Comparative Physiology of Energy Metabolism: Fishing for Endocrine Signals in the Early Vertebrate Pool.

ABSTRACT: Energy is the common currency of life. To guarantee a homeostatic supply of energy, multiple neuro-endocrine systems have evolved in vertebrates; systems that regulate food intake, metabolism, and distribution of energy. Even subtle (lasting) dysregulation of the delicate balance of energy intake and expenditure may result in severe pathologies. Feeding-related pathologies have fueled research on mammals, including of course the human species. The mechanisms regulating food intake and body mass are well-characterized in these vertebrates. The majority of animal life is ectothermic, only birds and mammals are endotherms. What can we learn from a (comparative) study on energy homeostasis in teleostean fishes, ectotherms, with a very different energy budget and expenditure? We present several

SUBMITTER: van de Pol I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5332387 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature