Three-dimensional reconstruction of a whole insect reveals its phloem sap-sucking mechanism at nano-resolution

Xin-Qiu Wang; Jian-Sheng Guo; Dan-Ting Li; Yang Yu; Jaco Hagoort; Bernard Moussian; Chuan-Xi Zhang

doi:https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.62875

Three-dimensional reconstruction of a whole insect reveals its phloem sap-sucking mechanism at nano-resolution

Xin-Qiu Wang, Jian-Sheng Guo, Dan-Ting Li, Yang Yu, Jaco Hagoort, Bernard Moussian, Chuan-Xi Zhang

Medical Biology (AMC)

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

15 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Using serial block face scanning electron microscopy (SBF-SEM), we report on the internal 3D structures of the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) at nanometer resolution for the first time. Within the reconstructed organs and tissues, we found many novel and fascinating internal structures in the planthopper such as naturally occurring three four-way rings connecting adjacent spiracles to facilitate efficient gas exchange, and fungal endosymbionts in a single huge insect cell occupying 22% of the abdomen volume to enable the insect to live on plant sap. To understand the muscle and stylet movement during phloem sap-sucking, the cephalic skeleton and muscles were reconstructed in feeding nymphs. The results revealed an unexpected contraction of the protractors of the stylets, and suggested a novel feeding model for the phloem sap-sucking.

Original language	English
Article number	e62875
Pages (from-to)	1-64
Number of pages	64
Journal	eLife
Volume	10
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.62875
Publication status	Published - 1 Feb 2021

Keywords

3D reconstruction
Phloem sap-sucking mechanism
Serial block face scanning electron microscopy (SBF-SEM), Nilaparvata lugens
Whole insect body

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https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.62875

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title = "Three-dimensional reconstruction of a whole insect reveals its phloem sap-sucking mechanism at nano-resolution",

abstract = "Using serial block face scanning electron microscopy (SBF-SEM), we report on the internal 3D structures of the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) at nanometer resolution for the first time. Within the reconstructed organs and tissues, we found many novel and fascinating internal structures in the planthopper such as naturally occurring three four-way rings connecting adjacent spiracles to facilitate efficient gas exchange, and fungal endosymbionts in a single huge insect cell occupying 22% of the abdomen volume to enable the insect to live on plant sap. To understand the muscle and stylet movement during phloem sap-sucking, the cephalic skeleton and muscles were reconstructed in feeding nymphs. The results revealed an unexpected contraction of the protractors of the stylets, and suggested a novel feeding model for the phloem sap-sucking.",

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author = "Xin-Qiu Wang and Jian-Sheng Guo and Dan-Ting Li and Yang Yu and Jaco Hagoort and Bernard Moussian and Chuan-Xi Zhang",

note = "Funding Information: This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31630057 and 31871954) and the Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province (LQ20C040003). The EM data were collected at the Center of Cryo-Electron Microscopy, Zhejiang University. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021, eLife Sciences Publications Ltd. All rights reserved.",

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AU - Wang, Xin-Qiu

AU - Guo, Jian-Sheng

AU - Li, Dan-Ting

AU - Yu, Yang

AU - Hagoort, Jaco

AU - Moussian, Bernard

AU - Zhang, Chuan-Xi

N1 - Funding Information: This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31630057 and 31871954) and the Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province (LQ20C040003). The EM data were collected at the Center of Cryo-Electron Microscopy, Zhejiang University. Publisher Copyright: © 2021, eLife Sciences Publications Ltd. All rights reserved.

PY - 2021/2/1

Y1 - 2021/2/1

N2 - Using serial block face scanning electron microscopy (SBF-SEM), we report on the internal 3D structures of the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) at nanometer resolution for the first time. Within the reconstructed organs and tissues, we found many novel and fascinating internal structures in the planthopper such as naturally occurring three four-way rings connecting adjacent spiracles to facilitate efficient gas exchange, and fungal endosymbionts in a single huge insect cell occupying 22% of the abdomen volume to enable the insect to live on plant sap. To understand the muscle and stylet movement during phloem sap-sucking, the cephalic skeleton and muscles were reconstructed in feeding nymphs. The results revealed an unexpected contraction of the protractors of the stylets, and suggested a novel feeding model for the phloem sap-sucking.

AB - Using serial block face scanning electron microscopy (SBF-SEM), we report on the internal 3D structures of the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) at nanometer resolution for the first time. Within the reconstructed organs and tissues, we found many novel and fascinating internal structures in the planthopper such as naturally occurring three four-way rings connecting adjacent spiracles to facilitate efficient gas exchange, and fungal endosymbionts in a single huge insect cell occupying 22% of the abdomen volume to enable the insect to live on plant sap. To understand the muscle and stylet movement during phloem sap-sucking, the cephalic skeleton and muscles were reconstructed in feeding nymphs. The results revealed an unexpected contraction of the protractors of the stylets, and suggested a novel feeding model for the phloem sap-sucking.

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Three-dimensional reconstruction of a whole insect reveals its phloem sap-sucking mechanism at nano-resolution

Abstract

Keywords

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