Assessment of HSP70 and catalase in Brachidontes rodriguezii (d’Orbigny, 1842) a mussel from the Argentinean coast

Abstract

Introduction: Intertidal ecosystems are complex environments of great importance for the ecological balance of coastal zones and are vulnerable areas to effects caused by natural stressors of global relevance such as temperature. Mussels, are often exposed to drastic variations of temperature and can show intracellular mechanisms of compensation that allow them to counteract exposure in the short and medium term at high temperatures. Heat shock proteins are chaperones that allow thermal stability of proteins against abrupt changes in temperature and catalase is an antioxidant enzyme thataid cells to fight against oxidative stress caused by diverse environmental stressors [1,2].