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Centrin- and α-actinin-like immunoreactivity in the ciliary rootlets of insect sensilla

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Summary

Long ciliary rootlets are a characteristic feature of the dendritic inner segments of the sensory cells in insect sensilla. These rootlets are composed of highly ordered filaments and are regularly cross-striated. Collagenase digestion and immunohistochemistry reveal that the rootlets are probably not composed of collagen fibers. However, double-labeling experiments with phalloidin and anti-α-actinins show that antibodies to α-actinin react with the ciliary rootlets of the sensilla, but do not stain the scolopale, which is composed of actin filaments as visualized by phalloidin. Antibodies to centrin, a contractile protein isolated from flagellar rootlets of green algae, also stain the ciliary rootlets. Within the ciliary rootlets of insect sensilla, α-actinin may be associated with filaments other than actin filaments. The immunohistochemical localization of a centrin-like protein suggests that contractions probably occur within the rootlets. The centrin-like protein may play a role during the mechanical transduction or adaptation of the sensilla.

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  1. Uwe Wolfrum

    Present address: Zoologisches Institut der Universität, Kornblumenstrasse 13, W-7500, Karlsruhe 1, Federal Republic of Germany

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  1. Institut für Zoologie der Universität, Biologie I, Universität Regensburg, Universitätsstrasse 31, W-8400, Regensburg, Federal Republic of Germany

    Uwe Wolfrum

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Wolfrum, U. Centrin- and α-actinin-like immunoreactivity in the ciliary rootlets of insect sensilla. Cell Tissue Res 266, 231–238 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00318178

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