title: Long-term fasting in the anadromous Arctic charr is associated with downregulation of metabolic enzyme activity and upregulation of leptin A1 and SOCS expression in the liver.
abstract: The life strategy of the anadromous Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) includes several months of voluntary fasting during overwintering in freshwater, leading to emaciation prior to seawater migration in spring. In this study we compared changes in condition, substrate utilization and liver metabolism between captive anadromous charr subjected to food deprivation during late winter and spring, and conspecifics fed in excess. In March, nine out of the 10 sampled fed fish had not eaten, indicating that they were in a voluntary anorexic state. In June, the fed fish were eating and all had higher body mass, condition factor and adiposity than in March. In fasted fish there were only small decreases in body mass, condition factor and adiposity between March and May, but all these parameters decreased markedly from May to June. The fasted fish were depleted in fat and glycogen in June, had suppressed activity of hepatic enzymes involved in lipid metabolism (G6PDH and HOAD) and seemed to rely on protein-derived glucose as a major energy source. This was associated with upregulated liver gene expression of leptin A1, leptin A2, SOCS1, SOCS2 and SOCS3, and reduced IGF-I expression. In an in vitro study with liver slices it was shown that recombinant rainbow trout leptin stimulated SOCS1 and SOCS3 expression, but not SOCS2, IGF-I or genes of enzymes involved in lipid (G6PDH) and amino acid (AspAT) metabolism. It is concluded that liver leptin interacts with SOCS in a paracrine fashion to suppress lipolytic pathways and depress metabolism when fat stores are depleted.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economy, Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway. even.jorgensen@uit.no
authors.forename: Even Hjalmar
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Jørgensen
authors.forename: Mads
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martinsen
authors.forename: Vidar
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Strøm
authors.forename: Kristin Elisa Ruud
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.forename: Chandra Sekhar
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Ravuri
authors.forename: Ningping
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.forename: Malcolm
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jobling
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001823:Body Composition; D005215:Fasting; D029941:Fish Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D020738:Leptin / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012621:Seasons; D050826:Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D014337:Trout / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D029941:Fish Proteins; D020738:Leptin; D050826:Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling Proteins
keywords: IGF-I; SOCS; Salvelinus alpinus; emaciation; leptin; liver metabolism; seasonal fasting