Salinity stress proteins in Eurytemora affinis

Seasonal densities of Eurytemora affinis, a calanoid copepod in the Chesapeake Bay, seem to be controlled by temperature and salinity. To examine the role of osmotic stress we analyzed protein synthesis under various conditions of temperature and osmotic stress. Adult females were exposed in groups for 5 hours to different temperature and salinity regimes in the presence of isotope-labelled amino acid. Newly synthesized (stress) proteins could be separated and identified using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and autoradiography. The protein profiles occurring in copepods experiencing osmotic shock alone were different from those of control animals. Copepods transferred to lower (2 and 5) and higher (15 and 20) salinities showed differences in the up- and down-regulation of specific proteins. Concurrent heat stress changed these protein patterns. Animals experiencing osmotic and heat shock at the same time exhibited enhanced expression of another set of proteins. Variation in induced proteins occurred among individuals.     

植物响应水分胁迫的主要功能蛋白

植物对水分胁迫的响应蛋白根据其在抗逆机制中的作用不同分为调节蛋白和功能蛋白,本文就植物抵抗和适应水分胁迫的活性氧清除机制、渗透调节机制及膜修饰机制相关的主要功能蛋白作一综述。     

Rapid loss of stress resistance in Drosophila melanogaster under adaptation to laboratory culture

We investigate changes in resistance to desiccation and starvation during adaptation of Drosophila melanogaster to laboratory culture. We test the hypothesis that resistance to environmental stresses is lost under laboratory adaptation. For both traits, there was a rapid loss of resistance over a three-year period. The rapidity of the response suggested that mutation accumulation could not account for it. Rather, resistance to environmental stresses appeared to be lost as a correlated response to selection on another trait, such as early fertility, with which stress resistance is negatively genetically correlated. These results suggest that caution is needed when extrapolating from evolution of stress resistance in long-established laboratory stocks to patterns of responses and correlated responses in natural populations.     

Studying stress responses in the post-genomic era: its ecological and evolutionary role

Most investigations on the effects of and responses to stress exposures have been performed on a limited number of model organisms in the laboratory. Here much progress has been made in terms of identifying and describing beneficial and detrimental effects of stress, responses to stress and the mechanisms behind stress tolerance. However, to gain further understanding of which genes are involved in stress resistance and how the responses are regulated from an ecological and evolutionary perspective there is a need to combine studies on multiple levels of biological organization from DNA to phenotypes. Furthermore, we emphasize the importance of studying ecologically relevant traits and natural or semi-natural conditions to verify whether the results obtained are representative of the ecological and evolutionary processes in the field. Here, we will review what we currently know about thermal adaptation and the role of different stress responses to thermal challenges in insects, particularly Drosophila. Furthermore, we address some key questions that require future attention.     

Mouse strain differences in autonomic responses to stress

In humans, anxiety disorders are often accompanied by an overactive autonomic nervous system, reflected in increased body temperature (BT) and heart rate (HR). In rodents, comparable effects are found after exposure to stress. These autonomic parameters can give important information on stress and anxiety responses in mice. In the present experiments, stress reactivity of three frequently used mouse strains [129 Sv/Ev, Swiss Webster (SW) and C57 BL/6] was assessed using their autonomic stress responses. BT, HR and activity were telemetrically measured. Undisturbed circadian rhythms already showed clear differences between the mouse strains. Hereafter, autonomic responses to stressors with increasing intensity were measured. Strain differences were found in magnitude and duration of the stress responses, especially after high-intensity stressors. Generally, C57BL/6 mice showed the largest autonomic response, SW the lowest and the 129Sv/Ev the intermediate response. Interestingly, the observed ranking in autonomic stress response does not match the behavioral stress responsivity of these strains. Finally, sensitivity to the anxiolytic diazepam (0, 1, 2, 4 and 8 mg/kg) was tested using the stress-induced hyperthermia paradigm. Pharmacological sensitivity to diazepam differed between the strains with the 129Sv/Ev being most sensitive. These studies show that simultaneous measurement of behavioral and autonomic parameters under stressful conditions contributes considerably to a better interpretation of anxiety and stress levels in mice.     

Immune responses to stress proteins: Applications to infectious disease and cancer

Heat shock proteins, or stress proteins have been identified as part of a highly conserved cellular defence mechanism mediated by multiple, distinct gene familes and corresponding gene products. As intracellular chaperones, stress proteins participate in many essential biochemical pathways of protein maturation and function active during times of stress and during normal cellular homeostasis. In addition to their well-characterized role as protein chaperones, stress proteins are now realized to possess another important biological property: immunogenicity. Stress proteins are now understood to play a fundamental role in immune surveillance of infection and malignancy and this body of basic research has provided a framework for their clinical application. As key targets of both humoral and cellular immunity during infection, stress proteins have accordingly received considerable research interest as prophylactic vaccines for infectious disease applications. The unique and potent immunostimulatory properties of stress proteins have similarly been applied to the development of new approaches to cancer therapy, including both protein and gene-based modalities.     

Non-invasive microelectrode ion flux measurements to study adaptive responses of microorganisms to the environment

The regulation of membrane-transport activity is crucial for intracellular pH homeostasis, maintenance of cell osmotic potential, nutrient acquisition, signalling, and adaptation of bacterial cells. The non-invasive microelectrode ion flux estimation (MIFE) technique is a powerful tool for kinetic studies of membrane-transport processes across cellular membranes. Since 2001, when this technique was first applied to the study of membrane-transport processes in bacterial cells (J Microbiol Methods 46, 119-129), a large amount of information has been accumulated. This review summarizes some of these findings and discusses the advantages and applicability of this technique in studying bacterial adaptive responses to adverse environmental conditions. First, various methodological aspects of the application of this novel technique in microbiology are discussed. Then, several practical examples ('case studies') are described. The latter include changes in membrane-transport activity in response to various stresses (acidic, osmotic, and temperature stresses) as well as flux changes as a function of bacterial growth stage and nutrient availability. It is shown that non-invasive ion flux measurements may provide a significant conceptual advance in our understanding of adaptive responses in bacteria, fungi and biofilms to a variety of environmental conditions. The technique can also be used for the rapid assessment of food-processing treatments aimed at reducing bacterial contamination of food and for the development of strategies to assess the resistance of organisms to antimicrobial agents.     

Adaptation potential of the copepod Eurytemora affinis to a future warmer Baltic Sea

To predict effects of global change on zooplankton populations, it is important to understand how present species adapt to temperature and how they respond to stressors interacting with temperature. Here, we ask if the calanoid copepod Eurytemora affinis from the Baltic Sea can adapt to future climate warming. Populations were sampled at sites with different temperatures. Full sibling families were reared in the laboratory and used in two common garden experiments (a) populations crossed over three temperature treatments 12, 17, and 22.5°C and (b) populations crossed over temperature in interaction with salinity and algae of different food quality. Genetic correlations of the full siblings’ development time were not different from zero between 12°C and the two higher temperatures 17 and 22.5°C, but positively correlated between 17 and 22.5°C. Hence, a population at 12°C is unlikely to adapt to warmer temperature, while a population at ≥17°C can adapt to an even higher temperature, that is, 22.5°C. In agreement with the genetic correlations, the population from the warmest site of origin had comparably shorter development time at high temperature than the populations from colder sites, that is, a cogradient variation. The population with the shortest development time at 22.5°C had in comparison lower survival on low quality food, illustrating a cost of short development time. Our results suggest that populations from warmer environments can at present indirectly adapt to a future warmer Baltic Sea, whereas populations from colder areas show reduced adaptation potential to high temperatures, simply because they experience an environment that is too cold.     

Oxygen stress and adaptation of a semi-aquatic plant: rice ( Oryza sativa)

One of the major abiotic stresses that affects plant growth and development is anoxia or hypoxia. Rice is a semi-aquatic plant bestowed with the capability of overcoming oxygen limitation for a considerable period of time. For instance, it can withstand submergence stress either by inherent metabolic adaptations (resistant type), or by keeping its leaves above the water surface by continuously elongating the stem (avoiding type). In the former case, an interplay of several metabolic pathways engaged in anaerobic fermentation keeps the submerged plant alive for a certain period of time. In the latter type, also known as deepwater rice, continuous stem elongation brought about by a series of reactions in planta enables the shoot to remain above the water surface and thus maintain respiration and photosynthesis. However, the earliest event, i.e., sensing the oxygen level that brings about all the changes, has not been clearly understood. This paper intends to evaluate the metabolic adaptations of rice plants to oxygen constraints. Electronic Publication     

Diverse responses of root cell structure to aluminium stress

Plant cells respond to a certain stress factor in different ways depending on their developmental stage and type of tissue. Structural damage may be severe or even lethal in individual cells within a tissue that exhibits moderate or no effects of stress. In the case of aluminium toxicity, detailed observations of root tips of 3 day old Zea mays L., cv. TO360 seedlings revealed differences in the response of some cells. Two different structural changes appeared within root epidermis just behind the root cap. Cells with dark and shrunken cytoplasm occurred next to swollen cells with preserved cellular compartments. Within the root cortex, individual cells or a few cells of a file have severely damaged cytoplasm, in contrast to almost undisturbed cytoplasm of adjacent cells. Such extremely sensitive cells appear irregularly within the root apex. Their structural similarity with cells that are observed after a hypersensitive response in infected plant tissues suggests a role to accumulate aluminium, in order to allow the surrounding tissue to survive the stress.     

Ouabain attenuates oxidative stress and modulates lipid composition in hippocampus of rats in lipopolysaccharide-induced hypocampal neuroinflammation in rats

Our study aimed to analyze the effect of ouabain (OUA) administration on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced changes in hippocampus of rats. Oxidative parameters were analyzed in Wistar rats after intraperitoneal injection of OUA (1.8 µg/kg), LPS (200 µg/kg), or OUA plus LPS or saline. To reach our goal, activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX), in addition to levels of reduced glutathione (GSH), protein carbonyl (PCO) and lipid peroxidation (LPO) were evaluated. We also analyzed the membrane lipid profile and some important lipids for the nervous system, such as phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidic acid and sphingomyelin. The group that received only LPS showed increased oxidative stress, as evidenced by an increase in LPO (about twice), PCO (about three times) levels, and CAT activity (80%). Conversely, administration of LPS decreased GSH levels (55%), and GPx activity (30%), besides a reduction in the amount of PI (60%) and PC (45%). By other side, OUA alone increased the amount of PI (45%), PE (85%), and PC (70%). All harmful effects recorded were attenuated by OUA, suggesting a protective effect against LPS-induced oxidative stress. The relevance of our results extends beyond changes in oxidative parameters induced by LPS, because nanomolar doses of OUA may be useful in neurodegenerative models. Other studies on other cardenolides and substances related issues, as well as the development of new molecules derived from OUA, could also be useful in general oxidative and/or cellular stress, a condition favoring the appearance of neuronal pathologies.     

Induction of diapause egg production in Eurytemora affinis by their own metabolites

Chemically mediated crowding effect on induction of diapause egg production in the calanoid copepod Eurytemora affinis was investigated. Two types of eggs, i.e. subitaneous and diapause eggs, produced by females that were reared in crowded culture conditions or the water from crowded culture under excess food supply were examined. 2.3% of the females that were reared at a population density of 5 or 6 animals per 10 ml of filtered lake water (FLW) produced diapause eggs. Females that were reared individually in 2-ml containers with FLW did not produce diapause eggs while 72.7% of females that were individually reared in 2-ml containers, but with water from a crowded culture (500 ind. l^–1, culture medium was changed once a week), produced diapause eggs. These results demonstrate that accumulation of their own metabolic products in the medium induces diapause egg production by E. affinis.     

Antioxidant responses of Propylaea japonica (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) exposed to high temperature stress

Temperature is one of the most important environmental factors, and is responsible for a variety of physiological stress responses in organisms. Induced thermal stress is associated with elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation leading to oxidative damage. The ladybeetle, Propylaea japonica (Thunberg) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), is considered a successful natural enemy because of its tolerance to high temperatures in arid and semi-arid areas in China. In this study, we investigated the effect of high temperatures (35, 37, 39, 41 and 43 °C) on the survival and activities of antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidases (POD), glutathione-S-transferases (GST), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) as well as malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations in P. japonica adults. The results indicated that P. japonica adults could not survive at 43 °C. CAT, GST and TAC were significantly increased when compared to the control (25 °C), and this played an important role in the process of antioxidant response to thermal stress. SOD and POD activity, as well as MDA, did not differ significantly at 35 and 37 °C compared to the control; however, there were increased levels of SOD, POD and MDA when the temperature was above 37 °C. These results suggest that thermal stress leads to oxidative stress and antioxidant enzymes play important roles in reducing oxidative damage in P. japonica adults. This study represents the first comprehensive report on the antioxidant defense system in predaceous coccinellids (the third trophic level). The findings provide useful information for predicting population dynamics and understanding the potential for P. japonica as a natural enemy to control pest insects under varied environmental conditions.     

荒漠绿洲过渡带一年生草本植物对干旱胁迫的响应

选取河西走廊荒漠绿洲过渡带典型一年生草本植物雾冰藜（Bassia dasyphylla）、虎尾草（Chloris virgata）和狗尾草（Setaria viridis）为研究对象,设置5个水分梯度（正常水分（CK）,轻度干旱（5d）、中度干旱（10d）、重度干旱（15d）,重度干旱（15d）复水）,分析了3种一年生草本植物生理和形态等性状对干旱胁迫的响应。结果表明：一年生草本植物可以通过生理反应（渗透调节）适应轻度和中度干旱胁迫,而通过个体形态来适应重度干旱胁迫。在轻度和中度干旱处理下,一年生草本植物通过调控叶片渗透调节物质脯氨酸、可溶性蛋白和可溶性糖维持叶片渗透压,提高保水能力,叶绿素含量增加,使丙二醛含量维持在较低的水平,同时,根系活力增强,有效促进了根系水分吸收;而在重度胁迫下,渗透调节物质作用降低,丙二醛含量迅速增加,导致可溶性蛋白含量下降,叶绿素分解加速,植物生长受到抑制,在有限的生物量下,一年生草本植物主要通过根系伸长、根长与茎长的比增加和减小茎长来适应重度干旱胁迫,最终导致了种子百粒重和结种数量下降。     

Photosynthetic electron transport in relation to thylakoid membrane composition and organization

Abstract. A review is given of the organization and properties of thylakoid membrane proteins and lipids as a basis for understanding the factors which regulate the light reactions of photosynthesis. Particular emphasis is placed on the lateral organization of the major intrinsic multipeptide complexes and on the importance of diffusional processes in controlling the kinetics of electron transport and the distribution of light energy between photosystems 1 and 2.     

Morphological stasis in the Eurytemora affinis species complex (Copepoda: Temoridae)

Morphological stasis has long been regarded as one of the most challenging problems in evolutionary biology. This study focused on the copepod species complex, Eurytemora affinis, as a model system to determine pattern and degree of morphological stasis. This study revealed discordant rates of morphological differentiation, molecular evolution, and reproductive isolation, where speciation was accompanied by lack of morphological differentiation in secondary sex characters. Comparisons were made among phylogenies based on morphometrics, nuclear (allozyme) loci, and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences from cytochrome oxidase I, for a total of 43 populations within the complex. These systematic relationships were also compared to patterns of reproductive isolation. In addition, genetic subdivision of nuclear molecular (allozyme) markers (G _ST) and quantitative (morphological) characters (Q _ST) were determined to infer evolutionary forces driving morphological differentiation. The morphometric phylogeny revealed that all clades, excluding the European clade, were morphologically undifferentiated and formed a polytomy (multifurcation). Morphometric distances were not correlated with mtDNA distances, or with patterns of reproductive isolation. In contrast, nuclear and mtDNA phylogenies were mostly congruent. Reproductive isolation proved to be the most sensitive indicator of speciation, given that two genetically and morphologically proximate populations showed evidence of hybrid breakdown. Quantitative genetic (morphological) subdivision (Q _ST = 0.162) was lower than nuclear genetic subdivision (G _ST = 0.617) for four laboratory-reared North American populations, indicating retarded evolution of morphological characters. This result contrasts with most other species, where Q _ST typically exceeds G _ST as a result of directional selection. Thus, in all but the European populations, evolution of the secondary sex characters was marked by morphological stasis, even between reproductively-isolated populations.