Time related changes in the free amino acid pool of the sea anemone, Bunodosoma cavernata, during salinity stress

1. 1. The sea anemone, Bunodosoma cavernata, is a relatively eurybaline cnidarian tolerating salinities from 12 to 40%. 2. 2. Taurine, glutamic acid and aspartic acid all showed some increases with increased salinity. 3. 3. The amino acid showing the greatest accumulation under high salinity conditions was β-alanine which increased 28-fold from 1.5 to 41.9 μmol/g dry weight when salinity was raised from 26 to 40%. 4. 4. When B. cavernata was subjected to increased salinity, β-alanine was rapidly accumulated and reached maximum levels within 4 days. 5. 5. When salinity was dropped from 36 to 26%0, β-alanine concentrations dropped from 15 to 2 μmol/g dry weight in 2 days.