Interrelationships between water and cellular metabolism in Artemia cysts. VII. Free amino acids.

The concentration of total ninhydrin-positive material (NPM) soluble in 5% trichloroacetic acid was measured in cysts of the brine shrimp. Artemia salina, as a function of hydration level. No net change in NPM was observed until the cysts had achieved a water content of about 0.65 g H2O/g of initially dry cysts. Above this hydration threshold the NPM content increased markedly. Examination of the free amino acid composition of cysts incubated at selected hydration levels revealed that almost all of the amino acids underwent net change above the hydration threshold. However, just below this threshold, the free amino acid composition was essentially the same as in fully dried cysts. The activity generating net changes in the concentration of free amino acids above the hydration threshold was shown to be metabolic in nature and restricted to the cellular component of the cyst.