The common carp has given British scientists an unusual insight into how animals survive with little or no oxygen.
The University of Liverpool research team found the protein myglobin -- thought to act as an oxygen store in the heart and muscle cells of humans and vertebrate animals -- also exists in many other tissues of the common carp, enabling it to survive in low-oxygenated environments.
Myglobin is found in large quantities in diving mammals, such as whales and seals, and helps them stay submerged for long periods. Similarly in humans, myglobin levels in the heart and some fatigue-resistant muscles increase when at high altitudes.
The scientists say their findings of myglobin levels in the common carp could help scientists understand how humans could survive loss of oxygen supply to their tissues during a stroke or a heart attack.
The research is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
Related stories:
Physiology Allows Crucian Carp to Survive without Oxygen
Cooling water temperature during the fall prompts the crucian carp to store vast amounts of glycogen in its brain to keep the brain functioning and healthy from February to April, when there is no oxygen left in the ponds, a new study finds.
Don’t hold your breath: Carp can manage without oxygen for months
How long can you hold your breath? Scientists at the University of Oslo have recently discovered how the Crucian Carp, a close relative of the goldfish, is able to live for months without oxygen. The researchers hope that understanding how some animals cope with a lack of oxygen might give clues as to how to solve this problem in humans.
Robots, the bizarre and the beautiful (Robot Special part 4)
(PhysOrg.com) -- The future is a foreign country, and nowhere is it more foreign that the designs thrown up by a surge in robotics research. The feverish imagination and creativity of European robot scientists has led to dozens of robot designs, some bizarre, some beautiful, but all are inspired.
Silent streams? Escalating endangerment for North American freshwater fish
Nearly 40 percent of fish species in North American streams, rivers and lakes are now in jeopardy, according to the most detailed evaluation of the conservation status of freshwater fishes in the last 20 years.
Warming Could Radically Change Lake Tahoe in 10 Years
A new UC Davis study predicts that climate change will irreversibly alter water circulation in Lake Tahoe, radically changing the conditions for plants and fish in the lake -- and it could happen in 10 years.
Drought helps control carp in regional waterways
The on-going drought is having at least one positive spin-off - fewer carp are being distributed through our inland waterways.
Congressman praises silver carp decision
U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., is praising the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for adding silver carp to its list of injurious species.
Fish die-off in Ontario lake a mystery
So many carp have died in a lake near Toronto that local public works officials have scheduled special pickup days for dead fish.