Geographic variation in thermal tolerance and strategies of heat shock protein expression in the land snail Theba pisana in relation to genetic structure.

ABSTRACT: Land snails are exposed to conditions of high ambient temperature and low humidity, and their survival depends on a suite of morphological, behavioral, physiological, and molecular adaptations to the specific microhabitat. We tested in six populations of the land snail Theba pisana whether adaptations to different habitats affect their ability to cope with thermal stress and their strategies of heat shock protein (HSP) expression. Levels of Hsp70 and Hsp90 in the foot tissue were measured in field-collected snails and after acclimation to laboratory conditions. Snails were also exposed to various temperatures (32 up to 54 °C) for 2 h and HSP messenger RNA (mRNA) levels were measured in the foot tissue and survival was determined. To test whether the physiological and molecular data are rel

SUBMITTER: Mizrahi T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4786534 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature