Septate junction in the distal ileac plexus of larval lepidopteran Trichoplusia ni: alterations in paracellular permeability during ion transport reversal

The Malpighian tubules (MTs) and hindgut together act as the functional kidney in insects. MTs of caterpillars are notably complex and consist of several regions that display prominent differences in ion transport. The distal ileac plexus (DIP) is a region of MT that is of particular interest because it switches from ion secretion to ion reabsorption in larvae fed on ion-rich diets. The pathways of solute transport in the DIP are not well understood, but one potential route is the paracellular pathway between epithelial cells. This pathway is regulated by the septate junctions (SJs) in invertebrates, and in this study, we found regional and cellular heterogeneity in the expression of several integral SJ proteins. DIP of larvae fed ion-rich diets demonstrated a reduction in paracellular permeability, coupled with alterations in both SJ morphology and the abundance of its molecular components. Similarly, treatment in vitro with helicokinin (HK), an antidiuretic hormone identified by previous studies, altered mRNA abundance of many SJ proteins and reduced paracellular permeability. HK was also shown to target a secondary cell-specific SJ protein, Tsp2A. Taken together, our data suggest that dietary ion loading, known to cause ion transport reversal in the DIP of larval Trichoplusiani, leads to alterations in paracellular permeability, SJ morphology and the abundance of its molecular components. The results suggest that HK is an important endocrine factor that co-regulates ion transport, water transport and paracellular permeability in MTs of larval lepidopterans. We propose that co-regulation of all three components of the MT function in larval lepidopterans allows for safe toggling between ion secretion and reabsorption in the DIP in response to variations in dietary ion availability.