View in EDS

The Secret of Secrets: Carbonic Anhydrase Concentration in Lizards' Femoral Gland Secretions Is Tuned to Environmental Conditions.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: The Secret of Secrets: Carbonic Anhydrase Concentration in Lizards' Femoral Gland Secretions Is Tuned to Environmental Conditions.
Authors: Mangiacotti, Marco1 (AUTHOR) marco.mangiacotti@unipv.it, Fumagalli, Marco1 (AUTHOR), Moreno‐Rueda, Gregorio2 (AUTHOR), Zamora‐Camacho, Francisco J.2,3 (AUTHOR), Martìn, José4 (AUTHOR), Sacchi, Roberto1 (AUTHOR)
Source: Ecology & Evolution (20457758). Aug2025, Vol. 15 Issue 8, p1-12. 12p.
Subject Terms: *Weather, Carbonic anhydrase, Lizards, Exocrine glands, Olfactory perception, Enzymatic analysis, Territorial marking (Animals), Secretion
Abstract: Among the modalities of animal communication, the chemical channel is the only one that allows signalers and receivers to communicate without being necessarily in the same place at the same time. This asynchrony may influence signal design, as its effectiveness depends on adapting to predictable environmental conditions. Many lizard species scent‐mark territories by depositing waxy secretions made of protein‐lipid mixtures from specialized epidermal glands. These secretions, once left on a substrate, face environmental fluctuations, and their lifespan depends on the mixture's ability to tolerate such changes. Since some proteins in these secretions are enzymes, we hypothesize they may serve homeostatic functions, enabling the mixture to actively respond to external conditions. Accordingly, we can expect that (1) enzymes remain active in secretions; and (2) their abundance varies across an environmental gradient, tuning the homeostatic ability to the predictable external conditions. We tested these predictions using carbonic anhydrase (CA), an enzyme found in many lizard secretions that regulates pH by catalyzing the reaction between water and carbon dioxide. Protonography confirmed CA activity in proteins extracted from femoral gland secretions from eight Podarcis lizard species and Psammodromus algirus. We also analyzed CA abundance in males (N = 70) from 12 Ps. algirus populations, and its correlation with the environmental gradient (geography, topography, climate). Model comparison revealed a credible relationship between CA concentration and geography as well as bioclimatic variables in Ps. algirus. Taken together, these findings suggest CA plays an enzymatic function that may help stabilize the internal chemical environment of secretions, potentially enhancing the scent‐mark's lifespan and effectiveness under varying environmental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Ecology & Evolution (20457758) is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: GreenFILE
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
Header DbId: 8gh
DbLabel: GreenFILE
An: 187572276
AccessLevel: 6
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: The Secret of Secrets: Carbonic Anhydrase Concentration in Lizards' Femoral Gland Secretions Is Tuned to Environmental Conditions.
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Mangiacotti%2C+Marco%22">Mangiacotti, Marco</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> marco.mangiacotti@unipv.it</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Fumagalli%2C+Marco%22">Fumagalli, Marco</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Moreno‐Rueda%2C+Gregorio%22">Moreno‐Rueda, Gregorio</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Zamora‐Camacho%2C+Francisco+J%2E%22">Zamora‐Camacho, Francisco J.</searchLink><relatesTo>2,3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Martìn%2C+José%22">Martìn, José</searchLink><relatesTo>4</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sacchi%2C+Roberto%22">Sacchi, Roberto</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Ecology+%26+Evolution+%2820457758%29%22">Ecology & Evolution (20457758)</searchLink>. Aug2025, Vol. 15 Issue 8, p1-12. 12p.
– Name: Subject
  Label: Subject Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Weather%22">Weather</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Carbonic+anhydrase%22">Carbonic anhydrase</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Lizards%22">Lizards</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Exocrine+glands%22">Exocrine glands</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Olfactory+perception%22">Olfactory perception</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Enzymatic+analysis%22">Enzymatic analysis</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Territorial+marking+%28Animals%29%22">Territorial marking (Animals)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Secretion%22">Secretion</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Among the modalities of animal communication, the chemical channel is the only one that allows signalers and receivers to communicate without being necessarily in the same place at the same time. This asynchrony may influence signal design, as its effectiveness depends on adapting to predictable environmental conditions. Many lizard species scent‐mark territories by depositing waxy secretions made of protein‐lipid mixtures from specialized epidermal glands. These secretions, once left on a substrate, face environmental fluctuations, and their lifespan depends on the mixture's ability to tolerate such changes. Since some proteins in these secretions are enzymes, we hypothesize they may serve homeostatic functions, enabling the mixture to actively respond to external conditions. Accordingly, we can expect that (1) enzymes remain active in secretions; and (2) their abundance varies across an environmental gradient, tuning the homeostatic ability to the predictable external conditions. We tested these predictions using carbonic anhydrase (CA), an enzyme found in many lizard secretions that regulates pH by catalyzing the reaction between water and carbon dioxide. Protonography confirmed CA activity in proteins extracted from femoral gland secretions from eight Podarcis lizard species and Psammodromus algirus. We also analyzed CA abundance in males (N = 70) from 12 Ps. algirus populations, and its correlation with the environmental gradient (geography, topography, climate). Model comparison revealed a credible relationship between CA concentration and geography as well as bioclimatic variables in Ps. algirus. Taken together, these findings suggest CA plays an enzymatic function that may help stabilize the internal chemical environment of secretions, potentially enhancing the scent‐mark's lifespan and effectiveness under varying environmental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Ecology & Evolution (20457758) is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=8gh&AN=187572276
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1002/ece3.72023
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 12
        StartPage: 1
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Weather
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Carbonic anhydrase
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Lizards
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Exocrine glands
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Olfactory perception
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Enzymatic analysis
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Territorial marking (Animals)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Secretion
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: The Secret of Secrets: Carbonic Anhydrase Concentration in Lizards' Femoral Gland Secretions Is Tuned to Environmental Conditions.
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Mangiacotti, Marco
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Fumagalli, Marco
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Moreno‐Rueda, Gregorio
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Zamora‐Camacho, Francisco J.
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Martìn, José
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Sacchi, Roberto
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 08
              Text: Aug2025
              Type: published
              Y: 2025
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 20457758
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 15
            – Type: issue
              Value: 8
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Ecology & Evolution (20457758)
              Type: main
ResultId 1