title: Cold induced changes in lipid, protein and carbohydrate levels in the tropical insect Gromphadorhina coquereliana.
abstract: Insects cope with thermal stressors using mechanisms such as rapid cold hardening and acclimation. These mechanisms have been studied in temperate insects, but little is known about their use by tropical insects in response to cold stress. Here, we investigated whether cold stress (1×8 h and 3×8 h at 4°C) triggers a metabolic response in the Madagascar cockroach Gromphadorhina coquereliana. We examined the effects of cold on the levels of selected metabolites in the fat body tissue of G. coquereliana. After cold exposure, we found that the quantity of total protein increased significantly in the insect fat body, whereas glycogen decreased slightly. Using antibodies, we observed upregulation of AQP-like proteins and changes in the HSP70 levels in the fat body of G. coquereliana when exposed to cold. We also examined the content and nature of the free sugars in the G. coquereliana hemolymph and discovered an increase in the levels of polyols and glucose in response to cold stress. These results suggest an important role of the fat body tissue of tropical insects upon cold exposure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Physiology and Development, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland. Electronic address: szyymon@amu.edu.pl.
authors.forename: Szymon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chowanski
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Physiology and Development, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lubawy
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Physiology and Development, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spochacz
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Physiology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: Paluch
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ewelina
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Physiology and Development, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: Smykalla
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grzegorz
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Physiology and Development, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: Grzegorz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rosinski
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Physiology and Development, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland. Electronic address: slocina@amu.edu.p.
authors.forename: Malgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Slocinska
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D050260:Carbohydrate Metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D003080:Cold Temperature; D005216:Fat Body / Q000502:physiology; D006003:Glycogen / Q000378:metabolism; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D006458:Hemolymph / Q000378:metabolism; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D007313:Insecta / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D014329:Tropical Climate
chemical_list: D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins; D019476:Insect Proteins; D006003:Glycogen
keywords: Aquaporins; Cold stress; Gromphadorhina coquereliana; HSP70; Polyols; Tropical insect