Figure 4
Phenotype of larval shells synthesized in the presence of NikkomycinZ. a. Video microscopy analysis of a 5 day old larva that has been treated for three days with 10 ÎĽM NikkomycinZ. This lively animal synthesized its shell (S) much too small compared to the whole organism. Thus, the shell is not suitable to protect the body tissue. The velum (V, distal border marked by black arrowheads) with its characteristic cilia (C) can not be fully retracted into the shell. The rim of the shell is indicated by white arrowheads. Note that also the hinge (H) of this shell is malformed. b. Scanning electron microscopy image of a 5 day old larval shell that consists of asymmetric valves due to 3 days of growth in the presence of 10 ÎĽM NikkomycinZ. Note that one valve (V1) is much smaller than the second valve (V2). These data suggest that the inhibition of chitin synthase influences the synthesis and biomineralization of larval shells on length scales of > 100 ÎĽm.