title: Adenylate levels and environmental stress in the sea anemone Anthopleura elegantissima.
abstract: The tissue concentrations of adenosine nucleotides in the sea anemone Anthopleura elegantissima were determined during laboratory manipulations simulating natural environmental stresses: desiccation at low and high air temperatures, increased seawater temperature, mechanical disturbance causing column contraction, and starvation. The levels of adenylates significantly decreased during anemone desiccation, column contraction, and starvation. Variations in adenylate energy charge, the ratio of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and the ratio of ATP to total adenylates were compared with changes in absolute adenylate concentrations to determine the usefulness of these ratios in indicating changes in metabolic activity and physiological stress. The changes in the adenylate levels were far greater than the changes in adenylate ratios. The usefulness of adenylate energy charge, or the other adenylate ratios, as single or exclusive indices of metabolic stress in A. elegantissima is questionable, given these results. Changes in absolute adenylate levels do indicate significant metabolic changes in the anemones associated with desiccation, column contraction, and starvation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, California 94305-5020.
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: W B
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Watt
mesh_terms: D000244:Adenosine Diphosphate / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D000249:Adenosine Monophosphate / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004777:Environment; D012615:Sea Anemones / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D000249:Adenosine Monophosphate; D000244:Adenosine Diphosphate; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate