1. Physiology: postprandial cardiac hypertrophy in pythons.
- Author
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Andersen JB, Rourke BC, Caiozzo VJ, Bennett AF, and Hicks JW
- Subjects
- Animals, Body Weight, Boidae genetics, Boidae metabolism, Fasting physiology, Gene Expression Regulation, Morphogenesis, Myanmar, Organ Size, Oxygen Consumption, RNA, Messenger genetics, RNA, Messenger metabolism, Transcription, Genetic genetics, Ventricular Myosins biosynthesis, Ventricular Myosins genetics, Ventricular Myosins metabolism, Adaptation, Physiological physiology, Boidae physiology, Digestion physiology, Heart Ventricles growth & development, Postprandial Period physiology
- Abstract
Oxygen consumption by carnivorous reptiles increases enormously after they have eaten a large meal in order to meet metabolic demands, and this places an extra load on the cardiovascular system. Here we show that there is an extraordinarily rapid 40% increase in ventricular muscle mass in Burmese pythons (Python molurus) a mere 48 hours after feeding, which results from increased gene expression of muscle-contractile proteins. As this fully reversible hypertrophy occurs naturally, it could provide a useful model for investigating the mechanisms that lead to cardiac growth in other animals.
- Published
- 2005
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