title: Functional differentiation of spider hemocytes by light and transmission electron microscopy, and MALDI-MS-imaging.
abstract: The most abundant cell types in the hemolymph of Cupiennius salei are plasmatocytes (70-80%) and granulocytes (20-30%). Both cells differ in shape, cytochemical and transmission electron microscopy staining of their cytoplasma and granules. According to MALDI-IMS (matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation-mass spectrometry imaging), granulocytes exhibit ctenidin 1 (9510 Da) and ctenidin 3 (9568 Da), SIBD-1 (8675 Da), and unknown peptides with masses of 2207 and 6239 Da. Plasmatocytes exhibit mainly a mass of 6908 Da. Unknown peptides with masses of 1546 and 1960 Da were detected in plasmatocytes and granulocytes. Transmission electron microscopy confirms the presence of two compounds in one granule and cytochemical staining (light microscopy) tends to support this view. Two further hemocyte types (cyanocytes containing hemocyanin and prehemocytes as stem cells) are only rarely detected in the hemolymph. These four hemocyte types constitute the cellular part of the spider immune system and this is discussed in view of arachnid hemocyte evolution.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland. Electronic address: lucia.kuhn@iee.unibe.ch.
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kuhn-Nentwig
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Lukas S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Kopp
authors.affiliation: Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Nentwig
authors.affiliation: Institute of Anatomy, University of Bern, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Beat
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Haenni
authors.affiliation: Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Kathrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Streitberger
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schürch
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Johann
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schaller
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000378:metabolism; D060829:Arthropod Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D005075:Biological Evolution; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D006098:Granulocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006434:Hemocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D018970:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 1 / Q000378:metabolism; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission / Q000379:methods*; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D010950:Plasma Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization / Q000379:methods*; D013112:Spiders / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D060829:Arthropod Proteins; D001798:Blood Proteins; D018970:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 1
keywords: Ctenidins; Cupiennius salei; Defensin; Innate immune system; MALDI-IMS; SIBD-1