Desiccation tolerance in the tardigrade Richtersius coronifer relies on muscle mediated structural reorganization.
Life unfolds within a framework of constraining abiotic factors, yet some organisms are adapted to handle large fluctuations in physical and chemical parameters. Tardigrades are microscopic ecdysozoans well known for their ability to endure hostile conditions, such as complete desiccation--a phenome...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2013-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3877342?pdf=render |
| _version_ | 1818163103626428416 |
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| author | Kenneth Agerlin Halberg Aslak Jørgensen Nadja Møbjerg |
| author_facet | Kenneth Agerlin Halberg Aslak Jørgensen Nadja Møbjerg |
| author_sort | Kenneth Agerlin Halberg |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Life unfolds within a framework of constraining abiotic factors, yet some organisms are adapted to handle large fluctuations in physical and chemical parameters. Tardigrades are microscopic ecdysozoans well known for their ability to endure hostile conditions, such as complete desiccation--a phenomenon called anhydrobiosis. During dehydration, anhydrobiotic animals undergo a series of anatomical changes. Whether this reorganization is an essential regulated event mediated by active controlled processes, or merely a passive result of the dehydration process, has not been clearly determined. Here, we investigate parameters pivotal to the formation of the so-called "tun", a state that in tardigrades and rotifers marks the entrance into anhydrobiosis. Estimation of body volume in the eutardigrade Richtersius coronifer reveals an 87 % reduction in volume from the hydrated active state to the dehydrated tun state, underlining the structural stress associated with entering anhydrobiosis. Survival experiments with pharmacological inhibitors of mitochondrial energy production and muscle contractions show that i) mitochondrial energy production is a prerequisite for surviving desiccation, ii) uncoupling the mitochondria abolishes tun formation, and iii) inhibiting the musculature impairs the ability to form viable tuns. We moreover provide a comparative analysis of the structural changes involved in tun formation, using a combination of cytochemistry, confocal laser scanning microscopy and 3D reconstructions as well as scanning electron microscopy. Our data reveal that the musculature mediates a structural reorganization vital for anhydrobiotic survival, and furthermore that maintaining structural integrity is essential for resumption of life following rehydration. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T16:44:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b0847099a8c1408b9bec0646841982fc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T16:44:14Z |
| publishDate | 2013-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-b0847099a8c1408b9bec0646841982fc2022-12-22T00:58:15ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032013-01-01812e8509110.1371/journal.pone.0085091Desiccation tolerance in the tardigrade Richtersius coronifer relies on muscle mediated structural reorganization.Kenneth Agerlin HalbergAslak JørgensenNadja MøbjergLife unfolds within a framework of constraining abiotic factors, yet some organisms are adapted to handle large fluctuations in physical and chemical parameters. Tardigrades are microscopic ecdysozoans well known for their ability to endure hostile conditions, such as complete desiccation--a phenomenon called anhydrobiosis. During dehydration, anhydrobiotic animals undergo a series of anatomical changes. Whether this reorganization is an essential regulated event mediated by active controlled processes, or merely a passive result of the dehydration process, has not been clearly determined. Here, we investigate parameters pivotal to the formation of the so-called "tun", a state that in tardigrades and rotifers marks the entrance into anhydrobiosis. Estimation of body volume in the eutardigrade Richtersius coronifer reveals an 87 % reduction in volume from the hydrated active state to the dehydrated tun state, underlining the structural stress associated with entering anhydrobiosis. Survival experiments with pharmacological inhibitors of mitochondrial energy production and muscle contractions show that i) mitochondrial energy production is a prerequisite for surviving desiccation, ii) uncoupling the mitochondria abolishes tun formation, and iii) inhibiting the musculature impairs the ability to form viable tuns. We moreover provide a comparative analysis of the structural changes involved in tun formation, using a combination of cytochemistry, confocal laser scanning microscopy and 3D reconstructions as well as scanning electron microscopy. Our data reveal that the musculature mediates a structural reorganization vital for anhydrobiotic survival, and furthermore that maintaining structural integrity is essential for resumption of life following rehydration.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3877342?pdf=render |
| spellingShingle | Kenneth Agerlin Halberg Aslak Jørgensen Nadja Møbjerg Desiccation tolerance in the tardigrade Richtersius coronifer relies on muscle mediated structural reorganization. PLoS ONE |
| title | Desiccation tolerance in the tardigrade Richtersius coronifer relies on muscle mediated structural reorganization. |
| title_full | Desiccation tolerance in the tardigrade Richtersius coronifer relies on muscle mediated structural reorganization. |
| title_fullStr | Desiccation tolerance in the tardigrade Richtersius coronifer relies on muscle mediated structural reorganization. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Desiccation tolerance in the tardigrade Richtersius coronifer relies on muscle mediated structural reorganization. |
| title_short | Desiccation tolerance in the tardigrade Richtersius coronifer relies on muscle mediated structural reorganization. |
| title_sort | desiccation tolerance in the tardigrade richtersius coronifer relies on muscle mediated structural reorganization |
| url | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3877342?pdf=render |
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