Abstract
Pore-forming members of the membrane attack complex/perforin-like (MACPF) protein superfamily perform well-characterized roles as mammalian immune effectors. For example, complement component 9 and perforin function to directly form pores in the membrane of Gram-negative pathogens or virally infected/transformed cells, respectively. In contrast, the only known MACPF protein in Drosophila melanogaster, Torso-like, plays crucial roles during development in embryo patterning and larval growth. Here, we report that in addition to these functions, Torso-like plays an important role in Drosophila immunity. However, in contrast to a hypothesized effector function in, for example, elimination of Gram-negative pathogens, we find that torso-like null mutants instead show increased susceptibility to certain Gram-positive pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis. We further show that this deficit is due to a severely reduced number of circulating immune cells and, as a consequence, an impaired ability to phagocytose bacterial particles. Together these data suggest that Torso-like plays an important role in controlling the development of the Drosophila cellular immune system.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 675-681 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Genetics |
Volume | 204 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Oct 2016 |
Keywords
- Cellular immunity
- Drosophila melanogaster
- Genetics of immunity
- Membrane attack complex/perforin-like proteins
- Phagocytosis
- Torso-like
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