Look at this cute water bear ЁЯШК.
It finally feels like spring in Montreal, after months of waiting, I declare the pond sampling season OPENED ЁЯН╛
Tardigrades are microscopic animals, aquatic invertebrates to be more precise, with 8 legs bearing pointy claws, a round little mouth that makes them look like piglets, a set of eyes and a small brain! TheyтАЩre especially famous for their ability to survive extreme environments by undergoing a process called cryptobiosis. They usually measure between 0.1 to 1.2 mm so youтАЩll need a microscope to observe them. They can be found mostly in lichens, mosses and marine or frshwater water sediments. Depending on the species, they feed on various organisms; some are strictly vegans and feed on algae or plant matter while some are omnivore and feed on mites, nematodes, algae and even other tardigrades. They all need a fine film of water surrounding their body to be active so to be able to grow, feed and reproduce. When water is absent, they enter cryptobiosis and sleep until water comes back!
Some water bears like Ramazzotius, one of the most stress-tolerant tardigrade genus, can withstand high levels of radiations that would normally induce severe DNA lesions and death. Researchers found a unique tardigrade protein encoded in their genomes, named Dsup for damage suppressor, which repairs a large proportion of DNA brakes induced by X-rays. This protein even improves viability of irradiated human cultured cells! In other words, this system repairs damaged DNA!
Another unique tardigrade protein has also been discovered in 2022. ItтАЩs called the CAHS protein (for cytoplasmic-abundant heat-soluble) and it would protect water bear from dehydration. Scientists discovered this protein after boiling tardigrades (poor lil dudes) and it was shown that it protects enzymes from dehydration stress and is involved in the desiccation tolerance in tardigrades. This protein makes the cells of water bear becoming stiff, protects them from deformation and reversibly form a filamentous network and gel that protects cells during dehydration and rehydration!
