DIFFERENCES IN LIPID-COMPOSITION OF CELL-MEMBRANES FROM ANTARCTIC ANDMEDITERRANEAN SCALLOPS

The molecular mechanisms evolved in adaptation of cellular membranes t o low temperatures have been studied. The lipid composition of membran es from digestive gland cells of two Pectinidae living at different te mperatures such as Adamussium colbecki (Smith, 1902), an Antarctic mol lusc, and Pecten jacobaeus L., from the Mediterranean Sea, has been co mpared. Our results demonstrate that cold adaptation of the membranes from Pectinidae digestive gland cells mainly implies the regulation of the ratio of short/long and straight/branched fatty acid chains and o f the cholesterol content of membranes