Analysis of heat shock proteins and thermotolerance in a thermoresistant strain of Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract

Here we studied the response to heat shock in a desert D. melanogaster strain TT capable of living and propagating at 32 degrees C and the standard Oregon R strain. The TT strain proved to be more resistant to extreme temperatures. On the other hand, the observed high thermotolerance of the strain was not accompanied by a higher level of HSP70 synthesis. Conversely, reliably smaller amounts of HSP70 were synthesized in the TT strain as compared to Oregon R under all shock temperatures except the critical one (39.5 degrees C). Differences in both the structure of HSP70 genes and the pattern of all heat shock proteins have been observed between the studied strains. The role of the heat shock system in the adaptation to hyperthermia is discussed.