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Updated: Feb 15, 2026
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An Experimental Study on Colorado Potato Beetle Hibernation Under Natural Conditions
Published on: November 17, 2023
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Transcriptomics in the wild: Hibernation physiology in free-ranging dwarf lemurs
Sheena L Faherty1, José Luis Villanueva-Cañas2,3, Marina B Blanco4
1Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
Molecular Ecology
|January 11, 2018
Summary
Hibernation in Crossley's dwarf lemurs reveals suppressed lipid and pyruvate metabolism. This primate hibernation signature, marked by PDK4, suggests ancient genetic roots for mammalian hibernation.
Area of Science:
- * Mammalian Physiology
- * Molecular Biology
- * Evolutionary Genomics
Background:
- * Hibernation is a survival strategy for mammals in challenging environments.
- * Crossley's dwarf lemurs (Cheirogaleus crossleyi) are among the few primate hibernators.
- * Understanding lemur hibernation offers insights into mammalian adaptations.
Purpose of the Study:
- * To investigate the transcriptomics of hibernation in a natural population of dwarf lemurs.
- * To compare gene expression in white adipose tissue across different physiological states.
- * To understand the genomic basis of hibernation in primates and mammals.
Main Methods:
- * Capture-mark-recapture of dwarf lemurs over seven months in Madagascar.
- * RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) to analyze gene expression profiles.
- * Pathway analysis to identify significant transcriptional changes.
Main Results:
- * Hibernation characterized by suppressed lipid biosynthesis, pyruvate metabolism, and mitochondrial functions.
- * Accumulation of transcripts for ribosomal components and iron-storage proteins observed.
- * Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase isoenzyme 4 (PDK4) identified as crucial for fuel economy shifts.
Conclusions:
- * Dwarf lemur hibernation involves specific metabolic and genetic pathways.
- * PDK4 plays a key role in regulating fuel use during food deprivation.
- * The genetic basis for hibernation may be conserved and ancestral across Mammalia.
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