Periodic Reporting for period 1 - BIOSTASIS (BIOlogical SignaTures of AnhydrobioSIS via comparative transcriptomics on different evolutionary lineages within tardigrades)
Período documentado: 2018-02-01 hasta 2020-01-31
Of all the abiotic environmental stressors, desiccation is considered the most detrimental to organisms. Water availability plays a crucial role in defining individual species activity and their ecological interactions, and organisms are frequently confronted with water shortage in both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The most common drivers of dehydration are the evaporative water loss, freezing during winter (and the subsequent reduction of liquid water in extracellular fluids), and hypersalinity. Global environmental change is expected to greatly affect the magnitude of all of these drivers, impacting life at all hierarchical levels, from genes, to species, to ecosystems.
Genomic studies on anhydrobionts have led to rapid progress on multiple fronts, yet to date, little is known on the relevance of molecules, genes and mechanisms during the entry and the exit of organisms from anhydrobiosis. Within the BIOSTASIS project, using an experimental set up with several time points, I set the ambitious aim to try and reveal key-player genes involved in the mechanism of anhydrobiosis in a strong cryptobiont tardigrade species ie. Ramazzottius varieornatus. My hypothesis: there could be a potential gene signature for anhydrobiosis, establishing a transcription profile that is characteristic of a given physiological state (active, desiccated or rehydrated) and that could possibly reflect the phylogenetic position of a taxon (ie. organisms that are close relatives could have the same transcription profiles).
The project results revealed that the duration of the desiccation stress impacts both the total number of genes that are regulated at the “tun state” and also the recovery time needed for the individuals to return to their normal gene expression levels (as compared to the control samples). The analysed data resulted to new information regarding genes and mechanisms implicated in the mechanisms of anhydrobiosis.
The overall results present a lot of potential of high impact for natural and biomedical sciences. Understanding the mechanisms and identifying the molecules implicated in desiccation tolerance is fundamental for improving methods for example in storing biological materials. The “dry” alternative will significantly reduce energy use while enhancing sample availability and management and space utilization with the potential to generate great revenue. Stress biology research is highly relevant to the ongoing EU 2018-2020 focus areas (i) Building a low-carbon, climate resilient future2, (ii) Connecting economic and environmental gains – the Circular Economy. Moreover, unveiling the mechanisms of desiccation tolerance will greatly enhance our understanding of species and ecosystems persistence to ongoing and future environmental change, in line with the commission’s priorities 2019-2024 for the European Green Deal under the Clean Energy and Biodiversity policies.