Informace o publikaci
Drosophila immune responses against entomopathogenic nematodes
| Autoři | |
|---|---|
| Rok publikování | 2012 |
| Druh | Konferenční abstrakty |
| Fakulta / Pracoviště MU | |
| Citace | |
| Popis | Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN’s) of the genera Heterorhabditis are obligate and lethal insect parasites. In recent years they have been used increasingly as biological control agents. Infective juveniles occur free living in the soil and are capable of seeking out hosts and penetrate them through the cuticle or natural orifices. EPN’s are symbiotically associated with bacteria of the genera Photorhabdus. The bacterial symbionts are essential to kill the host (within 24-48 hours) and digest host tissues. Drosophila larvae are more resistant to nematode infection than Galleria mellonella, but both can be used as natural infection model. The tripartite model (Drosophila, nematodes, bacteria) was recently established and used to show an immune function for transglutaminase, a conserved clotting factor. In this study we optimized the use of Drosophila as hosts and used different Drosophila mutants or RNAi lines with defects in clotting or other branches of the immune system. We demonstrated a protective function during nematode infection for known clotting substrates and for a phospholipase, while Toll an Imd immune pathways on their own are not required during nematode infection. The phenoloxidase cascade cooperates with clotting, but is not efficient again nematodes itself. In conclusion, we show that the Heterorhabditis/Photorhabdus infection model is suitable to identify novel regulators of innate immunity. |