Baseline expression of heat-shock proteins (HSPs) of a "thermotolerant" Mediterranean marine species largely influenced by natural temperature fluctuations

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Northwestern Mediterranean warming-related disease outbreaks and species shifts have recently been documented. Biomarkers of short-term effects on the health or resistance of organisms are necessary to assess and understand mechanisms affecting marine biodiversity. Heat-shock protein (HSP) expression was here believed to present finer variations than previously reported in experimental studies, which we tested to assess HSP sensitivity and relevance in the global warming context. One population of the "thermophilic" marine cave mysid Hemimysis margalefi was monitored over 4 years. Three HSPs presented recurrent expression. Among them, HSP50 and HSP60 expressions varied seasonally with environmental temperature. HSP60 expression displayed the greatest variability and was most closely related to temperature fluctuations. Multiple regression showed that while the main stressor was temperature, demographic variables (proportion of immatures, proportion of gravid females) also influenced expression variability. Such a monitoring of HSP baseline expression in a natural population had only rarely been conducted. HSPs are, however, good biomarkers to evaluate the effects of warming episodes or heat stress in the wild. This study provides essential spatial and temporal reference for further experimental and in situ analyses and is a prerequisite to diagnostic and predictive approaches.