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In the present study, the effects of high temperatures on immune responses in the clam Chamelea gallina (Bivalvia: Veneridae) were evaluated.

SUMMARY – The expression of HIF-1a and HSF1 was investigated in plasma samples (T0: at birth; T12: 12 hours after birth) of 9 neonates (4 healthy and 5 sick foals); plasma MDA concentration was also evaluated in 16 neonates (10 healthy and 6 sick foals). MDA concentration, HIF-1a and HSF1 expression decreased significantly at T12 if compared with T0 (p< 0.05). HIF-1a was significantly higher in sick foals at all sampling times (p< 0.05) and resulted correlated to pCO2 at T0 and to MDA at T12 (p< 0,05; R=0,83 e R=-0,72, respectively). HSF was significantly correlated to HCT and RBC at T0 (p< 0,05; R=0,68 e R=0,77, respectively). The parameters measured could be considered potential indexes of perinatal hypoxia.

The expression of inducible and constitutive forms of HSP70s, respectively HSP70 and HSC70, were investigated in skin samples of pathological and healthy tissues (28 dogs of different ages and sex). HSP70 increased in 54.3% (p

To prove CYP1A-immunopositive protein presence and to evaluate MnSOD behaviour in haemocytes and haemolymph, specimens of C. gallina were exposed to 0.5 mg/L of Benzo[a]pyrene for 12 days. CYP1A-immunopositive protein showed two bands of 53.5 kDa and 63.8 kDa not differently expressed, whereas MnSOD activity decreased after 7 and 12 days of exposure.

Environmental stresses are responsible of HSPs induction, that guarantee tolerance of otherwise lethal conditions. This study was performed to evaluate HSP70 expression in Chamelea gallina (Bivalvia) digestive gland in response to oxygen, temperature, salinity changes and B[a]P exposure. The results obtained confirm general induction of HSP70 in all the stress conditions tested.

SOD activity and expression were evaluated in haemocytes of Chamelea gallina exposed for seven days to three different temperatures. The values recorded for the acitivity of Total SOD, Mn-SOD and CuZn-SOD were significantly lower in specimens kept at 30° C. Even the results of immumological analysis (Western Blotting) revealed a minor expression at the end of the exposure at the same temperature for Mn-SOD, CuZn-SOD and EC-SOD. The high mortality recorded at 30° C is probably related to a lower phagocytosis activity and to a lower production of ROS, a useful defence against foreign elements.

I ROS rivestono un importante ruolo microbicida e allo stesso tempo sono responsabili di molteplici danni a diverse macromolecole biologiche (stress ossidativi). Per contrastare lo stress ossidativo gli organismi aerobi dispongono di sistemi di difesa. In particolare la superossido dismutasi (SOD) è il principale enzima coinvolto nella dismutazione dello ione superossido (O2-•). Dal momento che le variazioni della tensione di ossigeno e della temperatura sono responsabili di potenziali rischi immunologici, con la presente ricerca ci proponiamo di valutare gli effetti della anossia/riossigenazione e della temperatura sull'attività ed espressione della SOD negli emociti del bivalve Chamelea gallina.