Transcriptional analysis of selected stress proteins in larvae of the fruit fly, \kur{Drosophila melanogaster} (Diptera: Drosophilidae

Abstract

We assessed influence of three acclimation regimes and influence of recovery after cold shock (exposure to 0°C for a period of time corresponding to Lt25) on the relative mRNA levels of selected stress proteins using qRT-PCR method. Larvae acclimated at 25°C showed relatively weak upregulation responses to cold shock. Much stronger responses were observed in the larvae that were cold-acclimated at 15°C or 15°C ? 6°C prior to cold shock. Two different general trends were distinguished in the response to cold acclimation and cold shock: (a) proteins from families SP70 and SP90 and splice variants c and d of the transcription factor HSF were upregulated in response to cold acclimation and the levels of their mRNA transcripts further increased after cold shock (for instance, the abundance of hsp70Aa mRNA increased up to 300-fold after cold shock (acclimation variant 15°C ? 6°C)); (b) four members of the small Hsp family (22, 23, 26 and 27 kDa) and splice variants a and b of the transcription factor HSF were down-regulated during cold acclimation (for instance, 10-fold in the case of hsp22) and the levels of their mRNA transcripts were either unchanged or increased only moderately after the cold shock. A third group of proteins, namely Hsc70, Hsp40 showed no or relatively small changes