Three-dimensional ultrastructural characterization of Drosophila melanogaster hygrosensilla across humidity conditions.

ABSTRACT: Understanding how organisms detect environmental humidity remains a fundamental problem in sensory biology. While specialised sensory neurons in insect antennae can detect changes in humidity, the mechanism underlying this ability is not fully understood. Here, we present an integrated approach combining precise humidity control, rapid cryo-preservation, and serial block-face scanning electron microscopy (SBF-SEM) to investigate the ultrastructure of hygrosensilla in the vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster. We developed a deep learning-based segmentation pipeline to analyse three-dimensional structural features of sensilla exposed to different humidity conditions at stable temperature. Our analysis reveals consistent differences in sensilla width between high and low humidity conditions ac

SUBMITTER: Giri G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12478899 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature