Stress Response at the Cellular and Biochemical Levels Indicates the Limitation of the Environmental Temperature Range for Eastern Siberian Populations of the Common GastropodLymnaea stagnalis

Abstract

ABSTRACT Temperature is a major environmental factor that influences all aquatic organisms. Our objective was to expose individuals of Lymnaea stagnalis from an Eastern Siberian population to wide temperature gradients to determine whether they express a thermal stress response and what mechanisms are involved in this process. Several parameters of the cellular mechanisms of thermal resistance were tested under the experimental conditions: the level of lipid peroxidation, the synthesis of heat shock protein HSP70, the activities of antioxidative enzymes and changes in the content of energy-associated metabolites. The results of this study show that the temperature at which the cellular and biochemical stress-response is activated in the L. stagnalis from Eastern Siberian lakes directly corresponds to environmental temperature within the range of 3 to 15°C. The exposure of the gastropods to temperatures outside this range resulted in the activation of HSP70 synthesis, changes in the activities of antioxida...