title: Hemocyte differentiation in the hematopoietic organs of the silkworm, Bombyx mori: prohemocytes have the function of phagocytosis.
abstract: Hemocytes isolated from the larval hematopoietic organs of the silkworm were classified following staining with acridine orange and propidium iodide. Among the hemocytes isolated from the hematopoietic organs of whole fifth larval and wandering stages, most were prohemocytes (60%-70%) and oenocytoids (30%-40%). Granulocytes comprised only about 0.5%-1% at the wandering stage and were even rarer at other stages; no spherulocytes or plasmatocytes were found. Therefore, hemocyte differentiation inside larval hematopoietic organs is not as extensive as previously thought. Following 10-30 min in vitro culture of hemocytes isolated from larval hematopoietic organs, many young granulocytes and plasmatocytes appeared. Furthermore, during phagocytosis assays, prohemocytes were seen to adopt the morphology of plasmatocytes, containing fragments of phagocytosed cells. Our results underline the similarities between Drosophila and Bombyx hematopoiesis.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Silkworm Physiology, Department of Applied Biology, Faculty of Textile Science and Technology, Shinshu University, Ueda, Nagano, 386-8567, Japan. l_erjun@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Erjun
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ling
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shirai
authors.forename: Rensuke
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kanekatsu
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kiguchi
mesh_terms: D000165:Acridine Orange; D000818:Animals; D012831:Bombyx / Q000502:physiology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D006410:Hematopoiesis / Q000502:physiology; D006434:Hemocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D007814:Larva / Q000166:cytology; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000502:physiology; D011419:Propidium
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D011419:Propidium; D000165:Acridine Orange