title: Functional consequences of blood clotting in insects.
abstract: Recent in vitro studies have revealed several important aspects of the biochemical and cellular processes involved in insect blood clotting. However, in vivo empirical studies of the functional consequences of clotting are lacking, despite the role of coagulation in wound-healing, preventing infection, and its homology with vertebrate wound repair. Here we present results of the in vivo effects of haemolymph coagulation and its consequences on the spatial disposition of immune activity, in the American cockroach Periplaneta americana. Our results demonstrate that clotting: (1) localises immune effectors in the vicinity of a breach of the cuticle; (2) restricts the spread of invasive particles across the haemocoel, and (3) is greater when wounding is associated with non-self. Our results demonstrate that haemolymph coagulation has major functional consequences, the most important of which is the compartmentalisation of the open haemocoel.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK. e.haine@sheffield.ac.uk
authors.forename: Eleanor R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Haine
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rolff
authors.forename: Michael T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Siva-Jothy
mesh_terms: D000548:Amaranth Dye / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001777:Blood Coagulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D004156:Catechol Oxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D004792:Enzyme Precursors / Q000378:metabolism; D006434:Hemocytes / Q000276:immunology; D006458:Hemolymph / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D007552:Isotonic Solutions / Q000494:pharmacology; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D014442:Monophenol Monooxygenase / Q000378:metabolism; D009113:Muramidase / Q000378:metabolism; D010526:Periplaneta / Q000502:physiology*; D000077331:Ringer's Solution
chemical_list: D004792:Enzyme Precursors; D007552:Isotonic Solutions; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D000077331:Ringer's Solution; D000548:Amaranth Dye; C038451:pro-phenoloxidase; D004156:Catechol Oxidase; D014442:Monophenol Monooxygenase; D009113:Muramidase