Biology 549 - Environmental Physiology Spring 2007

Writing Assignment 2

The second writing assignment deals with the expression and function of heat-shock proteins (also known as stress proteins) in the estuarian fish Gillichthys mirabilis. Below is a list of primary research articles and a review paper. Using the primary articles, write a review of about 1200-1500 words summarizing the work on these proteins in this species. You should include all the primary articles in your review, but the amount of information from each article may vary quite a bit. The review article is may also be used as a reference for background information, but is also intended to provide you with background information on heat-shock proteins (you don't need to read the whole review, just select parts). See the “Writing Assignments” handout for specific information on the format of this assignment.

Due date for this assignment is Monday, April 2.

Primary articles

Buckley, B.A., A.Y. Gracey and G.N. Somero. 2006. The cellular response to heat stress in the goby Gillichthys mirabilis: a cDNA microarray and protein-level analysis. Journal of Experimental Biology 209: 2660-2677. PDF

Buckley, B.A., and G.E. Hofmann. 2002. Thermal acclimation changes DNA-binding activity of heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) in the goby Gillichthys mirabilis: implications for plasticity in the heat-shock response in natural populations. Journal of Experimental Biology 205: 3231-3240. PDF

Buckley, B.A., and G.E. Hofmann. 2004. Magnitude and duration of thermal stress determine kinetics of hsp gene regulation in the goby Gillichthys mirabilis. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology 77: 570-581. PDF

Dietz, T.J. 1994. Acclimation of the threshold induction temperatures for 70-kDa and 90-kDa heat-shock proteins in the fish Gillichthys mirabilis. Journal of Experimental Biology 188: 333-338. PDF

Kultz, D. 1996. Plasticity and stressor specificity of osmotic and heat shock responses of Gillichthys mirabilis gill cells. American Journal of Physiology 271: C1181-C1193. PDF

Lund, S.G., M.R. Ruberte and G.E. Hofmann. 2006. Turning up the heat: The effects of thermal acclimation on the kinetics of hsp70 gene expression in the eurythermal goby, Gillichthys mirabilis. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology a-Molecular & Integrative Physiology 143: 435-446. PDF

Review articles

Feder, M.E., and G.E. Hofmann. 1999. Heat-shock proteins, molecular chaperones, and the stress response: Evolutionary and ecological physiology. Annual Review of Physiology 61: 243-282. PDF