title: Effects of heavy metals on insect immunocompetent cells.
abstract: The influence of the following heavy metals, copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb), on haemocytes of the house fly Musca domestica L. was studied under laboratory conditions. House fly larvae were exposed to low or high, semi-lethal concentrations of metals. These particular metals were selected because they are present in polluted environments in Poland. In addition, we studied expression of the stress proteins HSP70 and HSP72 in haemocytes collected from larvae that had been exposed to heavy metal. The obtained results showed changes in haemocytes morphology and phagocytotic plasticity in the experimental flies in comparison to control. The number of prohaemocytes, regarded as stem cells, increased, while granulocytes, responsible for phagocytosis, decreased. However, we have not detected any clear changes in expression of HSP70 or HSP72 in flies treated with low or high concentrations of the heavy metals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cytology and Histology, Institute of Zoology, Jagiellonian University, Ingardena 6, 30-060 Kraków, Poland.
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Borowska
authors.forename: Elżbieta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pyza
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002104:Cadmium / Q000633:toxicity; D048429:Cell Size / Q000187:drug effects; D003300:Copper / Q000633:toxicity; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D006098:Granulocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D006434:Hemocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D006793:Houseflies / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D007854:Lead / Q000633:toxicity; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000633:toxicity*; D010587:Phagocytosis; D015032:Zinc / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D019476:Insect Proteins; D019216:Metals, Heavy; D002104:Cadmium; D007854:Lead; D003300:Copper; D015032:Zinc