Xenorhabdus nematophilus is a pathogenic bacterium causing insect haemolymph septicemia, which leads to host insect death. To address the fundamental mechanisms underlying this haemolymph septicemia, or the immunodepressive response of the host insects following bacterial infection, we tested a hypothesis that the insect immune-mediating eicosanoid pathway is blocked by inhibitory action of the...

The effects of chronic exposure to dietary salicylate on elimination and renal excretion of salicylate by D. melanogaster larvae were evaluated using salicylate-selective microelectrodes. Larvae chronically exposed to dietary salicylate showed 25% less salicylate in the haemolymph compared to the control group after feeding on a salicylate-enriched diet. By 1 h after transfer to a salicylate-fr...

We have investigated the fate of the large amounts of calcium ingested by Rhodnius prolixus in its meals of blood. 45Ca2+ injected into the haemolymph or fed to fifth-stage Rhodnius reared on rabbits is accumulated at high concentrations in the cells of the upper Malpighian tubules; very little is excreted from the body This 45Ca2+ accumulation goes on continuously for at least 12 days and the ...

The application of magnetic field on Bombyx mori cocoon has been proved to be of biotechnological significance in the sericulture industry. Variation in the static magnetic strength significantly influenced the glucose content in the fat body and haemolymph of Bombyx mori pupae. The experiments were conducted in the year 2007. The cocoons were magnetized for 24, 48, 72 and 96 h separately with ...

The functional morphology, nervous and hormonal control and coordination of the cardiovascular and ventilatory systems in decapodan crustaceans is reviewed. Pacemaker function reflects the reliance of crustaceans on small numbers of large, multipolar neurones. Respiratory gas exchange and transport may be limited by the potential diffusion barrier presented by chitin on the gills and by the rel...

Molecular interplay during snail-schistosome interactions is poorly understood and there is much to discover concerning the effect of snail host molecules on molecular processes in schistosomes. Using the Biomphalaria glabrata - Schistosoma mansoni host-parasite system, the effects of exposure to haemolymph, derived from schistosome-resistant and susceptible snail strains, on protein tyrosine p...

Bivalve haemocytes are essential in defence mechanisms including phagocytosis. They also produce molecules including hydrolytic enzymes and antimicrobial peptides that contribute to pathogen destruction. Although haemocyte activities have been extensively studied, relatively little is known about the intracellular signalling pathways that are evoked during haemocyte activation and especially th...

Proteolytic activity released within an organism by wounded tissues or invading pathogens can strongly impair the physiological homeostasis when it remains non-regulated. Thus, an efficient mechanism that enables recognition and inactivation of non-regulated proteolytic activity is essential to limit toxic effects. In larvae of the Greater wax moth Galleria mellonella we discovered that injecti...

Melanin biosynthesis in insects involves the following three key steps: oxidation of tyrosine to dopa by monophenoloxidase (tyrosinase), conversion of dopa to dopachrome by diphenoloxidase and formation of melanin by polymerization of dopachrome.1] Whenthe larval haemolymphof Bombyxmori is exposed to air, it changes from pale yellow to black. This color change is based on melanin formation, by ...

Horizontally transmitted mosquito-borne viruses enter the midgut with a blood meal then disseminate to infect the salivary glands. En route to the salivary glands, these viruses encounter the plasma (haemolymph) and blood cells (haemocytes). Haemocytes respond to a variety of micro-organisms, but their role in virus replication and dissemination has not been described. To look for a potential h...