title: Ultrastructural and functional characterization of circulating hemocytes from Plutella xylostella larva: cell types and their role in phagocytosis.
abstract: The hemocytes of different types encountered in the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella larvae of each instar and the development of the differential hemocytes counts were herein presented. Hemocytes classes/populations characterized based on their affinity with fluorescent dye (acridine orange) and ultrastructural differences comprised the prohemcoytes (<10-16%), plasmatocytes (22-65%), granulocytes (25-72%), oenocytoids (<1-9%), and spherulocytes (<1%). Prohemcoytes were the smallest cells with a comparatively tremendous nucleus. Plasmatocytes and granulocytes occupied the main proportion of total cell numbers. Oenocytoids were in a most stable presence, i.e. rotund in a diameter of 10 μm and with a nucleus deviated from the central location; however, sometimes with two nuclei which were adjoining with each other. Spherulocytes were rare and only could be observed occasionally. Ultrastructural investigation revealed that hemocytes in the diamondback moth larvae were of the typical model as in the Lepidoptera insect larvae. It is interesting to find that the cell which could phagocytize bacteria in vitro was granulocyte, not the other types of hemocytes, although plasmatocyte was usually declared to participate in this reaction in various previous studies.
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology of Crop Insects and Pathogens, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, 268 Kaixuan Road, Hangzhou 310029, China.
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Yan-yan
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Jun-ying
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Zong-qi
authors.initials: ZQ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Fu-shou
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Xue-xin
authors.initials: XX
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002452:Cell Count; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000276:immunology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004926:Escherichia coli; D006098:Granulocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006434:Hemocytes / Q000145:classification* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007814:Larva / Q000276:immunology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009036:Moths / Q000276:immunology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000276:immunology*