Discovery of a lipid synthesising organ in the auditory system of an insect.
Weta possess typical Ensifera ears. Each ear comprises three functional parts: two equally sized tympanal membranes, an underlying system of modified tracheal chambers, and the auditory sensory organ, the crista acustica. This organ sits within an enclosed fluid-filled channel-previously presumed to...
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2012-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0051486&type=printable |
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| author | Kathryn F Lomas David R Greenwood James F C Windmill Joseph C Jackson Jeremy Corfield Stuart Parsons |
| author_facet | Kathryn F Lomas David R Greenwood James F C Windmill Joseph C Jackson Jeremy Corfield Stuart Parsons |
| author_sort | Kathryn F Lomas |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Weta possess typical Ensifera ears. Each ear comprises three functional parts: two equally sized tympanal membranes, an underlying system of modified tracheal chambers, and the auditory sensory organ, the crista acustica. This organ sits within an enclosed fluid-filled channel-previously presumed to be hemolymph. The role this channel plays in insect hearing is unknown. We discovered that the fluid within the channel is not actually hemolymph, but a medium composed principally of lipid from a new class. Three-dimensional imaging of this lipid channel revealed a previously undescribed tissue structure within the channel, which we refer to as the olivarius organ. Investigations into the function of the olivarius reveal de novo lipid synthesis indicating that it is producing these lipids in situ from acetate. The auditory role of this lipid channel was investigated using Laser Doppler vibrometry of the tympanal membrane, which shows that the displacement of the membrane is significantly increased when the lipid is removed from the auditory system. Neural sensitivity of the system, however, decreased upon removal of the lipid-a surprising result considering that in a typical auditory system both the mechanical and auditory sensitivity are positively correlated. These two results coupled with 3D modelling of the auditory system lead us to hypothesize a model for weta audition, relying strongly on the presence of the lipid channel. This is the first instance of lipids being associated with an auditory system outside of the Odentocete cetaceans, demonstrating convergence for the use of lipids in hearing. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c7ef77ac2ed947d88b305f8b61d988f5 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2012-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj-art-c7ef77ac2ed947d88b305f8b61d988f52025-08-20T02:30:56ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032012-01-01712e5148610.1371/journal.pone.0051486Discovery of a lipid synthesising organ in the auditory system of an insect.Kathryn F LomasDavid R GreenwoodJames F C WindmillJoseph C JacksonJeremy CorfieldStuart ParsonsWeta possess typical Ensifera ears. Each ear comprises three functional parts: two equally sized tympanal membranes, an underlying system of modified tracheal chambers, and the auditory sensory organ, the crista acustica. This organ sits within an enclosed fluid-filled channel-previously presumed to be hemolymph. The role this channel plays in insect hearing is unknown. We discovered that the fluid within the channel is not actually hemolymph, but a medium composed principally of lipid from a new class. Three-dimensional imaging of this lipid channel revealed a previously undescribed tissue structure within the channel, which we refer to as the olivarius organ. Investigations into the function of the olivarius reveal de novo lipid synthesis indicating that it is producing these lipids in situ from acetate. The auditory role of this lipid channel was investigated using Laser Doppler vibrometry of the tympanal membrane, which shows that the displacement of the membrane is significantly increased when the lipid is removed from the auditory system. Neural sensitivity of the system, however, decreased upon removal of the lipid-a surprising result considering that in a typical auditory system both the mechanical and auditory sensitivity are positively correlated. These two results coupled with 3D modelling of the auditory system lead us to hypothesize a model for weta audition, relying strongly on the presence of the lipid channel. This is the first instance of lipids being associated with an auditory system outside of the Odentocete cetaceans, demonstrating convergence for the use of lipids in hearing.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0051486&type=printable |
| spellingShingle | Kathryn F Lomas David R Greenwood James F C Windmill Joseph C Jackson Jeremy Corfield Stuart Parsons Discovery of a lipid synthesising organ in the auditory system of an insect. PLoS ONE |
| title | Discovery of a lipid synthesising organ in the auditory system of an insect. |
| title_full | Discovery of a lipid synthesising organ in the auditory system of an insect. |
| title_fullStr | Discovery of a lipid synthesising organ in the auditory system of an insect. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Discovery of a lipid synthesising organ in the auditory system of an insect. |
| title_short | Discovery of a lipid synthesising organ in the auditory system of an insect. |
| title_sort | discovery of a lipid synthesising organ in the auditory system of an insect |
| url | https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0051486&type=printable |
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