Date of Award
2024
Degree Name
Chemistry
College
College of Science
Type of Degree
M.S.
Document Type
Thesis
First Advisor
Dr. Derrick R.J. Kolling, Committee Chairperson
Second Advisor
Dr. Michael L. Norton
Third Advisor
Dr. B. Scott Day
Abstract
Tardigrades are semi-microscopic invertebrate animals renowned for their ability to tolerate a wide array of environmental stressors. The chief mechanism they utilize to survive in such conditions is entrance into cryptobiosis, a state in which metabolism is substantially reduced or ceased and bioprotectant molecules are upregulated to maintain the functionality of biological materials. While the unique bioprotectant molecules utilized by tardigrades that have been elucidated to date have potential in various fields, the fundamental signaling mechanisms underpinning cryptobiosis have yet to be established. In this work, previous findings indicating that the tardigrade Hypsibius exemplaris relies on the reversible oxidation of cysteine thiols to mediate cryptobiosis are expanded upon. The results indicate that H. exemplaris responds to deleterious environments in a stressor-dependent fashion and that the redox state necessary for cysteine oxidation is mediated by reactive oxygen species produced in the mitochondrial electron transport chain, seemingly in a site-specific signaling mechanism.
Subject(s)
Biochemistry.
Chemistry.
Biology.
Cryptobiosis.
Electron Paramagnetic Resonance.
Recommended Citation
Flinn, Brendin Bailey, "Metabolic dependence of and morphological differences between tardigrade cryptobioses" (2024). Theses, Dissertations and Capstones. 1849.
https://mds.marshall.edu/etd/1849
