Assessing Adult Body Weight of the Insect, Manduca sexta, After Developmental Delays Associated with Repair of Damaged Tissues
Joana Navarro
Department of Biology
Faculty Supervisor: Megumi Fuse
Developmental delays during puberty may occur in children with certain diseases, including cystic fibrosis and diabetes. These delays may act as compensatory mechanisms to manage tissue inflammation, but can have long-term effects on reproduction. Insects also experience a “pubertal” stage, which can also be delayed when experiencing tissue damage. In the model organism Manduca sexta, we have previously shown that larvae with targeted tissue damage develop into adults after a developmental delay and the size and area of specific wing cells are not altered. We therefore hypothesized that such delays provide time for tissue repair, ensuring that all tissues progress to the adult stage synchronously. To test this, we examined adult weight after delayed development, following repair of damaged pre-pubertal (larval) tissue. M. sexta larvae were exposed to radiation doses ranging from 25 to 75 Gray during the fifth larval stage, which selectively targets tissues destined to become adult structures. We then measured the weights of adults emerging from both irradiated and control groups to assess whether body mass was altered or not. Preliminary results show there are no significant differences in adult weight radiation-damaged and control insects, suggesting that radiation exposure and subsequent regeneration do not have an effect on body mass. Concurrent studies are looking at tissue area and perimeter, to further validate this hypothesis. This research advances our understanding of how organisms regulate growth and regeneration in response to tissue damage.