Change in lipid composition in eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica Gmelin) exposed to constant or fluctuating temperature regimes.

A temperature decrease usually induces an ordering effect in membrane phospholipids that can lead to membrane dysfunction. Ectotherms typically counteract this temperature effect by remodeling membrane lipids as stipulated in the homeoviscous adaptation theory (HVA). Previous studies mostly focused on the remodeling of membrane lipids during long-term acclimatization or acclimation at constant temperature regimes, whereas in nature, many organisms experience variations in temperature on a daily basis and must react to this changing thermal environment. The objective of this study was to examine the composition of membrane lipids in oysters subjected to long-term acclimation at constant temperatures (12 or 25 degrees C) or to environmentally realistic daily fluctuations in temperature between 12 and 25 degrees C for 7 d. The lipid composition of gill in oysters subjected to long-term acclimation at a constant temperature or to daily temperature fluctuations varied in a way consistent with HVA: oysters adjusted their phospholipid to sterol ratio in response to long-term acclimation to a constant temperature but not to daily temperature fluctuations. In contrast, the unsaturation index of polar lipids in oysters varied in response to both long-term acclimation to a constant temperature and to daily temperature fluctuations, mainly due to changes in 22:6n-3 and 20:5n-3. The 20:4n-6 levels in oyster gills increased as temperature rose, suggesting an increasing availability of this fatty acid for eicosanoid biosynthesis during stress responses.