Abstract / Description of output
Malpighian tubules (MpTs) are the major organ for excretion and osmoregulation in most insects. MpT development is characterised for Drosophila melanogaster, but not other species. We therefore do not know the extent to which the MpT developmental programme is conserved across insects. To redress this we provide a comprehensive description of MpT development in the beetle Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera), a species separated from Drosophila by >315 million years. We identify similarities with Drosophila MpT development including: 1) the onset of morphological development, beginning when tubules bud from the gut and proliferate to increase organ size. 2) the tubule is shaped by convergent-extension movements and oriented cell divisions. 3) differentiated tip cells activate EGF-signalling in distal MpT cells through the ligand Spitz. 4) MpTs contain two main cell types - principal and stellate cells, differing in morphology and gene expression. We also describe development of the beetle cryptonephridial system, an adaptation for water conservation, which represents a major modification of the MpT ground plan characterised by intimate association between MpTs and rectum. This work establishes a new model to compare MpT development across insects, and provides a framework to help understand how an evolutionary novelty - the cryptonephridial system - arose during organ evolution.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 605-613 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Arthropod Structure & Development |
Volume | 43 |
Issue number | 6 |
Early online date | 19 Sept 2014 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Nov 2014 |
Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)
- Animals
- Cell Division
- Cell Proliferation
- Malpighian Tubules
- Tribolium
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Barry Denholm
- Deanery of Biomedical Sciences - Senior Lecturer
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences
- Edinburgh Neuroscience
Person: Academic: Research Active