Natural body temperature and kinetics of heat-shock protein synthesis in the toad-headed agamid lizard Phrynocephalus interscapularis

Abstract

We demonstrated that in the desert lizard Phrynocephalus interscapularis constitutive synthesis of both members of the hsp70 family of heat shock proteins takes place in summer. Elevation of environmental and body temperatures during the day was accompanied by a pronounced (2.0-2.5 times) increase in hsp70 synthesis. Synthesis of hsps continues during the day and drops to a basal level at night. Northern hybridization analysis demonstrated a higher content of hsp-coding RNA in the cells of P. interscapularis under normal physiological conditions in comparison with the lizard Lacerta vivipara, which inhabits regions with moderate climates.