FBS Colloquia No.284Laboratory of Pattern Formation

Arthropod morphogenesis through molting

Arthropods, which are covered with hard cuticle, usually molt in order to grow. During the molt, large external organs may suddenly appear. For example, the horns of a beetle are not present when the beetle is a larva, but suddenly appear when the beetle molts into a pupa. So how is such morphogenesis achieved? Kondo Laboratory has discovered that this is achieved by a two-step developmental mechanism: 1) a new exoskeleton is "folded" inside the old exoskeleton prior to the molt, and 2) the new exoskeleton is physically expanded during the molt. In this colloquium, in addition to the recent findings on the regulation of horn folding formation in the beetle, the helmet formation in the treehopper, which, involves a large three-dimensional morphological change during molting, will be introduced. The speaker is also a member of the Humanware Innovation Program, and is working on the theme of "Elucidation of the burrowing mechanism of beetle larvae" in collaboration with program members. This presentation will also introduce those activities.