title: Structural and functional characterization of pseudopodocyte, a shaggy immune cell produced by two Drosophila species of the obscura group.
abstract: We recently reported that most of the Drosophila species of the obscura group were unable to mount cellular capsules and no lamellocyte was ever found in the hemolymph of any of the tested species. Only three species were able to encapsulate, despite lacking lamellocytes. Their encapsulation ability was always associated with the presence of an unpreviously described kind of capsule-forming immunocytes designated as "atypical hemocytes". Here, we describe the ultrastructural and functional characteristics of this type of hemocyte. We show that these cells share many ultrastructural and morphological features with Drosophila melanogaster plasmatocytes, although they are involved in the formation of the external layers of the cellular capsule, a functional property exhibited by lamellocytes in D. melanogaster. Due to the high number of pseudopodes in these cells, we suggest to name them "pseudopodocytes". After structural and functional characterization of these atypical hemocytes, their ambiguous status between plasmatocytes and lamellocytes is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Biologie des Entomophages, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France. havard@cict.fr
authors.forename: Sébastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Havard
authors.forename: Géraldine
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Doury
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ravallec
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brehélin
authors.forename: Geneviève
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Prévost
authors.forename: Patrice
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Eslin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004330:Drosophila / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology; D006434:Hemocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006927:Hymenoptera / Q000276:immunology; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000276:immunology*; D007814:Larva / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008858:Microscopy, Phase-Contrast