Selective Photoreceptor Damage in Four Species of Insects Induced by Experimental Exposures to UV-irradiation

Damage to photoreceptive cells of insect compound eyes exposed to abnormally high doses of UV-radiation of 350nm peak wavelength manifests itself in at least two different ways. In the butterflies Papilio xuthus and Pieris napi from Japan and northern Finland, respectively, only the cell bodies of retinula cells 1 and 2, (identified as short wavelength receptors), but not their corresponding rhabdomeres, exhibit damage with apoptotic features. In the eye of UV-irradiated adult crickets, however, cell bodies and cytoplasm remain normal, while the rhabdomeres of cells 7 and 8 exhibit signs of severe membrane disruptions. No signs of damage whatsoever occurred in the eyes of northern Finnish bumblebees exposed to UV. It is suggested that metabolic shortfalls in the UV-sensitive cells of the butterfly eyes result in cellular shut-down, but that in the cricket receptors UV-induced changes of the membrane lipids dominate, leading to membrane instability without concomittant cell death. The strong resistance of the bumblebee eye to UV-induced damage requires further investigation, but since preconditioning to light can reduce photic damage in the rat eye, the 24h daylight experienced by northern Finnish bumblebees during the summer season could be involved.