Free amino acid pools as effectors of osmostic adjustment in different tissues of the freshwater shrimp macrobrachiumolfersii (crustacea, decapoda) during long-term salinity acclimation

Abstract

To examine osmotic regulation during long-term acclimation to a hyperosmotic medium, hemolymph osmolality, [Na⁺] and total protein, tissue hydration, and free amino acid (FAA) pools in abdominal muscle, gills, central nervous tissue and hemolymph were quantified in the diadromous freshwater (FW) shrimp, Macrobrachium olfersii, during direct exposure to 21‰S seawater over a 20-day period. Hemolymph osmolality and [Na⁺] reach stable maxima within 24 h while total protein is unchanged. Muscle and nerve tissues rapidly lose water while gills hydrate; all tissues attain maximum hydration (+5%) by 5 days, declining to FW values except for gills. Total FAA are highest in muscle, reach a maximum by 2 days (+64%), declining to FW values. Gill FAA increase by 110% after 24 h, diminishing to FW values. Nerve FAA increase 187% within 24 h, and remain elevated. Hemolymph FAA decrease (−75%) after 24 h, stabilizing well below the FW concentration. During acclimation, muscle glycine (+247%), gill taurine (+253%) and proline (+150%), and nerve proline (+426%), glycine (+415%) and alanine (+139%) increase, while hemolymph leucine (−70%) decreases. Total FAA pools contribute 10–20% to intracellular (22–70 mmol/kg) and 0.5–2.4% to hemolymph (3–7 mOsm/kg) osmolalities during direct acclimation from FW. These data emphasize the modest participation of FAA pools in intracellular osmotic regulation during physiological adaptation by M. olfersii to osmotic challenge, accentuating the role of anisosmotic extracellular regulation, suggesting that, during the invasion of freshwater by the Crustacea, dependence on intracellular adjustment employing FAA as osmotic effectors, has become progressively reduced.

Keywords:

• Amino acids
• Tissue hydration
• Salinity acclimation
• Osmoregulation
• Ionic regulation
• Macrobrachium
• Palaemonid shrimp

Acknowledgements

This study constitutes part of a B.Sc monograph, and an M.Sc thesis, submitted by AA to the postgraduate program in Comparative Biology, and was partially financed by research grants from FAPESP (#96/01842-8) and PRONEX (#661132/98-6) to LJG. AA and JCM received scholarships from FAPESP (#97/00367-7, #98/11083-2) and CNPq (#303282-84), respectively. Shrimps were collected under permits #8/1999 and #18/2002, authorized by the Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis (IBAMA).