Sex-specific stress tolerance, proteolysis, and lifespan in the invertebrate Tigriopus californicus.

Sex-specific stress tolerance, proteolysis, and lifespan in the invertebrate Tigriopus californicus. Exp Gerontol. 2019 Feb 07;: Authors: Foley HB, Sun PY, Ramirez R, So BK, Venkataraman YR, Nixon EN, Davies KJA, Edmands S Abstract Because stress tolerance and longevity are mechanistically and phenotypically linked, the sex with higher acute stress tolerance might be expected to also live longer. On the other hand, the association between stress tolerance and lifespan may be complicated by tradeoffs between acute tolerance and long-term survival. Here we use the copepod Tigriopus californicus to test for sex differences in stress resistance, proteolytic activity and longevity. Unlike many model organisms, this species does not have sex chromosomes. However, substantial sex differences were still observed. Females were found to have superior tolerance to a range of acute stressors (high temperature, high salinity, low salinity, copper and bisphenol A (BPA)) across a variety of treatments including different populations, pure vs. hybrid crosses, and different shading environments. Upregulation of proteolytic capacity - one molecular mechanism for responding to acute stress - was also found to be sexually dimorphic. In the combined stress treatment of chronic copper exposure followed by acute heat exposure, proteolytic capacity was suppressed for males. Females, however, maintained a robust proteolytic stress response. While females con...
Source: Experimental Gerontology - Category: Geriatrics Authors: Tags: Exp Gerontol Source Type: research