Regulatory changes contribute to the adaptive enhancement of thermogenic capacity in high-altitude deer mice.

ABSTRACT: In response to hypoxic stress, many animals compensate for a reduced cellular O(2) supply by suppressing total metabolism, thereby reducing O(2) demand. For small endotherms that are native to high-altitude environments, this is not always a viable strategy, as the capacity for sustained aerobic thermogenesis is critical for survival during periods of prolonged cold stress. For example, survivorship studies of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) have demonstrated that thermogenic capacity is under strong directional selection at high altitude. Here, we integrate measures of whole-organism thermogenic performance with measures of metabolic enzyme activities and genomic transcriptional profiles to examine the mechanistic underpinnings of adaptive variation in this complex trait in deer mice t

SUBMITTER: Cheviron ZA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3365185 | biostudies-literature | 2012 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature