Differential manifestation of RONS and antioxidant enzymes in response to singular versus combinatorial stress in Chironomus ramosus.

In nature, organisms face multiple abiotic stress concurrently. Our previous study has indicated how threshold level of lethality depends on the type and combination of stressors. Many mechanisms exist by which organisms respond to stressors and maintain homeostasis. We examined the homeostatic pliability in an extremophilic oriental midge Chironomus ramosus larvae under various combinatorial stress conditions of desiccation (DS), heat (HS) and starvation (SS). Exposure to these stressors led to activation of a common response pathway of oxidative stress. Abundance of antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione reductase and glutathione peroxidase along with selective as well as stressor specific increase in total antioxidant capacity were reflected from the corresponding level of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) in larvae exposed to various combinatorial stress. Additionally, we found stressor specific increment in lipid peroxidation level, protein carbonyl content and advanced oxidative protein products during the stress regime. Further investigation revealed a sharp decline in the activity of mitochondrial aconitase enzyme activity in response to abiotic stress induced oxidative stress. The combinatorial stressor specific comparative study based on biochemical and fluorescence based redox-endpoint assays confirmed that the generation of oxidative stress is the consequential convergent pathway of DS, HS and SS, but the quantum of RONS decides the redox potential of homeostatic response and survival rate.