The activities of enzymes associated with the intermediary and energy metabolism in hypogean and epigean crustaceans.

Abstract

The activities of 18 enzymes involved in the intermediary and energy metabolism were measured in certain widely-spread peracarid crustaceans: 3 hypogean (Niphargus virei, Niphargus rhenorhodanensis and Stenasellus virei) and 2 epigean (Gammarus fossarum and Asellus aquaticus) ones. The activities of numerous enzymes were correlated with the known metabolic rates of the 5 species. Such rates are reduced in hypogean organisms: levels of enzymatic activity in subterranean species were 1.2 to 8.6 times lower than in epigean species for the main key regulatory enzymes involved in the Krebs cycle and glycolysis (phosphofructokinase, pyruvate kinase, hexokinase and citrate synthetase). The relative activities of phosphofructokinase, glycogen phosphorylase and hexokinase clearly indicated that glycogen was the main fuel oxidized in both epigean and hypogean organisms. A higher glycogen phosphorylase/hexokinase ratio in hypogean than in epigean crustaceans showed that subterranean species had a greater ability to function anaerobically. The presence of high activities of glutamate-pyruvate transaminase and lactate dehydrogenase in all species (and of malate dehydrogenase and fumarase in hypogean species) was indicative of a coupled fermentation of glycogen and glutamate during anaerobiosis, with lactate and alanine as end-products (as well as succinate in hypogean species). A low fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase/phosphofructokinase ratio, associated with a low level of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase activity, indicated that the glycolytic pathway was active and that gluconeogenic ability was limited in epigean crustaceans. In contrast, in hypogean species, association of a higher ratio and a high level of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase activity suggested a low glycolytic activity and a high gluconeogenic ability.