Physiological response to the odorant TMT in fully fed and calorically restricted laboratory mice. (January 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Chan, Cordelia E.; Lee, Yang U.; Swoap, Steven J.
• Is Part Of: Journal of thermal biology. Volume 95(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-01
• Subjects: Torpor -- Body temperature -- Corticosterone -- Predation -- Stress -- 2, 3, 5-trimethyl-3-thiazoline; Thermobiology -- Periodicals; Temperature -- Periodicals; Biology -- Periodicals; Thermobiologie -- Périodiques; Thermobiology; Periodicals; 571.46
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2020.102819
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0306-4565

Abstract

Abstract: 2, 3, 5-trimethyl-3-thiazoline (TMT) is a chemical compound that is extracted from red fox urine and can be used to artificially simulate the presence of a predator. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that TMT would block entry into torpor in the calorically restricted C57Bl/6 mouse. We first demonstrated that TMT induced fear in the mouse. Exposure to TMT induced an acute freeze response (67.2 ± 6.7% of time), as compared to 6.7 ± 1.7% when exposed to water. Further, exposure to TMT for 30 min led to elevated circulating corticosterone levels, 377 ± 33 ng/ml, as compared to 29 ± 4 ng/ml when exposed to water. When mice were exposed to TMT during the dark or light phase, body temperature (Tb ) dropped by 1.7 ± 0.9 °C and 0.7 ± 1.1 °C, respectively, over the first 110 min after exposure. To determine whether TMT influences daily torpor, mice were calorically restricted and exposed to either water or TMT. Mice were exposed 30 min before the start of torpor, determined by the bout of the previous day. Exposure to TMT significantly (p < 0.01) blunted the fall in the minimum Tb from 28.8 ± 0.3 °C (water) to 30.1 ± 0.6 °C (TMT) and significantly (p < 0.05) decreased the amount of time Tb was under 32 °C, from 431 ± 48 min (water) to 292 ± 78 min (TMT). These results establish that mice perceived the scent of TMT as a physiologically stressful stimulus and that Tb response is modestly blunted in the presence of that stressor. Our experiment highlights the intricate interplay between predation risk and energy conservation. Highlights: The odorant, TMT, isolated from fox urine and feces causes a physiological and behavioral stress and fear response in mice. Exposure to TMT elicited a hypothermic response in fully-fed mice in both the light and dark phase. In calorically restricted mice, exposure to TMT caused a modest blunting effect on daily torpor.