Abstract
ABSTRACTOxya chinensis is one of the most widespread grasshopper species found in China and one of the most common pests against rice. In view of the importance of haemocytes in insect immunity in general, and the lack of information on the haemocytes of O. chinensis, we examined the haemocytes of this species in detail. We challenged the cellular response of this grasshopper with the bacteria Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus subtilis. Haemocyte morphology was observed using light, scanning electron and transmission electron microscopy, which revealed distinct morphological varieties of haemocytes. Granulocytes and plasmatocytes responded to the bacterial challenge by phagocytosis. Histochemical staining indicated the presence of acid phosphatase in plasmatocytes and granulocytes. We also observed non-phagocytic prohemocytes and vermicytes, but their functions in the circulation are unclear. Insect haemocytes play a crucial role in cellular immunity, and further research is needed for a comprehensive understanding.
Highlights
Insect haemocytes have drawn scientists’ attention since they were first discovered by Swammerdam (1637–1680) (Jones, 1962), and interest in them has grown with knowledge of their crucial role in the insect immunity
Haemocyte morphology The haemocytes from O. chinensis varied regarding their shape, size and cytoplasmic contents
Phagocytes, or granulocytes and plasmatocytes, account for the majority of haemocytes observed in this study
Summary
Insect haemocytes have drawn scientists’ attention since they were first discovered by Swammerdam (1637–1680) (Jones, 1962), and interest in them has grown with knowledge of their crucial role in the insect immunity. Insects respond to pathogenic challenges through an interplay of two mechanisms, humoral and cellular defences (Charles and Killian, 2015; Urbański et al, 2018). Haemocytes mediate cellular defence by carrying out roles such as phagocytosis, nodulation and encapsulation, and facilitate humoral defence by synthesising and releasing enzymes and other immune factors (Charles and Killian, 2015; Hillyer, 2016; Urbański et al, 2018). Direct comparison of the insect immune response is difficult due to the variety of challenges used, life stages examined and methodologies practised (Charles and Killian, 2015). The nomenclature of the haemocytes is not normalised across Insecta (Hillyer, 2016), College of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030006, China
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