theresa J.; Sidell, Bruce D.
- Abstract
Previous studies relying upon spectrophotometric methods reported low levels of myoglobin, an intracellular oxygen-binding protein, in oxidative muscles of some sluggish benthic fishes distributed throughout the North Atlantic Ocean. In addition to facilitating the intracellular diffusion of oxygen, myoglobin functions as an oxygen reservoir during periods of oxygen deficit. Using immunochemical techniques we show that myoglobin is not expressed in the heart ventricles of fish species Cyclopterus lumpus or lumpfish, Anarhichas lupus, Macrozoarces americanus or ocean pout, and Lophius americanus. However, the myoglobin content of heart muscle from sluggish fishes is not correlated with the activities of enzymes from pathways of aerobic and anaerobic metabolism. The diverse phylogenetic positions of these species indicate that, regardless of mechanism, the lack of myoglobin gene expression in cardiac muscles of these fishes may have arisen as a result of four independent evolutionary events. In all the species that lack detectable myoglobin in heart ventricle, myoglobin messenger RNA was not detected by RNA northern blot analysis. A positive correlation has been found between the myoglobin content of ventricle and the ecophysiology of fish species. Fishes living benthic, sedentary lifestyles have low levels of myoglobin compared with active, pelagic fishes, which express high levels of myoglobin. Recent comparisons of hearts from red- and white-hearted Antarctic fish species have revealed differences in both ultrastructure and tissue architecture that are correlated with the presence and absence of myoglobin.
- Subjects
MYOGLOBIN; BENTHIC animals; FISH physiology; HEART ventricles; CYCLOPTERUS; LUMPFISH; ANARHICHAS; OCEAN pout; LOPHIUS americanus; PHYSIOLOGICAL transport of oxygen; FISH genetics
- Publication
Canadian Journal of Zoology, 2002, Vol 80, Issue 5, p893
- ISSN
0008-4301
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1139/z02-071