Seasonal Changes in Antifreeze Protein Gene Transcription and Water Content of Beetle Microdera Punctipennis (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) from Gurbantonggut Desert in Central Asia

• Published in: Cryo-Letters Vol. 31; no. 5; pp. 359 - 370
• Main Authors: HOU, F, MA, J, LIU, X, WANG, Y, LIU, Xn, ZHANG, Fc
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lewes Cryoletters 01.09.2010; CryoLetters LLP
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Antifreeze Protein; Antifreeze Proteins - genetics; Antifreeze Proteins - metabolism; Autoecology; Biological and medical sciences; Body Water - metabolism; Coleoptera - genetics; Coleoptera - metabolism; Desert Beetle; Desert Climate; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hemolymph - chemistry; Microdera Punctipennis; Osmolar Concentration; Protozoa. Invertebrata; REAL-TIME QUANTITATIVE PCR; Seasons; Supercooling Point; Temperature; Transcription, Genetic; Water Content; Central Asia; Asia; Transcription; Coleoptera; Cold resistance; Insecta; desert beetle; Epidemiology; Tenebrionidae; real-time quantitative PCR; Polymerase chain reaction; Gene; Seasonal variation; Microdera punctipennis; Arthropoda; Adult animal; Water content; supercooling point; Supercooling; Desert; Molecular biology; Invertebrata; Antifreeze protein
• ISSN: 0143-2044

Desert beetle Microdera punctipennis (Coleoptera: Tenebriondae) is a special species in Gurbantonggut Desert in Central Asia. To investigate the possible strategy it employs for cold survival, seasonal changes in supercooling point (SCP), body water content, haemolymph osmolality and antifreeze protein gene (Mpafp) expression were measured over 13 months. Our results show SCPs in M. punctipennis adults changed from −8.0° in summer to −18.7° in winter. During winter, adults endured modest water loss; total water decreased from 65.36% in summer to 55.88% in winter. Mpafp mRNAs level increased by 13.1 fold from summer to early winter, and haemolymph osmolality increased accordingly from 550mOsm to 1486mOsm. Correlation coefficient of Mpafp mRNAs level and SCP indicates that Mpafp mRNA explained 65.28% of the variation in SCPs. The correlation between Mpafp mRNA level and total water reflected an indirect influence of antifreeze protein on water content via reducing SCP.