TY  - JOUR
AB  - In modern eutherian (placental) mammals, brown adipose tissue (BAT) evolved as a specialized thermogenic organ that is responsible for adaptive non-shivering thermogenesis (NST). For NST, energy metabolism of BAT mitochondria is increased by activation of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), which dissipates the proton motive force as heat. Despite the presence of UCP1 orthologues prior to the divergence of teleost fish and mammalian lineages, UCP1’s significance for thermogenic adipose tissue emerged at later evolutionary stages. Recent studies on the presence of BAT in metatherians (marsupials) and eutherians of the afrotherian clade provide novel insights into the evolution of adaptive NST in mammals. In particular studies on the ‘protoendothermic’ lesser hedgehog tenrec (Afrotheria) suggest an evolutionary scenario linking BAT to the onset of eutherian endothermy. Here, we review the physiological function and distribution of BAT in an evolutionary context by focusing on the latest research on phylogenetically distinct species.
AU  - Oelkrug, R.*
AU  - Polymeropoulos, E.T.*
AU  - Jastroch, M.
C1  - 44965
C2  - 37124
CY  - Heidelberg
SP  - 587-606
TI  - Brown adipose tissue: Physiological function and evolutionary significance.
JO  - J. Comp. Physiol. B
VL  - 185
IS  - 6
PB  - Springer Heidelberg
PY  - 2015
SN  - 0174-1578
ER  - 

TY  - JOUR
AB  - Mice with genetic alterations are used in heart research as model systems of human diseases. In the last decade there was a marked increase in the recognition of genetic diversity within inbred mouse strains. Increasing numbers of inbred mouse strains and substrains and analytical variation of cardiac phenotyping methods require reproducible, high-throughput methods to standardize murine cardiovascular physiology. We describe methods for non-invasive, reliable, easy and fast to perform echocardiography and electrocardiography on awake mice. This method can be used for primary screening of the murine cardiovascular system in large-scale analysis. We provide insights into the physiological divergence of C57BL/6N, C57BL/6J, C3HeB/FeJ and 129P2/OlaHsd mouse hearts and define the expected normal values. Our report highlights that compared to the other three strains tested C57BL/6N hearts reveal features of heart failure such as hypertrophy and reduced contractile function. We found several features of the mouse ECG to be under genetic control and obtained several strain-specific differences in cardiac structure and function.
AU  - Moreth, K.
AU  - Fischer, R.
AU  - Fuchs, H.
AU  - Gailus-Durner, V.
AU  - Wurst, W.
AU  - Katus, H.A.*
AU  - Bekeredjian, R.*
AU  - Hrabě de Angelis, M.
C1  - 31187
C2  - 36322
CY  - Heidelberg
SP  - 763-775
TI  - High-throughput phenotypic assessment of cardiac physiology in four commonly used inbred mouse strains.
JO  - J. Comp. Physiol. B
VL  - 184
IS  - 6
PB  - Springer Heidelberg
PY  - 2014
SN  - 0174-1578
ER  - 

TY  - JOUR
AB  - 1.
      		
      			
      				Various physiological parameters were determined in fed, adult, male and femaleXenopus laevis acclimated to 20°C and with a light:dark cycle of 12:12. The results were compared for sex differences.
      		
      		
      			 
      	
      	
      		2.
      		
      			
      				There were significant differences in food intake, oxygen consumption, and motor activity with lower values for each parameter in males than in females (Table 1).
      		
      		
      			 
      	
      	
      		3.
      		
      			
      				Further significant differences were found in the plasma concentrations of calcium, total lipids, and aldosterone (Table 3), in the somatic indices of fat body and gonads, in the glycogen and protein content of the liver (Table 4), and in the activities of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, fructose-1,6-diphosphatase, and phosphoenol-pyruvate carboxykinase in the liver (Table 5).
      		
      		
      			 
      	
      	
      		4.
      		
      			
      				It is assumed that the observed differences are essentially a result of differences in body growth and gametogenesis between the sexes. The lack of capacity of males to store glycogen and lipids in the male gonads is a further explanation for the differences.Sexual differences  Xenopus  Anurans Metabolic rate Gametogenesis
      			
      				 
      		
      	
      
      
      	 
AU  - Merkle, S.
C1  - 17887
C2  - 11201
SP  - 473-480
TI  - Sexual Differences as Adaptation to the Different Gender Roles in the Frog Xenopus Laevis Daudin.
JO  - J. Comp. Physiol. B
VL  - 159
IS  - 4
PY  - 1989
SN  - 0174-1578
ER  -