Heat-shock Protein Expression in Mytilus Californianus: Seasonal and Tidal Height Comparisons

approved: Bruce Menge I examined heat-shock protein (HSP) expression patterns in field-acclimatized and lab-acclimated individuals in a natural population of intertidal mussels, Mytilus californianus, from the central Oregon coast. Total 70 kDa class heat-shock protein (Hsp70) levels and HSP induction profiles were measured in field-collected M californianus, seasonally, at high and low intertidal sites. Hsp70 was quantified with immunoblotting techniques. HSP induction profiles were determined by analyzing protein synthesis patterns from 35S-incorporation experiments with gill tissue. There were significant differences in Hsp70 levels seasonally, and between high and low intertidal sites. HSP induction profiles varied significantly with seasonal intertidal acclimatization. HSP induction profiles in lab-acclimated mussels were also significantly different than in field mussels. These results are discussed in relation to 1) the plasticity of the heat-shock response, 2) thermal stress and temperature variability in the intertidal habitat, 3) acclimatization and acclimation effects and 4) implications of environmental stress through the integration of biochemical and physiological studies with populationandcommunitylevel studies. Redacted for Privacy HEAT-SHOCK PROTEIN EXPRESSION IN MYTILUS CALIFORNIANUS: SEASONAL AND TIDAL HEIGHT COMPARISONS