HSP 70 mRNA expression in the South American rainbow crab Chasmagnathus granulatus after acclimation to low and high salinity.

LUQUET, C. M.; GENOVESE, G.; TOWLE, D. W.

Bulletin of the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory

Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory

Lugar: Salsbury Cove, Maine; Año: 2006 vol. 45 p. 99 - 100

0097-0883

Chasmagnathus granulatus is a highly euryhaline crab with strong capacity of hyper- and hyporegulation. This species is normally exposed to rapid changes in ambient salinity, due to the dilutionconcentration effect of the tides in its estuarine habitat. Since C. granulatus is a semiterrestrial species, it is often exposed for short periods to freshwater or to  concentrated seawater by entering into rain pools or tide pools concentrated by evaporation. On the other hand, in many estuarine environments like the Rio de la Plata estuary, seasonal changes in freshwater runoff and persistent winds may force salinity to remain higher or lower than average for days or even weeks, submitting the crabs to longterm osmotic stress. The heat shock protein Hsp70 is likely involved in tolerance of osmotic stress. Induction of this protein in response to salinity changes has been recently reported to start in the gills of a related species, Pachygrapsus marmoratus between 4 and 24 hours of acclimation1.