GELIFES Seminars - Kentaro Arikawa

Kentaro Arikawa (SOKENDAI, Japan)

Light and butterfly behavior

Butterflies have two pairs of photoreceptor cells on their external genitalia. In males, these cells confirm proper coupling during mating; in females, they guide ovipositor extension when gluing eggs onto leaves. We recorded action potentials from axons in response to UV stimulation. Each cell body contains a phaosome, the presumed photoreceptive site. Recently, we found that these tissues express mRNA encoding a UV-sensitive opsin absent from the eyes. Expressing this opsin in cultured cells revealed an absorption spectrum matching with cells’ sensitivity spectrum. Immunohistochemistry using the specific anti-opsin antiserum labeled the phaosome, showing that a non-visual UV-sensitive rhodopsin mediates this unique sense.

Biosketch:
Graduated from Jiyugakuen and the Graduate School of Sophia University. As a first-year graduate student, I discovered that butterflies receive light through their genitalia, earning a Ph.D. degree. After serving as a biology professor at Yokohama City University from 1986, I moved to Sokendai-Hayama in 2006. Awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon from the Emperor of Japan in 2022. Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University, Research Fellow at the NIH, and Researcher with JST-PRESTO.