Physiology: postprandial cardiac hypertrophy in pythons.
Oxygen consumption by carnivorous reptiles increases enormously after they have eaten a large meal in order to meet metabolic demands, and this places an extra load on the cardiovascular system. Here we show that there is an extraordinarily rapid 40% increase in ventricular muscle mass in Burmese pythons (Python molurus) a mere 48 hours after feeding, which results from increased gene expression of muscle-contractile proteins. As this fully reversible hypertrophy occurs naturally, it could provide a useful model for investigating the mechanisms that lead to cardiac growth in other animals.
Andersen
Johnnie B
JB
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, USA.
Rourke
Bryan C
BC
Caiozzo
Vincent J
VJ
Bennett
Albert F
AF
Hicks
James W
JW
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D017821:Boidae / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D004063:Digestion / Q000502:physiology*; D005215:Fasting / Q000502:physiology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000254:growth & development*; D009024:Morphogenesis; D002052:Myanmar; D009929:Organ Size; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D019518:Postprandial Period / Q000502:physiology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D024723:Ventricular Myosins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D012333:RNA, Messenger; D024723:Ventricular Myosins