title: Sex-, gametogenesis, and tidal height-related differences in levels of HSP70 and metallothioneins in the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas.
abstract: Pacific oysters, Crassostrea gigas, living at a range of tidal heights, routinely encounter large fluctuations in temperature. We demonstrate that levels of heat shock proteins (HSP) and other stress proteins (metallothioneins, MTs) quantified by ELISA, remained similar in gills, mantle and digestive gland between oysters inhabiting low and high tidal heights. In contrast, endogenous HSPs and MTs levels in gonad changed significantly during gametogenesis. In female gonads, the constitutive form of HSP70 and the MTs increased from immature (or resting) to mature stages (about more than 3-fold) and decreased after spawning. In male gonads, the same expression patterns were observed, whereas proteins levels decreased once fully mature. Females presented higher concentration of HSP70 and MTs than males during the spawning period. No significant difference in HSPs and MTs patterns was found among oysters sampled at low and high tidal heights. We hypothesize that the high level of stress proteins in eggs may increase survival of oyster progeny.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire des Sciences de l'Environnement Marin, UMR CNRS 6539, Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer, Université de Bretagne occidentale, 29280 Plouzané, France. leila.meistertzheim@gmail.com
authors.forename: Anne-Leila
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Meistertzheim
authors.forename: Morgane
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lejart
authors.forename: Nelly
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Le Goïc
authors.forename: Marie-Thérèse
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Thébault
mesh_terms: D000064:Acclimatization; D000818:Animals; D049896:Crassostrea / Q000378:metabolism*; D004064:Digestive System / Q000378:metabolism; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005718:Gametogenesis; D005880:Gills / Q000378:metabolism; D006066:Gonads / Q000378:metabolism; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008668:Metallothionein / Q000378:metabolism*; D052287:Oviparity; D010058:Oviposition; D012621:Seasons; D012623:Seawater; D012737:Sex Factors; D013696:Temperature; D014872:Water Movements
chemical_list: D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins; D008668:Metallothionein