Aerobic heat shock activates trehalose synthesis in embryos of Artemia franciscana

Encysted embryos (cysts) of the brine shrimp, Artemia franciscana, contain large amount of trehalose which they use as a major substrate for energy metabolism and biosynthesis for Development under aerobic conditions at 25°C. When cysts are placed at 42°C (heat shock) these pathways stop, and the cysts re-synthesize the trehalose that was utilized during the previous incubation at 25°C, Glycogen and glycerol, produced from trehalose at 25°C, appear to be substrates for trehalose synthesis during heat shock. Anoxia prevents trehalose synthesis in cysts undergoing heat shock. These results are consistent with the view that trehalose may play a protective role in cells exposed to heat shock, and other environmental insults, in addition to being a storage form of energy and organic carbon for development.