Antioxidant defenses preserve membrane transport activity in Chironomus riparius larvae exposed to anoxia.

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Forcella M, Berra E, Giacchini R, Parenti P

Antioxidant defenses preserve membrane transport activity in Chironomus riparius larvae exposed to anoxia.

Arch Insect Biochem Physiol. 2007 Aug;65(4):181-94.

PubMed ID

17630655 [ View in PubMed

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Abstract

Changes in enzyme activities, metabolite concentrations, and membrane transport activity underlying the Chironomus riparius larvae adaptive response to anoxia were investigated. Trehalose, malate, and aspartate degradation and alanine accumulation were recorded. During anoxia exposure, there was a boost of antioxidant defenses as shown by an increase of the specific activity of the enzymes catalase, glutathione-S-transferase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione-synthase, malic enzyme, and NADP-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase. The ratio, glutathione reduced over glutathione oxidized, decreased. Except for alanine and catalase, the parameters return to their basal value when larvae are transferred to normoxic conditions. To test whether antioxidant defenses had protective effects on membrane functionality, L-leucine uptake into brush border membrane vesicles and membrane lipid peroxidation was measured. No difference between membranes prepared from larvae exposed to anoxia and control larvae was found. The amino acid alanine, when present inside the vesicles, trans-stimulated leucine uptake. This effect could represent a mechanism to stimulate amino acid uptake and catabolism in vivo when free alanine concentration increases during hypoxic periods.

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Drug Targets

Drug	Target	Kind	Organism	Pharmacological Action	Actions
Glutathione	Glutathione synthetase	Protein	Humans	Unknown	Not Available	Details