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In vivo and in vitro rapid cold-hardening in the Antarctic midge, Belgica antarctica: Evidence of a role for calcium

Teets, Nick M
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=muhonors1177956294

Abstract Details

2007, Bachelor of Science, Miami University, College of Arts and Sciences - Zoology.
In many invertebrates, the rapid cold-hardening (RCH) response protects against chilling injury at both the organismal and cellular level. The Antarctic midge,Belgica antarctica, exhibits a novel form of RCH, by which it increases its freezing tolerance. In this study, we examined 1) the effect of in vivo RCH on organismal and cell survival, 2) whether RCH in B. antarctica can occur in isolated tissues in vitro, 3) whether the freeze-tolerance of tissues depends on whether RCH occurs in the supercooled or frozen state, and 4) whether calcium is required for RCH to occur in isolated tissues. One hour of exposure at -5°C significantly increased organismal freezing tolerance at both -15°C and -20°C. Similarly, RCH significantly increased the cell survival of fat body, Malpighian tubules, and gut tissue of larvae frozen at -20°C. Furthermore, isolated tissues retained the capacity for RCH, as brief exposure to -5°C significantly increased the cell survival of isolated Malpighian tubules and gut tissue frozen at -20°C. This indicates that RCH can enhance freezing tolerance at the cellular level without neuroendocrine input. Interestingly, there was no difference in survival between tissues supercooled at -5°C and those frozen at -5°C during RCH, suggesting that temperature mediates RCH independent of the freezing of body fluids. Finally, we found that calcium is required for RCH to occur. Removing calcium from the incubating solution had a slight effect on cell survival in the RCH treatments, while blocking calcium with the intracellular chelator BAPTA-AM caused a significant reduction in survival in the RCH treatments only. Therefore, it appears that calcium is an important second messenger involved in the sensing and transduction of the RCH response.
Richard Lee (Advisor)
36 p.
rapid cold-hardening; cryobiology; Antarctica; calcium; physiological ecology; insect physiology

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Citations

  • Teets, N. M. (2007). In vivo and in vitro rapid cold-hardening in the Antarctic midge, Belgica antarctica: Evidence of a role for calcium [Undergraduate thesis, Miami University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=muhonors1177956294

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Teets, Nick. In vivo and in vitro rapid cold-hardening in the Antarctic midge, Belgica antarctica: Evidence of a role for calcium. 2007. Miami University, Undergraduate thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=muhonors1177956294.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Teets, Nick. "In vivo and in vitro rapid cold-hardening in the Antarctic midge, Belgica antarctica: Evidence of a role for calcium." Undergraduate thesis, Miami University, 2007. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=muhonors1177956294

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

muhonors1177956294
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© 2007, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Miami University Honors Theses and OhioLINK.