Abstract:
Krill, which represent the most important oceanic biomass, is an essential component of the Antarctic food web. The Antarctic krill (such as Euphausia superba) is strictly stenothermal (Saborowski and Bucholz, 1999; Bucholz and Saborowski, 2000) and thus especially susceptible to any thermal change such as the one predicted from the global earth warming. Almost nothing is known about the thermal ecophysiology of this species.
This program aims at elucidating the putative regulatory capacities of krill upon a thermal shock, in vivo, and the mechanisms involved in this response, by molecular approaches. As markers, two proteins will be studied: the Heat Shock Proteins (HSPs) and a neuropeptide known to be involved in response to stress in Crustaceans: the Crustacean Hyperglycemic Hormone (CHH).
In addition to ecophysiological interest, the data collected will increase our knowledge on the molecular evolution of these proteins belonging to widely represented families in Arthropods.
Studies of physiological consequences of a possible temperature increase linked to the global warming in Crustaceans from Antarctic ocean. -Biological material: Krill Euphausia superba and /or Euphausia crystallorophias. -Research projects : -In vivo study of the induction of stress molecules as a function of the temperature; -Chrarcterization of stress proteins in Antarctic medium : thermal shock proteins (Heat/Cold shock proteins, H/CSP), peptides from the CHH (Crustacean Hyperglycemic Hormone) family...
