ABSTRACT
Artemia molecular genetics can fill a gap in evolutionary and comparative biology. This chapter summarizes what is known about Artemia nuclear and mitochondrial Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequences and the key processes of replication and transcription. The advantages of Artemia are commercial availability, low cost of the cysts, possibility to synchronize larvae in the laboratory, and a relatively extensive knowledge of the organism's biochemistry. Artemia harbors one of the smallest Mitochondrial (mt)DNAs studied with the exception of the nematode Ascaris suum which has 14,284 bp. DNA replication, modification, and repair processes involve a wide and complex group of reactions and events at the molecular, subcellular, and cellular level. DNA polymerase, the mtDNA replicating enzyme, is mainly associated with particulated organelles shortly after resumption of development. A peculiar property of the dormant and early embryo Artemia is its very high radioresistance.
