Histone Modifications in the Wood Frog Brain: An Epigenetic Perspective on Anoxic Stress
Abstract:
The wood frog, Rana sylvatica, can survive extended periods of oxygen deprivation without suffering any apparent damage to its tissues or cells. This remarkable animal is capable of surviving anoxia by utilizing complex regulatory mechanisms to undergo metabolic rate depression (MRD) including histone arginine methylation/demethylation and histone lysine acetylation/deacetylation. The current study utilizes immunoblotting of relative protein expression to examine the possible effects histone modifications can have on the wood frog brain during anoxia compared to normal physiological conditions. The interplay between histone arginine methyltransferases, demethylases, lysine acetyltransferases, deacetylases (PRMTs, RDMs, KATs, HDACs, SIRTs), and their respective histone targets were examined. Altogether, this study highlights the regulatory roles played via histone modifications, and how they help the animal survive with a focus on suppression of energetically expensive processes.