Wound-induced eyespots on butterfly wings at the intersection of immune response and pigmentation development.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Butterfly eyespots are striking examples of evolutionary novelty arising through the repurposing of ancestral genetic pathways, including pathways involved in wound healing. Given the activation of the immune system during wound healing and the known links between immunity and pigmentation, we hypothesized that the immune response triggered by wounding contributes to the formation of wound-induced ectopic eyespots on butterfly wings.

Results

We tested this hypothesis by wounding the wings of Bicyclus anynana pupae and modulating immune challenge levels with application of varying quantities of heat-killed bacteria. These led to upregulation of defense-related genes in the wounded wing, as well as in the contralateral non-wounded wing. Immune activation did not aff

SUBMITTER: Jeronimo MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12573941 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature