The ability to control osmotic balance is essential for cellular life. Cellular osmotic homeostasis is maintained by accumulation and loss of inorganic ions and organic osmolytes. Although osmoregulation has been studied extensively in many cell types, major gaps exist in our molecular understanding of this essential process. Because of its numerous experimental advantages, the nematode Caenorh...

Eriocheir sinensis, an extremely invasive alien crab species, has important economic value in China. It encounters different salinities during its life cycle, and at the megalopal stage it faces a turning point regarding the salinity in its environment. We applied RNA sequencing to E. sinensis megalopae before (MB) and after (MA) desalination, resulting in the discovery of 21,042 unigenes and 9...

Throughout the larval development of a highly euryhaline crab, Neohelice (= Chasmagnathus) granulata, we studied effects of reduced salinities (15 and 25‰ vs. seawater control at 32‰) on larval dry mass (W ) and biochemical composition (total lipid and protein). In the early zoeal stages (I, II), reduced salinity caused delayed moulting, while W and biochemical composition at ecdysis remained u...

macrobrachium rosenbergii lifecycle is unique so that the adults thrive in freshwater and larval development requires brackish water environments near to estuaries as close as possible to larval body isosmotic for minimum na/k-atpase activity and maximum atp storage. osmoregulation system at early larval stages is not formed and larval osmoregulation is mainly attributed to na/k-atpase activity...