title: Programmed cell death at the periphery of the pupal wing of the butterfly, Pieris rapae.
abstract: The outline of the adult wing of lepidopteran insects (butterflies and moths) emerges as a result of disappearance of a group of cells at the periphery of the pupal wing. Histological observation of the pupal wing of Pieris rapae showed that, just after apolysis of the wing epithelium from the pupal cuticle, there occurs a rapid and localized decrease of the number of cells at the periphery of the wing. This decrease occurs through cell death, which lasts 1-1.5 days at 20°C. Dying cells lose contact with the neighbouring cells and show condensation of chromatin and cytoplasm. They then appear to be phagocytosed by neighbouring epithelial cells or discharged through the basal surface of the epithelium into the lumen within the wing and taken up by phagocytes. Fragmentation of DNA in the nuclei was detected in the dead cells or their debris. These results indicate that programmed cell death in the lepidopteran wing proceeds through a mechanism closely similar to that of apoptosis in the vertebrate.
authors.affiliation: Division of Morphogenesis, Department of Developmental Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, 444, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Japan.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kodama
authors.affiliation: Biohistory Research Hall, 1-1 Murasaki-cho, 569, Takatsuki, Japan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yohida
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Insect Toxicology and Physiology, Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN), 351-01, Wako, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mitsui
keywords: Apoptosis; Butterfly wing; Lepidopteran insect; Programmed cell death; Wing morphogenesis