Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 19, 2026
05:41
Metabolic Profile Analysis of Zebrafish Embryos
Published on: January 14, 2013
20.0K
Transcriptome Profiling Reveals Enhanced Mitochondrial Activity as a Cold Adaptive Strategy to Hypothermia in
Thomas Cahill1, Sherine Chan2,3, Ian M Overton4
1School of Biological Sciences, Institute for Global Food Security, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5DL, UK.
Cells
|July 6, 2023
Summary
Synthetic torpor may protect astronauts from space radiation. Hypothermic zebrafish exposed to radiation showed altered gene expression, with some protective effects observed in a torpor-like state.
Area of Science:
- Space biology
- Astrobiology
- Radiation biology
Background:
- Synthetic torpor offers potential protection against space travel hazards like radiation and microgravity.
- Ectothermic animals provide models for studying hypothermic states relevant to torpor.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the radio-protective effects of an induced torpor-like state in zebrafish.
- To analyze transcriptomic changes in response to radiation and hypothermia.
Main Methods:
- Zebrafish (Danio rerio) were induced into a hypothermic state and administered melatonin.
- Zebrafish were exposed to low-dose radiation (0.3 Gy).
- Transcriptomic analysis was performed, with cross-species comparison to hibernating brown bears (Ursus arctos horribilis).
Main Results:
- Radiation exposure upregulated inflammatory/immune genes and downregulated DNA repair in zebrafish muscle.
- Hypothermia increased mitochondrial translation and downregulated extracellular matrix (ECM) and developmental genes.
- Combined torpor and radiation exposure modulated immune/inflammatory pathways and downregulated ECM/developmental genes compared to radiation alone.
Conclusions:
- Induced hypothermia in zebrafish alters gene expression related to stress, metabolism, and cellular repair.
- Torpor-like states may offer radio-protective benefits by modulating inflammatory and regenerative pathways.
- Shared cold-tolerance mechanisms between zebrafish and brown bears involve protein translation, amino acid metabolism, and hypoxia responses.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Translational Regulation
Translational regulation in prokaryotes ensures efficient protein synthesis by controlling ribosome access to mRNA. This regulation is mediated by secondary RNA structures, including translational riboswitches, RNA thermometers, and small RNAs (sRNAs), which respond to intracellular and environmental signals to modulate gene expression.Translational RiboswitchesRiboswitches in the leader region of mRNAs can regulate translation by altering the accessibility of the Shine-Dalgarno (SD) sequence,...
01:17Gene Regulation During Sporulation
Sporulation is a complex developmental process that allows certain Gram-positive bacteria, such as Bacillus subtilis and Clostridium species, to survive extreme environmental conditions. This process is tightly regulated by a series of signaling cascades and transcriptional controls, ensuring the formation of a highly resistant endospore.Sporulation is triggered by unfavorable conditions, such as nutrient depletion, and is governed by a phosphorelay system. One of the sensor kinases, such as...