Production of reactive oxygen species and involvement of bioprotectants during anhydrobiosis in the tardigrade Paramacrobiotus spatialis.

ABSTRACT: Water unavailability is an abiotic stress causing unfavourable conditions for life. Nevertheless, some animals evolved anhydrobiosis, a strategy allowing for the reversible organism dehydration and suspension of metabolism as a direct response to habitat desiccation. Anhydrobiotic animals undergo biochemical changes synthesizing bioprotectants to help combat desiccation stresses. One stress is the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In this study, the eutardigrade Paramacrobiotus spatialis was used to investigate the occurrence of ROS associated with the desiccation process. We observed that the production of ROS significantly increases as a function of time spent in anhydrobiosis and represents a direct demonstration of oxidative stress in tardigrades. The degree of involvement o

SUBMITTER: Giovannini I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8816950 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature