Gradients in mechanotransduction of force and body weight in insects

Posture and walking require support of the body weight, which is thought to be detected by sensory receptors in the legs. Specificity in sensory encoding occurs through the numerical distribution, size and response range of sense organs. We have studied campaniform sensilla, receptors that detect forces as strains in the insect exoskeleton. The sites of mechanotransduction (cuticular caps) were imaged by light and confocal microscopy in four species (stick insects, cockroaches, blow flies and Drosophila). The numbers of receptors and cap diameters were determined in projection images. Similar groups of receptors are present in the legs of each species (flies lack Group 2 on the anterior trochanter). The number of receptors is generally related to the body weight but similar numbers are found in blow flies and Drosophila, despite a 30 fold difference in their weight. Imaging data indicate that the gradient (range) of cap sizes may more closely correlate with the body weight: the range of cap sizes is larger in blow flies than in Drosophila but similar to that found in juvenile cockroaches. These studies support the idea that morphological properties of force-detecting sensory receptors in the legs may be tuned to reflect the body weight.