Lake Baikal Endemic Sculpins (Cottoidei): A Promising Model to Study Adaptive Plasticity of Blood Cholesterol Metabolism

Sudakov, Nikolay P.; Klimenkov, Igor V.; Pastukhov, Mikhail V.

doi:10.1590/S1516-8913201500054

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Biological and Applied Sciences • Braz. arch. biol. technol. 58 (4) • Jul-Aug 2015 • https://doi.org/10.1590/S1516-8913201500054 copy

Lake Baikal Endemic Sculpins (Cottoidei): A Promising Model to Study Adaptive Plasticity of Blood Cholesterol Metabolism

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

We analyzed the blood lipid spectra in four closely related sculpin (Cottoidei) species endemic to Lake Baikal. These data characterize the Baikal sculpins as a set of model organisms for studying the adaptive plasticity of cholesterol metabolism and also mechanisms of resistance to the development of dyslipidemia and atherosclerosis.

cholesterol; lipoproteins; liver; Cottoidei; Lake Baikal

Species	n	Total length (mm)	Weight (g)	Gender	Age (years)
Procottus major	10	291±28	114.5±23.1	?	6±1.0
Cottocomephorus inermis	10	148±10	32.8±6.5	?	3.5±0.5
Batrachocottus baicalensis	10	147±6	65.2±5.7	?	6.5±0.5
Limnocottus bergianus	10	222±12	148.9±38.6	?	6±1.0

The total blood cholesterol level in the studied sculpins proved to be species-specific (Fig. 1A). The lowest level was recorded in the pelagic species C. inermis (143 mg/dL). In general, the level recorded in this species is comparable to that in humans (Flaim et al. 1981Flaim E, Ferreri LF, Thye FW, Hill JE, Ritchey SJ. Plasma lipid and lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations in adult males consuming normal and high cholesterol diets under controlled conditions. Amer J Clin Nutr. 1981; 34: 1103-1108.). The values of this parameter in near-bottom species (P. major, L. bergianus, and B. baicalensis) were higher (324.74 -556.7 mg/dL), being intermediate to total blood cholesterol concentrations determined in other fish species (Babin and Vernier 1989Babin PJ, Vernier JM. Plasma lipoproteins in fish. J Lipid Res. 1989; 30: 467-489.). A comparative analysis of the fractional composition of blood cholesterol revealed more profound differences between the sculpin species. The concentration of the antiatherogenic HDL fraction was the highest in P. major (309.2 8mg/dL) and the lowest in C. inermis (59.92 mg/dL), Figure 1B. The concentration of LDL Ch was relatively low in C. inermis and P. major but high in L. bergianus and B. baicalensis (Fig. 1C). The concentration of VLDL Ch varied from 13.53 mg/dLin C. inermis to 81.19 mg/dL in P. major (Fig. 1D). The observed features of blood lipid spectra account for interspecific differences in the antiatherogenic potential of blood (Fig. 1E, F). In P. major, antiatherogenic HDL Ch prevails over proatherogenic LDL and VLDL fractions, while the situation with C. inermis, B. baicalensis, and L. bergianus is inverse. Comparison of natural diets of Cottoidei species from Lake Baikal (Sideleva 2003) has shown that differences in blood lipid spectra between these fishes are not accounted for by their specific feeding habits and food spectra. Thus, although both L. bergianus and P. major feed mainly on amphipods, their blood lipid spectra drastically differ in the ratio of proatherogenic and antiatherogenic lipoprotein fractions. It is also noteworthy that the diet of B. baicalensis, the most active predator among the Baikal Cottoidei, presents very high atherogenic risk (70% of amphipods and 30% of other sculpin species), but its blood lipid spectrum is most similar to that of L. bergianus, which feeds mainly on amphipods. This is conclusive evidence that the relative contents of blood lipoprotein fractions in these closely related species are determined genetically.

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Author for correspondence: npsudakov@rambler.ru