Effects of timed food availability on reproduction and metabolism in zebra finches: Molecular insights into homeostatic adaptation to food-restriction in diurnal vertebrates

Jul 26, 2020Hormones and behavior

Timed feeding affects reproduction and metabolism in zebra finches: Molecular clues to daily animals' adaptation to limited food

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Abstract

Food restriction for 4 hours in the evening led to enhanced exploratory behavior and increased plasma triglycerides in zebra finches.

Birds experienced reduced testis size and circulation testosterone after one week of time-restricted feeding, but these effects were not observed after three weeks.
No significant differences were found in overall food intake, body mass, or plasma levels of corticosterone and thyroxine between time-restricted and ad lib feeding birds.
Increased expression of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) and androgen and estrogen receptors was noted in the hypothalamus and testes after the first week of time-restricted feeding.
Changes in liver gene expression indicated overall metabolic adaptations, with increased Sirt1, Fgf10, and Ppar-alpha and decreased Egr1 levels.
Effects on gene expression related to metabolism and reproduction appeared to diminish significantly by the third week of time-restricted feeding.

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Food availability affects metabolism and reproduction in higher vertebrates including birds. This study tested the idea of adaptive homeostasis to time-restricted feeding (TRF) in diurnal zebra finches by using multiple (behavioral, physiological and molecular) assays. Adult birds were subjected for 1 week or 3 weeks to food restriction for 4 h in the evening (hour 8-12) of the 12 h light-on period, with controls on ad lib feeding. Birds on TRF showed enhanced exploratory behavior and plasma triglycerides levels, but did not show differences from ad lib birds in the overall food intake, body mass, and plasma corticosterone and thyroxine levels. As compared to ad lib feeding, testis size and circulation testosterone were reduced after first but not after third week of TRF. The concomitant change in the mRNA expression of metabolic and reproductive genes was also found after week 1 of TRF. Particularly, TRF birds showed increased expression of genes coding for gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) in hypothalamus, and for receptors of androgen (AR) and estrogen (ER-alpha) in both hypothalamus and testes. However, genes coding for the deiodinases (Dio2, Dio3) and gonadotropin inhibiting hormone (GnIH) showed no difference between feeding conditions in both hypothalamus and testes. Further, increased Sirt1, Fgf10 and Ppar-alpha, and decreased Egr1 expression in the liver suggested TRF-effects on the overall metabolism. Importantly, TRF-effects on gene expressions by week 1 seemed alleviated to a considerable extent by week 3. These results on TRF-induced reproductive and metabolic effects suggest homeostatic adaptation to food-restriction in diurnal vertebrates.

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Effects of timed food availability on reproduction and metabolism in zebra finches: Molecular insights into homeostatic adaptation to food-restriction in diurnal vertebrates

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