Eicosanoids and biogenic monoamines modulate the nodulation process and phenoloxidase activity in flesh flies

Insects have innate immunity comprising cellular and humoral defense reactions. Nodulation is a predominant cellular immune response to bacterial infections and the prophenoloxidase (PPO)-activating system acts in nodulation with a melanization reaction that darkens the nodules and produces reactive oxygen species that probably kill the bacteria. Although several eicosanoid actions have been reported in insect immune functions, these actions are relatively understudied among dipterans. We addressed this gap by exploring nodulation reactions to bacterial infections in the 3 rd instar of the flesh fly Thomsonea argyrostoma . The Gram-positive bacterium, Micrococcus luteus , was injected either alone or coupled with eicosanoids biosynthesis inhibitors (EBIs). Nodulation exhibits a maximum at 24 h post injection. At zero time of control larvae, a constitutive level of phenoloxidase (PO) was found in plasma. Intrahemocoelic injection of M. luteus induces biosynthesis of PPO in hemocytes, and also its release into and activation in plasma via M. luteus challenge. EBIs suppress nodulation and PPO content of both hemocytes and plasma, but not PO content of plasma. The results imply the mediation of eicosanoids in PPO biosynthesis in hemocytes and its release, but not its activation in plasma. The injection of biogenic monoamines Octopamine (OA) and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) elevates nodulation and PPO biosynthesis and its activation in plasma.