1
|
Dourado LA, Oliveira LL, Raimundo APP, Cossolin JFS, Oliveira JFD, Serrão JE. Hemocyte morphology of worker subcastes of the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens rubropilosa (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). ARTHROPOD STRUCTURE & DEVELOPMENT 2023; 76:101301. [PMID: 37660416 DOI: 10.1016/j.asd.2023.101301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Hemocytes are cells present in the hemolymph of insects that play a role in combating invasive pathogens, ensuring defense by the immune system in these organisms. While the types of hemocytes are well known in some insect representatives, data on these cells in Hymenoptera are limited to certain bees and wasps, with little information available for ants. Among ants, the genus Atta has environmental and economic importance, forming highly organized colonies consisting of the queen and workers, with the latter subdivided into subcastes: gardeners, waste removers, foragers, and soldiers, which are exposed to different pathogens. This study describes the morphology of hemocytes in the worker subcastes of Atta sexdens rubropilosa. Hemolymph samples from the ant were submitted to light, confocal, and scanning electron microscopy analyses. Five types of hemocytes were identified in the hemolymph of all ant subcastes, including prohemocytes, oenocytoids, spherulocytes, plasmatocytes, and granulocytes. They exhibited nuclei with a predominance of decondensed chromatin. The granulocytes were the most abundant cell type in the subcastes, followed by prohemocytes, plasmatocytes, oenocytoids, and spherulocytes. Phagocytosis assays reveal that plasmatocytes and granulocytes are the main phagocytic cells in all castes evaluated. This study fills an important gap in understanding the immune response in this ant species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lidia Aparecida Dourado
- Department of General Biology, Instituto de Bitecnologia Aplicada à Agropecuária, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa, Brazil
| | - Leandro Licursi Oliveira
- Department of General Biology, Instituto de Bitecnologia Aplicada à Agropecuária, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa, Brazil
| | - Ana Paula Pereira Raimundo
- Department of General Biology, Instituto de Bitecnologia Aplicada à Agropecuária, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa, Brazil
| | - Jamile Fernanda Silva Cossolin
- Department of General Biology, Instituto de Bitecnologia Aplicada à Agropecuária, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa, Brazil
| | | | - José Eduardo Serrão
- Department of General Biology, Instituto de Bitecnologia Aplicada à Agropecuária, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa, Brazil.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Grüter C, Balbuena MS, Valadares L. Mechanisms and adaptations that shape division of labour in stingless bees. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2023; 58:101057. [PMID: 37230412 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2023.101057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Revised: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Stingless bees are a diverse and ecologically important group of pollinators in the tropics. Division of labour allows bee colonies to meet the various demands of their social life, but has been studied in only ∼3% of all described stingless bee species. The available data suggest that division of labour shows both parallels and striking differences compared with other social bees. Worker age is a reliable predictor of worker behaviour in many species, while morphological variation in body size or differences in brain structure are important for specific worker tasks in some species. Stingless bees provide opportunities to confirm general patterns of division of labour, but they also offer prospects to discover and study novel mechanisms underlying the different lifestyles found in eusocial bees.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Grüter
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, BS8 1TQ, UK.
| | - María Sol Balbuena
- Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, CABA, Argentina; Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE), CONICET, Universidad de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Universidad de Buenos Aires, CABA, Argentina
| | - Lohan Valadares
- Evolution, Genomes, Behavior, and Ecology (EGCE), Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, IRD, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Araújo RDS, Lopes MP, Viana TA, Bastos DSS, Machado-Neves M, Botina LL, Martins GF. Bioinsecticide spinosad poses multiple harmful effects on foragers of Apis mellifera. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:66923-66935. [PMID: 37099096 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-27143-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
There are multifactorial causes for the recent decline in bee populations, which has resulted in compromised pollination and reduced biodiversity. Bees are considered one of the most important non-target insects affected by insecticides used in crop production. In the present study, we investigated the effects of acute oral exposure to spinosad on the survival, food consumption, flight behavior, respiration rate, activity of detoxification enzymes, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), brain morphology, and hemocyte count of Apis mellifera foragers. We tested six different concentrations of spinosad for the first two analyses, followed by LC50 (7.7 mg L-1) for other assays. Spinosad ingestion decreased survival and food consumption. Exposure to spinosad LC50 reduced flight capacity, respiration rate, and superoxide dismutase activity. Furthermore, this concentration increased glutathione S-transferase activity and the TAC of the brain. Notably, exposure to LC50 damaged mushroom bodies, reduced the total hemocyte count and granulocyte number, and increased the number of prohemocytes. These findings imply that the neurotoxin spinosad affects various crucial functions and tissues important for bee performance and that the toxic effects are complex and detrimental to individual homeostasis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Renan Dos Santos Araújo
- Departamento de Entomologia, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, 36570-000, Brazil.
| | - Marcos Pereira Lopes
- Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, 36570-000, Brazil
| | - Thaís Andrade Viana
- Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, 36570-000, Brazil
| | - Daniel Silva Sena Bastos
- Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, 36570-000, Brazil
| | - Mariana Machado-Neves
- Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, 36570-000, Brazil
| | - Lorena Lisbetd Botina
- Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, 36570-000, Brazil
| | - Gustavo Ferreira Martins
- Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, 36570-000, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Moyen NE, Bump PA, Somero GN, Denny MW. Establishing typical values for hemocyte mortality in individual California mussels, Mytilus californianus. FISH & SHELLFISH IMMUNOLOGY 2020; 100:70-79. [PMID: 32135339 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsi.2020.02.069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2019] [Revised: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 02/29/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Hemocytes are immune cells in the hemolymph of invertebrates that play multiple roles in response to stressors; hemocyte mortality can thus serve as an indicator of overall animal health. However, previous research has often analyzed hemolymph samples pooled from several individuals, which precludes tracking individual responses to stressors over time. The ability to track individuals is important, however, because large inter-individual variation in response to stressors can confound the interpretation of pooled samples. Here, we describe protocols for analysis of inter- and intra-individual variability in hemocyte mortality across repeated hemolymph samples of California mussels, Mytilus californianus, free from typical abiotic stressors. To assess individual variability in hemocyte mortality with serial sampling, we created four groups of 15 mussels each that were repeatedly sampled four times: at baseline (time zero) and three subsequent times separated by either 24, 48, 72, or 168 h. Hemocyte mortality was assessed by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) of cells stained with propidium iodide. Our study demonstrates that hemolymph can be repeatedly sampled from individual mussels without mortality; however, there is substantial inter- and intra-individual variability in hemocyte mortality through time that is partially dependent on the sampling interval. Across repeated samples, individual mussels' hemocyte mortality had, on average, a range of ~6% and a standard deviation of ~3%, which was minimized with sampling periods ≥72 h apart. Due to this intra-individual variability, obtaining ≥2 samples from a specimen will more accurately establish an individual's baseline. Pooled-sample means were similar to individual-sample means; however, pooled samples masked the individual variation in each group. Overall, these data lay the foundation for future work exploring individual mussels' temporal responses to various stressors on a cellular level.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicole E Moyen
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, United States.
| | - Paul A Bump
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, United States
| | - George N Somero
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, United States
| | - Mark W Denny
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, United States
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Baeuerle G, Feldhaar H, Otti O. Comparing a Potential External Immune Defense Trait to Internal Immunity in Females of Wild Bumblebees. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
|
6
|
Ravaiano SV, Barbosa WF, Tomé HVV, Campos LADO, Martins GF. Acute and oral exposure to imidacloprid does not affect the number of circulating hemocytes in the stingless bee Melipona quadrifasciata post immune challenge. PESTICIDE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY 2018; 152:24-28. [PMID: 30497707 DOI: 10.1016/j.pestbp.2018.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2018] [Revised: 07/25/2018] [Accepted: 08/08/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
In the present work, the effects of the neonicotinoid imidacloprid formulation on the total hemocyte counts (THC) and differential hemocyte counts (DHC) were investigated in foraging workers of the stingless bee Melipona quadrifasciata under (or not) the challenge with the bacteria Escherichia coli. The THC was not altered with the insecticide exposure and/or bacterial infection. However, the DHC of the bees changed with the imidacloprid exposure and/or bacterial infection. The number of prohemocytes (stem cells) increased in bees exposed to imidacloprid, but it did not change after the bacterial infection. The number of plasmatocytes (phagocytic cells) increased in imidacloprid-exposed and uninfected bees and decreased in infected bees regardless of the exposure to imidacloprid. On the other hand, there was a reduction of granulocytes, the most active immune cells, after imidacloprid exposure and an increase of granulocytes after the infection. Previous studies have shown that the neonicotinoids exposure can impair the immune system of bees. Our findings showed that the relative number of granulocytes declined with imidacloprid exposure, but the overall capacity of hemocyte responses in terms of total numbers after bacterial infection persisted even after the insecticide exposure.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Samira Veiga Ravaiano
- Departamento de Entomologia, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, 36570-900 Viçosa, MG, Brazil
| | - Wagner Faria Barbosa
- Departamento de Entomologia, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, 36570-900 Viçosa, MG, Brazil
| | - Hudson Vaner Ventura Tomé
- Departamento de Entomologia, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, 36570-900 Viçosa, MG, Brazil; EAG Laboratories, 13709 Progress Boulevard no. 24, Suite S163, Alachua, FL 32615, USA
| | | | | |
Collapse
|