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Morphogenesis of the photoreceptive site and development of the electrical responses in the butterfly genital photoreceptors during the pupal period
Author(s) -
Miyako Yumiko,
Arikawa Kentaro,
Eguchi Eisuke
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
journal of comparative neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.855
H-Index - 209
eISSN - 1096-9861
pISSN - 0021-9967
DOI - 10.1002/cne.903630210
Subject(s) - biology , morphogenesis , elongation , metamorphosis , anatomy , membrane , stimulation , biophysics , butterfly , microbiology and biotechnology , period (music) , larva , neuroscience , botany , ecology , biochemistry , materials science , ultimate tensile strength , gene , metallurgy , physics , acoustics
This paper describes the process of morphogenesis of the photoreceptive site of the butterfly genital photoreceptors. Associated development of the electrical responses is also described. The photoreceptor is a sensory neuron whose cell body is located in the genitalia and has a photoreceptive site of the phaosome‐type. This consists of the distal processes and the tubular membranes, which protrude from the tip of distal processes. Phaosome morphogenesis was studied using electron microscopy. The results indicate that morphogenesis occurs in the latter half of the pupal period and that the process is divided into five phases. First, the tubular membranes appear as small membrane protrusions (phase I). The short tubular membranes emerge from several portions of the cell body forming several membrane clusters (phase II). The clusters then collect to form a small phaosome. Short distal processes become evident (phase III). The phaosome volume increases, mainly due to the extensive elongation and bifurcation of both tubular membranes and distal processes (phase IV). Phase V achieves fii adult morphology. The photoreceptors of phase II are already able to produce spikes in response to light stimulation, although the sensitivity was about one tenth of the adult. The sensitivity increase occurred in parallel with the increase in the phaosome volume. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.