Chill-coma recovery time, age and sex determine lipid profiles in Ceratitis capitata tissues

NATALIA S. FAGALI; LUIS A. QUESADA ALLUÉ; ALEJANDRO RABOSSI, ; LUCIANA PUJOL-LEREIS; ANGEL CATALA; NATALIA S. FAGALI; LUIS A. QUESADA ALLUÉ; ALEJANDRO RABOSSI, ; LUCIANA PUJOL-LEREIS; ANGEL CATALA

JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2016 vol. 87 p. 53 - 62

0022-1910

The remodeling of membrane composition by changes in phospholipid head groups and fatty acids (FA)degree of unsaturation has been associated with the maintenance of membrane homeostasis under stressconditions. Overall lipid levels and the composition of cuticle lipids also influence insect stress resistanceand tissue protection. In a previous study, we demonstrated differences in survival, behavior and Cu/Znsuperoxide dismutase gene expression between subgroups of Ceratitis capitata flies that had a reversiblerecovery from chill-coma and those that developed chilling-injury. Here, we analyzed lipid profiles fromcomparable subgroups of 15 and 30-day-old flies separated according to their recovery time after a chillcomatreatment. Neutral and polar lipid classes of chill-coma subgroups were separated by thin layerchromatography and quantified by densitometry. FA composition of polar lipids of chill-coma subgroupsand non-stressed flies was evaluated using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Higheramounts of neutral lipids such as triglycerides, diacylglycerol, wax esters, sterol esters and free esterswere found in male flies that recovered faster from chill-coma compared to slower flies. A multivariateanalysis revealed changes in patterns of storage and cuticle lipids among subgroups both in males andfemales. FA unsaturation increased after cold exposure, and was higher in thorax of slower subgroupscompared to faster subgroups. The changes in neutral lipid patterns and FA composition depended onrecovery time, sex, age and body-part, and were not specifically associated with the development ofchilling-injury. An analysis of phospholipid classes showed that the phosphatidylcholine to lysophosphatidylcholineratio (PC/LPC) was significantly higher, or showed a tendency, in subgroups that mayhave developed chilling-injury compared to those with a reversible recovery from coma. 2016 Published