Abstract 1973 Reactive-oxygen-species and Cysteine-oxidation Dependence of Tardigrade Cryptobiosis

Tardigrades are semi-microscopic invertebrate animals that are of particular interest because of their ability to endure extreme environmental stress. They are extremotolerant, meaning that they can survive harsh conditions for a period of time. Tardigrades are thought to survive these harsh conditions by entering into a quasi-stasis state, known as cryptobiosis. There are many different documented types of cryptobiosis that a tardigrade may enter depending on what type of stress they have been exposed to – cryobiosis when exposed to lower temperatures, osmobiosis when exposed to aqueous osmolytes, anoxybiosis when deprived of oxygen, and chemobiosis when exposed to non-osmotic chemical stressors such as hydrogen peroxide.