Meeting Abstract

P2.146  Saturday, Jan. 5  Developing a transfusion techique in the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta RAMOS, L.S.*; OMONDI, C; FUSE, M; San Francisco State University; San Francisco State University; San Francisco State University vermilionone@hotmail.com

Holometabolous insects, those that go through complete metamorphosis, have highly regenerative tissues known as imaginal discs which will develop at the appropriate stage into adult structures. It has been found in both holometabolous insects, the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster and the tobacco hornworm Manduca sexta, that developmental is delayed when these tissues are damaged via x-ray irradiation. Thus it has been proposed that a signal from the imaginal discs is transmitted to peripheral endocrine tissues, to delay pupation and even adult eclosion. Putative factors have been proposed from genetic analyses in D. Melanogaster, but size limitations have made identification in the hemolymph (blood) slow. As a solution to this problem, we suggest the use of M. sexta for hemolymph analyses, given its very large size as a larva. We have developed an experimental transfusion protocol, and also assessed direct injection of substances into the hemolymph. We have verified that (i) we can elicit developmental delays via the transfusion of hemolymph from irradiated larve, but that (ii) tissue damage from the injection itself, and (iii) from transfused hemolymph, only affect development minimally. This protocol will be highly useful in quickly and efficiently evaluating hemolymph components that delay development, as well as testing isolated factors that may contribution to developmental delays.