Response to heat stress in the porcelain crab Petrolisthes cinctipes

Abstract

The response to heat stress in the intertidal porcelain crab, Petrolisthes cinctipes, was investigated at the gene expression level. A 13,824 cDNA library was constructed and subsequently used to profile transcriptome changes in crabs during recovery from heat stress. 187 transcripts were either upregulated or downregulated in heat stress versus control groups Ih-30h into recovery from heat stress. Gene expression changes following heat stress involved genes from a wide variety of biological processes, including protein/folding and degradation, cytoskeletal activity, detoxification, energy generation, and lipid metabolism. The majority of expression patterns could be captured by sampling 2h and 18h following heat stress, information important for designing future experiments aiming to determine the effect seasonal changes or latitudinal differences have on the response to heat stress. The present study sets the stage for addressing broader questions relating to how global climate change might affect organisms (i.e. species distribution).