EXPRESSION OF STRESS PROTEINS OF FAMILY HSP70 IN RESPONSE TO COLD IN MYRMICA ANTS FROM DIFFERENT
GEOGRAPHIC POPULATIONS
A. V. Maysov,1, * Yu. I. Podlipaeva,2 V. E. Kipyatkov 1
1 Department of Entomology of St. Petersburg State University, and
2 Institute of Cytology RAS, St. Petersburg;
* e-mail: owlsmay@mail.ru
Expression of HSP70 is induced by stress factors, including sub-lethal chilling, but the role of HSP70 for
overcoming consequenses of cold stress is not clear. If the role is positive, the level of HSP70 expression might be
higher in populations from colder climates. By use of immunoblotting we investigated dynamics of HSP70 expression in
response to cold stress in two Myrmica species from three localities of different latitude (50, 60 and 67° N).
The results showed that in the more thermophilic species Myrmica rubra expression of HSP70 after cold stress
was more intense. Expression traits within both species did not show direct relationship with latitude. In M.
rubra the southernmost population and in M. ruginodis the northernmost one displayed the fastest and most
intense response. However, in M. rubra the two other studied populations were similar in timing and intensity
of the response, while in M. ruginodis the intermediate population showed the slowest and weakest response.
The data suggest that the expression of HSP70 might play the most considerable role in the adaptation to cold in the
southernmost population of M. ruginodis.
Key words: HSP70, stress, cold tolerance, geographic variation, Myrmica
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