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Loeffelholz J, Meese E, Giovannini I, Ullibarri K, Momeni S, Merfeld N, Wessel J, Guidetti R, Rebecchi L, Boothby TC. An evaluation of thermal tolerance in six tardigrade species in an active and dry state. Biol Open 2024; 13:bio060485. [PMID: 39229830 DOI: 10.1242/bio.060485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 08/29/2024] [Indexed: 09/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Tardigrades are known for their ability to survive extreme conditions. Reports indicate that tardigrade thermal tolerance is enhanced in the desiccated state; however, these reports have almost always used a single tardigrade species and drying/heating methods vary between studies. Using six different species of tardigrades we confirm that desiccation enhances thermal tolerance in tardigrades. Furthermore, we show that differences in thermal tolerance exist between tardigrade species both when hydrated and desiccated. While Viridiscus viridianus survives the highest temperatures in the hydrated state of any species tested here, under hydrated conditions, the thermal tolerance of V. viridianus is restricted to an acute transient stress. Furthermore, unlike other stresses, such as desiccation, where mild initial exposure preconditions some species to survive subsequent harsher treatment, for V. viridianus exposure to mild thermal stress in the hydrated state does not confer protection to harsher heating. Our results suggest that while tardigrades have the capacity to tolerate mild thermal stress while hydrated, survival of high temperatures in a desiccated state is a by-product of tardigrades' ability to survive desiccation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob Loeffelholz
- University of Wyoming, Department of Molecular Biology, Laramie, WY 82071, USA
| | - Emma Meese
- University of Wyoming, Department of Molecular Biology, Laramie, WY 82071, USA
| | - Ilaria Giovannini
- University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Department of Life Sciences, Modena 41125, Italy
| | - Karsyn Ullibarri
- University of Wyoming, Department of Molecular Biology, Laramie, WY 82071, USA
| | - Sogol Momeni
- University of Alabama, Department of Biological Sciences, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA
| | - Nicholas Merfeld
- University of Iowa, Tippie College of Business, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | | | - Roberto Guidetti
- University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Department of Life Sciences, Modena 41125, Italy
| | - Lorena Rebecchi
- University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Department of Life Sciences, Modena 41125, Italy
| | - Thomas C Boothby
- University of Wyoming, Department of Molecular Biology, Laramie, WY 82071, USA
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Kayastha P, Wieczorkiewicz F, Pujol M, Robinson A, Michalak M, Kaczmarek Ł, Poprawa I. Elevated external temperature affects cell ultrastructure and heat shock proteins (HSPs) in Paramacrobiotus experimentalis Kaczmarek, Mioduchowska, Poprawa, & Roszkowska, 2020. Sci Rep 2024; 14:5097. [PMID: 38429316 PMCID: PMC10907573 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-55295-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Increasing temperature influences the habitats of various organisms, including microscopic invertebrates. To gain insight into temperature-dependent changes in tardigrades, we isolated storage cells exposed to various temperatures and conducted biochemical and ultrastructural analysis in active and tun-state Paramacrobiotus experimentalis Kaczmarek, Mioduchowska, Poprawa, & Roszkowska, 2020. The abundance of heat shock proteins (HSPs) and ultrastructure of the storage cells were examined at different temperatures (20 °C, 30 °C, 35 °C, 37 °C, 40 °C, and 42 °C) in storage cells isolated from active specimens of Pam. experimentalis. In the active animals, upon increase in external temperature, we observed an increase in the levels of HSPs (HSP27, HSP60, and HSP70). Furthermore, the number of ultrastructural changes in storage cells increased with increasing temperature. Cellular organelles, such as mitochondria and the rough endoplasmic reticulum, gradually degenerated. At 42 °C, cell death occurred by necrosis. Apart from the higher electron density of the karyoplasm and the accumulation of electron-dense material in some mitochondria (at 42 °C), almost no changes were observed in the ultrastructure of tun storage cells exposed to different temperatures. We concluded that desiccated (tun-state) are resistant to high temperatures, but not active tardigrades (survival rates of tuns after 24 h of rehydration: 93.3% at 20 °C, 60.0% at 35 °C, 33.3% at 37 °C, 33.3% at 40 °C, and 20.0% at 42 °C).
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Affiliation(s)
- Pushpalata Kayastha
- Department of Animal Taxonomy and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, 61-614, Poznań, Poland.
| | - Filip Wieczorkiewicz
- Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Bankowa 9, 40-007, Katowice, Poland
| | - Myriam Pujol
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Alison Robinson
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Marek Michalak
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Łukasz Kaczmarek
- Department of Animal Taxonomy and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, 61-614, Poznań, Poland
| | - Izabela Poprawa
- Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Bankowa 9, 40-007, Katowice, Poland.
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Roszkowska M, Gołdyn B, Wojciechowska D, Księżkiewicz Z, Fiałkowska E, Pluskota M, Kmita H, Kaczmarek Ł. How long can tardigrades survive in the anhydrobiotic state? A search for tardigrade anhydrobiosis patterns. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0270386. [PMID: 36630322 PMCID: PMC9833599 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0270386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Anhydrobiosis is a desiccation tolerance that denotes the ability to survive almost complete dehydration without sustaining damage. The knowledge on the survival capacity of various tardigrade species in anhydrobiosis is still very limited. Our research compares anhydrobiotic capacities of four tardigrade species from different genera, i.e. Echiniscus testudo, Paramacrobiotus experimentalis, Pseudohexapodibius degenerans and Macrobiotus pseudohufelandi, whose feeding behavior and occupied habitats are different. Additionally, in the case of Ech. testudo, we analyzed two populations: one urban and one from a natural habitat. The observed tardigrade species displayed clear differences in their anhydrobiotic capacity, which appear to be determined by the habitat rather than nutritional behavior of species sharing the same habitat type. The results also indicate that the longer the state of anhydrobiosis lasts, the more time the animals need to return to activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milena Roszkowska
- Faculty of Biology, Department of Animal Taxonomy and Ecology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
- Faculty of Biology, Department of Bioenergetics, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Bartłomiej Gołdyn
- Faculty of Biology, Department of General Zoology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Daria Wojciechowska
- Faculty of Physics, Department of Biomedical Physics, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Zofia Księżkiewicz
- Faculty of Biology, Department of General Zoology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Edyta Fiałkowska
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Mateusz Pluskota
- Faculty of Biology, Department of General Zoology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Hanna Kmita
- Faculty of Biology, Department of Bioenergetics, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Łukasz Kaczmarek
- Faculty of Biology, Department of Animal Taxonomy and Ecology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
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Møbjerg A, Kodama M, Ramos-Madrigal J, Neves RC, Jørgensen A, Schiøtt M, Gilbert MTP, Møbjerg N. Extreme freeze-tolerance in cryophilic tardigrades relies on controlled ice formation but does not involve significant change in transcription. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2022; 271:111245. [PMID: 35640792 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2022.111245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Subzero temperatures are among the most significant factors defining the distribution of organisms, yet, certain taxa have evolved to overcome this barrier. The microscopic tardigrades are among the most freeze-tolerant animals, with selected species reported to survive milli-Kelvin temperatures. Here, we estimate survival of fully hydrated eutardigrades of the species Ramazzottius varieornatus following exposures to -20 °C and -80 °C as well as -196 °C with or without initial cooling to -80 °C. The tardigrades easily survive these temperatures, yet with a significant decrease in viability following rapid cooling by direct exposure to -196 °C. Hence, post-freeze recovery of R. varieornatus seems to rely on cooling rate and thus controlled ice formation. Cryophilic organisms are renowned for having cold-active enzymes that secure appropriate reaction rates at low temperatures. Hence, extreme freeze-tolerance in R. varieornatus could potentially involve syntheses of cryoprotectants and de novo transcription. We therefore generated a reference transcriptome for this cryophilic R. varieornatus population and explored for differential gene expression patterns following cooling to -80 °C as compared to active 5 °C controls. Specifically, we tested for fast transcription potentially occurring within 25 min of cooling from room temperature to a supercooling point of ca. -20 °C, at which the tardigrades presumably freeze and enter into the ametabolic state of cryobiosis. Our analyses revealed no evidence for differential gene expression. We, therefore, conclude that extreme freeze-tolerance in R. varieornatus relies on controlled extracellular freezing with any freeze-tolerance related genes being constitutively expressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ask Møbjerg
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, The Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. https://twitter.com/askmobjerg
| | - Miyako Kodama
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, The Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jazmín Ramos-Madrigal
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, The Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Aslak Jørgensen
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Morten Schiøtt
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - M Thomas P Gilbert
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, The Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; University Museum, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Nadja Møbjerg
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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Neves RC, Møbjerg A, Kodama M, Ramos-Madrigal J, Gilbert MTP, Møbjerg N. Differential expression profiling of heat stressed tardigrades reveals major shift in the transcriptome. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2022; 267:111169. [PMID: 35182765 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2022.111169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Tardigrades are renowned for their extreme stress tolerance, which includes the ability to endure complete desiccation, high levels of radiation and very low sub-zero temperatures. Nevertheless, tardigrades appear to be vulnerable to high temperatures and thus the potential effects of global warming. Here, we provide the first analysis of transcriptome data obtained from heat stressed specimens of the eutardigrade Ramazzottius varieornatus, with the aim of providing new insights into the molecular processes affected by high temperatures. Specifically, we compare RNA-seq datasets obtained from active, heat-exposed (35 °C) tardigrades to that of active controls kept at 5 °C. Our data reveal a surprising shift in transcription, involving 9634 differentially expressed transcripts, corresponding to >35% of the transcriptome. The latter data are in striking contrast to the hitherto observed constitutive expression underlying tardigrade extreme stress tolerance and entrance into the latent state of life, known as cryptobiosis. Thus, when examining the molecular response, heat-stress appears to be more stressful for R. varieornatus than extreme conditions, such as desiccation or freezing. A gene ontology analysis reveals that the heat stress response involves a change in transcription and presumably translation, including an adjustment of metabolism, and, putatively, preparation for encystment and subsequent diapause. Among the differentially expressed transcripts we find heat-shock proteins as well as the eutardigrade specific proteins (CAHS, SAHS, MAHS, RvLEAM, and Dsup). The latter proteins thus seem to contribute to a general stress response, and may not be directly related to cryptobiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ask Møbjerg
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, The Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Miyako Kodama
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, The Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jazmín Ramos-Madrigal
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, The Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - M Thomas P Gilbert
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, The Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; University Museum, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Nadja Møbjerg
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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6
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New insights into survival strategies of tardigrades. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2021; 254:110890. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2020.110890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Revised: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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