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Membrane properties of Enchytraeus albidus originating from contrasting environments: a comparative analysis

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Abstract

Ectothermic animals adapted to different environmental temperatures are hypothesized to have biological membranes with different chemical and physical properties such that membrane properties are optimized for their particular thermal environments. To test this hypothesis we analyzed the composition of phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) in seven different populations of Enchytraeus albidus originating from different thermal environments. The seven populations differ markedly in origin (polar-temperate) and are also characterized by marked difference in cold tolerance. The dominant PLFAs of E. albidus were C20:5, C20:4 and C20:2 (53–61 % of total PLFA) followed by C18:0, C20:1 and C22:2 (17–20 % of total PLFA). As hypothesized the PLFA composition varied significantly between populations and molar percentage of several of the PLFAs (particularly C18:2) correlated with the lower lethal temperature (LT50) of the seven populations. Unsaturation ratio (UFA/SFA) and average PLFA chain length also correlated significantly with LT50, such that cold sensitive populations had a shorter chain length and a lower UFA/SFA compared to cold tolerant populations. Reconstituted membranes of the least and most cold tolerant populations were used to compare membranes’ physical properties by fluorescence anisotropy and bending rigidity. Measurements of anisotropy did not show any overall difference between populations with different cold tolerance. This could be interpreted as if E. albidus populations have achieved a similar “optimal” fluidity of the membrane with a somewhat different PLFA composition. Our study suggests that membrane lipid composition could be important for the cold tolerance of E. albidus; however, these differences are not easily differentiated in the measurements of the membranes’ physical properties. Other parameters such as accumulation of glucose for cryoprotection and energy supply may also be important components of enchytraeid freeze tolerance.

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Acknowledgments

We thank K. L. Enggrob for assistance with measurements of cholesterol and PLFA. This study was supported by the Danish Research Council (MH), Sapere Aude DFF-Starting grants and Carlsberg foundation (JO). The stay of K·S. in Aarhus was supported by the project Postdok_BIOGLOBE (CZ.1.07/2.3.00/30.0032) co-financed by the European Social Fund and the state budget of the Czech Republic.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Soil fauna Ecology and Ecotoxicology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Vejlsøvej 25, 8600, Silkeborg, Denmark

    Karina Vincents Fisker & Martin Holmstrup

  2. Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Building 131, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark

    Karina Vincents Fisker & Johannes Overgaard

  3. Department of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy, MEMPHYS—Center for Biomembrane Physics, University of Southern Denmark, 5230, Odense M, Denmark

    Hélène Bouvrais & John H. Ipsen

  4. Institute of Entomology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Branisovska 31, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic

    Konrad Schöttner

  5. Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, C.F. Møllers Allé 8, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark

    Martin Holmstrup

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  1. Karina Vincents Fisker
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  2. Hélène Bouvrais
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  3. Johannes Overgaard
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Correspondence to Karina Vincents Fisker.

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Communicated by I.D. Hume.

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Fisker, K.V., Bouvrais, H., Overgaard, J. et al. Membrane properties of Enchytraeus albidus originating from contrasting environments: a comparative analysis. J Comp Physiol B 185, 389–400 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00360-015-0895-7

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