Differences in lipid composition of cell membranes from Antarctic and Mediterranean scallops

Abstract

The molecular mechanisms evolved in adaptation of cellular membranes to low temperatures have been studied.

The lipid composition of membranes from digestive gland cells of two Pectinidae living at different temperatures such as Adamussium colbecki (Smith, 1902), an Antarctic mollusc, and Pecten jacobaeus L., from the Mediterranean Sea, has been compared.

Our results demonstrate that cold adaptation of the membranes from Pectinidae digestive gland cells mainly implies the regulation of the ratio of short/long and straight/branched fatty acid chains and of the cholesterol content of membranes