AN AUTORADIOGRAPHIC STUDY OF THE RELATION BETWEEN HEMOCYTES AND CONNECTIVE TISSUE IN THE WAX MOTH, GALLERIA MELLONELLA L

Abstract

1. The hemocyte count of Galleria mellonella during the prepupal and early pupal stages varies from 4000/mm.³ to 15000/m³ as a function of age. The number of freely circulating cells can be approximately doubled within 6-24 hours by bleeding the insect. 2. Using tritiated thymidine and autoradiography it was found that there is a hemocyte differentiation sequence of prohemocyte → plasmatocyte → adipohemocyte. This differentiation requires about three days at 35° , and the labeled cells have disappeared in another three days. The life expectancy of these cells, at least in prepupal and early pupal stages, is then less than six days. 3. Transfusion of labeled hemocytes, followed by autoradiography of sections, confirmed the previous suggestion that adipohemocytes have some role in the destruction of the larval neural lamella, but that no blood cells are involved in the formation of the connective tissue around the adult nervous system.