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Ultrastructure of the Bacteriocytes in the Midgut of the Carpenter ant Camponotus rufipes: Endosymbiont Control by Autophagy

Part of: Micrographia Collection

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 September 2020

Wagner G. Gonçalves ,
Kenner M. Fernandes ,
Ana Paula A. Silva ,
Danilo G. Gonçalves ,
Muhammad Fiaz  and
José Eduardo Serrão Open the ORCID record for José Eduardo Serrão [Opens in a new window]
Wagner G. Gonçalves
Affiliation:
Department of General Biology, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Brazil
Kenner M. Fernandes
Affiliation:
Department of General Biology, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Brazil
Ana Paula A. Silva
Affiliation:
Department of Entomology, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Brazil
Danilo G. Gonçalves
Affiliation:
Department of Basic and Life Sciences, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Governador Valadares, Brazil
Muhammad Fiaz
Affiliation:
Department of Entomology, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Brazil
José Eduardo Serrão*
Affiliation:
Department of General Biology, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Brazil
*
*Author for correspondence: José Eduardo Serrão, E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

The carpenter ant Camponotus rufipes has intracellular bacteria in bacteriocytes scattered in the midgut epithelium, which have different amounts of endosymbionts, according to the developmental stages. However, there are no detailed data about the midgut cells in adult workers. The present work aimed to evaluate the morphology and cellular events that coordinate the abundance of endosymbionts in the midgut cells in C. rufipes workers. The midgut epithelium has digestive cells, bacteriocytes, and cells with intermediate morphology. The latter is similar to bacteriocytes, due to the abundance of endosymbionts, and similar to digestive cells, due to their microvilli. The digestive and intermediate cells are rich in autophagosomes and autolysosomes, both with bacteria debris in the lumen. These findings suggest that midgut cells of C. rufipes control the endosymbiont level by the autophagy pathway.

Keywords

autophagyBlochmanniaFormicidaeinsectsymbiosis
Type
Micrographia
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 26 , Issue 6 , December 2020 , pp. 1236 - 1244
Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America 2020

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