title: Differential Expression of Hepatic Genes of the Greater Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) between the Summer Active and Winter Torpid States.
abstract: Hibernation is one type of torpor, a hypometabolic state in heterothermic mammals, which can be used as an energy-conservation strategy in response to harsh environments, e.g. limited food resource. The liver, in particular, plays a crucial role in adaptive metabolic adjustment during hibernation. Studies on ground squirrels and bears reveal that many genes involved in metabolism are differentially expressed during hibernation. Especially, the genes involved in carbohydrate catabolism are down-regulated during hibernation, while genes responsible for lipid β-oxidation are up-regulated. However, there is little transcriptional evidence to suggest physiological changes to the liver during hibernation in the greater horseshoe bat, a representative heterothermic bat. In this study, we explored the transcriptional changes in the livers of active and torpid greater horseshoe bats using the Illumina HiSeq 2000 platform. A total of 1358 genes were identified as differentially expressed during torpor. In the functional analyses, differentially expressed genes were mainly involved in metabolic depression, shifts in the fuel utilization, immune function and response to stresses. Our findings provide a comprehensive evidence of differential gene expression in the livers of greater horseshoe bats during active and torpid states and highlight potential evidence for physiological adaptations that occur in the liver during hibernation.
authors.affiliation: Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China.|Key Laboratory for Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration of National Environmental Protection, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China.
authors.forename: Yanhong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: School of Life Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China.
authors.forename: Yonghua
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China.|Key Laboratory for Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration of National Environmental Protection, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China.
authors.forename: Keping
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China.|Key Laboratory for Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration of National Environmental Protection, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Core Genomic Facility, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Core Genomic Facility, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Shuhui
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Core Genomic Facility, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Zhenglin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Du
authors.affiliation: Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China.|Key Laboratory for Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration of National Environmental Protection, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China.
authors.forename: Tinglei
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: School of Life Science, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, China.
authors.forename: Limin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China.|Key Laboratory for Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration of National Environmental Protection, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China.|Key Laboratory for Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration of National Environmental Protection, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China.
authors.forename: Aiqing
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China.|Key Laboratory for Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration of National Environmental Protection, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China.
authors.forename: Xinke
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yue
authors.affiliation: Core Genomic Facility, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Chenji
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Core Genomic Facility, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Tingting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China.|Key Laboratory for Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration of National Environmental Protection, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China.
authors.forename: Jiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Feng
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000502:physiology*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006605:Hibernation; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D012621:Seasons; D017423:Sequence Analysis, RNA / Q000379:methods