scholarly journals Rapid cold-hardening increases the freezing tolerance of the Antarctic midge Belgica antarctica

2006 ◽  
Vol 209 (3) ◽  
pp. 399-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. E. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Freezing Tolerance ◽  
Cold Hardening ◽  
Rapid Cold Hardening ◽  
Belgica Antarctica ◽  
The Antarctic

Rapid cold-hardening in larvae of the Antarctic midge Belgica antarctica: cellular cold-sensing and a role for calcium

2008 ◽  
Vol 294 (6) ◽  
pp. R1938-R1946 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas M. Teets ◽  
Michael A. Elnitsky ◽  
Joshua B. Benoit ◽  
Giancarlo Lopez-Martinez ◽  
David L. Denlinger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Survival ◽  
Freezing Tolerance ◽  
Fat Body ◽  
Malpighian Tubules ◽  
Cold Hardening ◽  
Rapid Cold Hardening ◽  
Belgica Antarctica ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Cold Sensing

In many insects, the rapid cold-hardening (RCH) response significantly enhances cold tolerance in minutes to hours. Larvae of the Antarctic midge, Belgica antarctica, exhibit a novel form of RCH, by which they increase their freezing tolerance. In this study, we examined whether cold-sensing and RCH in B. antarctica occur in vitro and whether calcium is required to generate RCH. As demonstrated previously, 1 h at −5°C significantly increased organismal freezing tolerance at both −15°C and −20°C. Likewise, RCH enhanced cell survival of fat body, Malpighian tubules, and midgut tissue of larvae frozen at −20°C. Furthermore, isolated tissues retained the capacity for RCH in vitro, as demonstrated with both a dye exclusion assay and a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT)-based viability assay, thus indicating that cold-sensing and RCH in B. antarctica occur at the cellular level. Interestingly, there was no difference in survival between tissues that were supercooled at −5°C and those frozen at −5°C, suggesting that temperature mediates the RCH response independent of the freezing of body fluids. Finally, we demonstrated that calcium is required for RCH to occur. Removing calcium from the incubating solution slightly decreased cell survival after RCH treatments, while blocking calcium with the intracellular chelator BAPTA-AM significantly reduced survival in the RCH treatments. The calmodulin inhibitor N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1-naphthalenesulfonamide hydrochloride (W-7) also significantly reduced cell survival in the RCH treatments, thus supporting a role for calcium in RCH. This is the first report implicating calcium as an important second messenger in the RCH response.

Characterization of drought-induced rapid cold-hardening in the Antarctic midge, Belgica antarctica

Polar Biology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 1147-1156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuta Kawarasaki ◽  
Nicholas M. Teets ◽  
Benjamin N. Philip ◽  
Leslie J. Potts ◽  
J. D. Gantz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cold Hardening ◽  
Rapid Cold Hardening ◽  
Belgica Antarctica ◽  
The Antarctic

Stress tolerance in a polyextremophile: the southernmost insect

2015 ◽  
Vol 93 (9) ◽  
pp. 679-686 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.E. Lee ◽  
D.L. Denlinger
Keyword(s):  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Cross Tolerance ◽  
Atp Production ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Rapid Cold Hardening ◽  
Belgica Antarctica ◽  
Genes Encoding ◽  
Shock Proteins ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Autophagy Inhibition

Since biotic interactions within the simple terrestrial communities on the Antarctic Peninsula are limited compared with tropical and temperate regions, survival is largely dictated by the numerous abiotic challenges. Our research focuses on adaptations to environmental stresses experienced by the Antarctic midge (Belgica antarctica Jacobs, 1900), the southernmost free-living insect. Midge larvae can survive freezing and anoxia year-round. Not only can frozen larvae undergo rapid cold-hardening (RCH) at temperatures as low as –12 °C, but RCH develops more rapidly in frozen compared with supercooled larvae. Whether larvae overwinter in a frozen state or cryoprotectively dehydrated may depend on hydration levels within their hibernacula. Larvae constitutively up-regulate genes encoding heat shock proteins, as well as the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase and catalase. Larvae accumulate osmoprotectants in response to freezing, desiccation, and exposure to seawater; exposure to one of these osmotic stressors confers cross-tolerance to the others. Molecular responses to dehydration stress include extensive genome-wide changes that include differential expression of aquaporins among tissues, upregulation of pathways associated with autophagy, inhibition of apoptosis, and downregulation of metabolism and ATP production.

scholarly journals Brief exposure to a diverse range of environmental stress enhances stress tolerance in the polyextremophilic Antarctic midge, Belgica antarctica

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. D. Gantz ◽  
B. N. Philip ◽  
N. M. Teets ◽  
Y. Kawarasaki ◽  
L. J. Potts ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Stress ◽  
Stress Tolerance ◽  
Cold Tolerance ◽  
Abiotic Stresses ◽  
Environmental Cues ◽  
Ambient Conditions ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Rapid Cold Hardening ◽  
Belgica Antarctica ◽  
The Antarctic

AbstractInsects use rapid acclimation to enhance their tolerance of abiotic stresses within minutes to hours. These responses are critical adaptations for insects and other small ectotherms to tolerate drastic changes in temperature, hydration, or other factors that can fluctuate precipitously with ambient conditions or as a result of behavior. Rapid cold-hardening, where insects use brief exposure to modest chilling as a cue to enhance their cold tolerance, is the most thoroughly-studied of these responses and relatively little is known about rapid acclimation that is either triggered by or enhances tolerance of other abiotic stresses. Here, we used larvae of the Antarctic midge, Belgica antarctica, a polar extremophile that routinely experiences numerous stresses in nature, to investigate how 2 h exposure to modest environmental stresses affect stress tolerance in insects. Brief pretreatment by various stresses, including hyperosmotic challenge, hypoosmotic challenge, acidity, basicity, and UV irradiation enhanced stress tolerance in B. antarctica larvae relative to untreated controls. These results indicate that numerous environmental cues can trigger rapid acclimation in insects and that these responses can enhance tolerance of multiple stresses.

Life history traits of adults and embryos of the Antarctic midge Belgica antarctica

Polar Biology ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 37 (8) ◽  
pp. 1213-1217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eri Harada ◽  
Richard E. Lee ◽  
David L. Denlinger ◽  
Shin G. Goto
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Belgica Antarctica ◽  
The Antarctic

Metabolomic profiling of rapid cold hardening and cold shock in Drosophila melanogaster

2007 ◽  
Vol 53 (12) ◽  
pp. 1218-1232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes Overgaard ◽  
Anders Malmendal ◽  
Jesper G. Sørensen ◽  
Jacob G. Bundy ◽  
Volker Loeschcke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Cold Shock ◽  
Cold Hardening ◽  
Metabolomic Profiling ◽  
Rapid Cold Hardening
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