The coagulation of insect hemolymph

Abstract

In contrast to both vertebrates and non-insect arthropods, little is known about the coagulation of hemolymph (hemostasis) in insects. We discuss the integration of the hemostatic response with other branches of the insect immune system. We also describe the present stage in the characterization of both soluble and cellular factors that contribute to hemostasis in insects. The factors of the well-characterized clotting cascades of vertebrates, primitive chelicerates and crustaceans are used to assess the implications of sequencing the whole Drosophila genome for searching candidate genes involved in hemostasis. Some striking similarities between blood clotting in vertebrates and the reaction of insect cells involved in hemolymph coagulation have implications for a phylogenetic comparison of hemostasis between divergent animal classes.