Myogenic cell cycle duration in Harpagifer species with sub-Antarctic and Antarctic distributions: evidence for cold compensation.

In teleosts, the proliferation of myogenic progenitor cells is required for muscle growth and nuclear turnover. We measured the cell cycle and S-phase duration of myogenic cells in the fast myotomal muscle of two closely related Harpagifer species by cumulative S-phase labelling with 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU). Harpagifer antarcticus is a stenothermal species from the Antarctic peninsula (experiencing temperatures of -2 degrees C to +1 degrees C) and Harpagifer bispinis is a eurythermal species from the Beagle Channel, Tierra del Fuego (living at +4 degrees C in winter and up to 11 degrees C in summer). Specific growth rates in the adult stages studied were not significantly different from zero. Myogenic progenitor cells were identified using an antibody against c-met. Seventy-five percent of the c-met(+ve) cells were in a proliferative state in both species. Cell cycle time was 150 h at 5 degrees C and 81.3 h at 10 degrees C in H. bispinis (Q(10)=3.4). Cell cycle duration was 35% shorter in H. antarcticus at 0 degrees C (111 h) than in H. bispinis at 5 degrees C. The predicted cell cycle time for H. bispinis at 0 degrees C (based on the Q(10) relationship) was 277 h, which was more than double that measured for the Antarctic species at this temperature. The results obtained are compatible with an evolutionary adjustment of cell cycle time for function at low temperature in the Antarctic species.