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CHANGES IN NUCLEIC ACID CONCENTRATION WITH STARVATION IN THE BLUE CRAB CALLINECTES SAPIDUS RATHBUN

CHANGES IN NUCLEIC ACID CONCENTRATION WITH STARVATION IN THE BLUE CRAB CALLINECTES SAPIDUS RATHBUN and Nutritional condition and growth are often difficult to determine in crustaceans. Length-weight relationships or morphometric measurements are not suitable be- cause growth takes place by molting and increase in size occurs in discrete incre- ments. Other methods, such as size increase per molt or molting frequency, have the disadvantage of not being an instantaneous measurement and worse yet, the organism may not molt at all under unsuitable conditions. However, since growth has a biochemical basis, it may be feasible to monitor nutritional state and growth at the macromolecular level. Because ribonucleic acid (RNA) is produced during gene transcription and participates in protein biosynthesis, changes in cellular RNA content reflect changes in cellular activity (Brachet, 1960). The deoxyri- bonucleic acid (DNA) content per cell is usually constant (Leslie, 1955) and may be used as an indicator of cell number (Bulow, 1970). The quantity and ratio of RNA to DNA can then provide information about the physiological state of an organism. Organisms in good nutritional condition which are growing are expected to have high concentrations of RNA and high ratios of RNA to DNA relative to those organisms suffering from nutritional stress. Changes in nucleic acid concentration and RNA:DNA http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Crustacean Biology Brill

CHANGES IN NUCLEIC ACID CONCENTRATION WITH STARVATION IN THE BLUE CRAB CALLINECTES SAPIDUS RATHBUN

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Publisher
Brill
Copyright
Copyright 1986 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
0278-0372
eISSN
1937-240X
DOI
10.1163/193724086X00721
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

and Nutritional condition and growth are often difficult to determine in crustaceans. Length-weight relationships or morphometric measurements are not suitable be- cause growth takes place by molting and increase in size occurs in discrete incre- ments. Other methods, such as size increase per molt or molting frequency, have the disadvantage of not being an instantaneous measurement and worse yet, the organism may not molt at all under unsuitable conditions. However, since growth has a biochemical basis, it may be feasible to monitor nutritional state and growth at the macromolecular level. Because ribonucleic acid (RNA) is produced during gene transcription and participates in protein biosynthesis, changes in cellular RNA content reflect changes in cellular activity (Brachet, 1960). The deoxyri- bonucleic acid (DNA) content per cell is usually constant (Leslie, 1955) and may be used as an indicator of cell number (Bulow, 1970). The quantity and ratio of RNA to DNA can then provide information about the physiological state of an organism. Organisms in good nutritional condition which are growing are expected to have high concentrations of RNA and high ratios of RNA to DNA relative to those organisms suffering from nutritional stress. Changes in nucleic acid concentration and RNA:DNA

Journal

Journal of Crustacean Biology – Brill

Published: Jan 1, 1986

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