Homeoviscous adaptation occurs with thermal acclimation in biological membranes from heart and gill, but not the brain, in the Antarctic fish Notothenia coriiceps

As temperatures continue to rise, adjustments to biological membranes will be key for maintenance of function. It is largely unknown to what extent Antarctic notothenioids possess the capacity to remodel their biological membranes in response to thermal change. In this study, physical and biochemical properties were examined in membranes prepared from gill epithelia (plasma membranes), cardiac ventricles (microsomes, mitochondria), and brains (synaptic membranes, myelin, mitochondria) from Notothenia coriiceps following acclimation to 5 degrees C (or held at ambient temperature, 0 degrees C) for a minimum of 6 weeks. Fluidity was measured between 0 and 30 degrees C in all membranes, and polar lipid compositions and cholesterol contents were analyzed in a subset of biological membranes from all tissues. Osmotic permeability was measured in gills at 0 and 4 degrees C. Gill plasma membranes, cardiac mitochondria, and cardiac microsomes displayed reduced fluidity following acclimation to 5 degrees C, indicating compensation for elevated temperature. In contrast, no fluidity changes with acclimation were observed in any of the membranes prepared from brain. In all membranes, adjustments to the relative abundances of major phospholipid classes, and to the extent of fatty acid unsaturation, were undetectable following thermal acclimation. However, alterations in cholesterol contents and acyl chain length, consistent with the changes in fluidity, were observed in membranes from gill and cardiac tissue. Water permeability was reduced with 5 degrees C acclimation in gills, indicating near-perfect homeostatic efficacy. Taken together, these results demonstrate a homeoviscous response in gill and cardiac membranes, and limited plasticity in membranes from the nervous system, in an Antarctic notothenioid.

Automated summary

The study shows that Antarctic notothenioids exhibit a homeoviscous response in gill and cardiac membranes when adapting to temperature changes, while membranes from the nervous system display limited plasticity.