Rel/NF-κB double mutants reveal that cellular immunity is central to Drosophila host defense Journal Article
| Authors: | Matova, N.; Anderson, K. V. |
| Article Title: | Rel/NF-κB double mutants reveal that cellular immunity is central to Drosophila host defense |
| Abstract: | Studies on Drosophila immunity have focused on the humoral response, whereas less is known about the Drosophila cellular immunity. Here we show that mutants that lack the Drosophila Rel/NF-κB proteins Dorsal and Dif have very few blood cells, are constitutively infected by opportunistic microbes, and die from infection as larvae. When the double mutants are grown in microbe-free conditions, the animals are rescued from chronic infection and many survive to adult stages. Thus, Dif and Dorsal are required for survival because they protect the animal from infection by microbes from the environment. Specific expression of Dif or dorsal in the blood cell lineage is sufficient to restore blood cell number, clear microbes, and allow survival to the adult stage. These findings demonstrate that the cellular immune response is essential for the ability of Drosophila to survive in their standard laboratory environment, and that Dif and Dorsal control crucial aspects of the cellular immune response, including blood cell survival and the ability to fight off microbial infection. © 2006 by The National Academy of Sciences of the USA. |
| Keywords: | survival; protein expression; survival rate; unclassified drug; dna binding protein; oncoprotein; genetics; mutation; dna-binding proteins; nonhuman; protein function; cell proliferation; animal cell; animal; cytology; metabolism; animals; animal tissue; infection; gene expression; nuclear protein; cell line; animal experiment; transcription factor; drosophila; immunoglobulin enhancer binding protein; cell lineage; animalia; transcription factors; nuclear proteins; immunology; cellular immunity; escherichia coli; nf-kappa b; phosphoproteins; blood cell; innate immunity; cell count; drosophila melanogaster; host resistance; microbiology; macrophage; phagocytosis; macrophages; humoral immunity; drosophila proteins; phosphoprotein; phagocyte; mutant; opportunistic infections; drosophila protein; larva; opportunistic infection; immunity, cellular; transcription factor rel; hemocytes; humoral immune response; phagocytes; transcription factor dif; transcription factor dorsal; dif protein, drosophila; dorsal protein, drosophila; enterobacter infection; escherichia coli infections; oncogene proteins v-rel |
| Journal Title: | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |
| Volume: | 103 |
| Issue: | 44 |
| ISSN: | 0027-8424 |
| Publisher: | National Academy of Sciences |
| Date Published: | 2006-10-31 |
| Start Page: | 16424 |
| End Page: | 16429 |
| Language: | English |
| DOI: | 10.1073/pnas.0605721103 |
| PUBMED: | 17060622 |
| PROVIDER: | scopus |
| PMCID: | PMC1637598 |
| DOI/URL: | |
| Notes: | --- - "Cited By (since 1996): 34" - "Export Date: 4 June 2012" - "CODEN: PNASA" - "Source: Scopus" |
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