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Interrelationships between water and cellular metabolism in Artemia cysts. VI. RNA and protein synthesis
Author(s) -
Clegg James S.
Publication year - 1977
Publication title -
journal of cellular physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.529
H-Index - 174
eISSN - 1097-4652
pISSN - 0021-9541
DOI - 10.1002/jcp.1040910114
Subject(s) - brine shrimp , artemia salina , rna , protein biosynthesis , nucleotide , biochemistry , macromolecule , biology , metabolism , protein metabolism , amino acid , brine , dna , microbiology and biotechnology , chemistry , ecology , gene , organic chemistry , toxicity
Using 14 CO 2 as a labelled precursor the relationship between the initiation of protein and RNA synthesis, and water concentration, has been examined in cysts (encysted embryos) of the brine shrimp, Artemia salina . Although incorporation of radioactivity into amino acids and nucleotides occurred in cysts at hydrations as low as 0.3 g H 2 O/g dried cysts, incorporation into proteins and RNA was not measurable until the cysts had achieved a hydration in the range of 0.6–0.6 g/g. In no case was radioactivity detected in DNA of unemerged cysts. Fully hydrated cysts (about 1.3 g/g) that were actively synthesizing proteins and RNA, stopped doing so when dehydrated to levels below the same hydration range: thus, the hydration dependence does not involve appreciable hysteresis. The hydration range required to initiate synthesis of these macromolecules is essentially the same as that previously shown to initiate embryonic development.