Complexity of the heat-soluble LEA proteome in Artemia species

The brine shrimp Artemia is a well known stress tolerant invertebrate found on most continents. Under certain conditions females produce cysts (encysted gastrulae) that enter diapause, a state of obligate dormancy. During developmental formation of diapause embryos several different types of stress proteins accumulate in large amounts, including the late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins. In this study we used a combination of heterologous group 3 LEA antibodies to demonstrate that the heat-soluble proteome of the cysts contains up to 12 distinct putative group 3 LEA proteins that complement the group 1 LEA proteins found previously. Most antibody-positive, heat-soluble proteins were larger than 50 kDa although antibody positive proteins of 20–38 kDa were also detected. Both nuclei and mitochondria had distinct complements of the putative group 3 LEA proteins. A few small group 3 LEA proteins were induced by cycles of hydration–dehydration along with one protein of about 62 kDa. The expression of group 3 LEA proteins, unlike members of group 1, was not restricted to encysted diapause embryos. Three to five putative group 3 LEA proteins were expressed in gravid females and in larvae. Cysts of different species from various geographic locations had distinct complements of group 3 LEA proteins suggesting rapid evolution of the LEA proteins or differences in the type of group 3 Lea genes expressed. Our results demonstrate the potential importance of group 3 LEA proteins in embryos and other life cycle stages of this animal extremophile.